You and Your Retainers

Upper and lower retainers are placed after the braces are removed to hold the teeth in their corrected positions. It takes several months for the bone to rebuild itself around the roots of the teeth, so it is very important to wear your retainers all of the time. In fact, wearing your retainers is as equally important, if not more so, than the braces themselves.

If the retainers are not worn, your teeth will begin to shift back to their original position. The more rotated the teeth were originally, the more they will move. This is why it is so important to wera the retainers. We will see you periodically to check your retainers to be sure they are doing their job.

The retainers should be put in and taken out exactly as you were instructed. Brush your retainer when you brush your teeth. Never boil your retainer. If your retainer is lost or broken, call us immediately. There will be a $150.00 charge for the repair or replacement of your retainer.

The retainers can be worn only at night after the initial first year of full-time wear if the doctor instructs the patient that it is permissible, or until the wisdom teeth are fully erupted, or until they are extracted. This will prevent the wisdom teeth from pushing those nice straight teeth out of alignment. If wisdom teeth do not develop, the retainers will be worn until the doctor feels the teeth are stable. If wisdom teeth do not develop, we may need to take an x-ray of them to determine if they need to be removed.

A natural settling of the teeth may occur after the retainers have been discontinued. Slight shifting of the bite due to the normal aging process can be expected and is something over which we have no control.

Don'ts For Your Retainer

• Don't put in your pockets, book bags, lockers, etc.
• Don't leave lying around the house for pets to chew up or family members to step on.
• Don't cover up retainers with napkin during mealtimes. You will forget and throw it away.
• Don't leave in or near heat. (Example: hot curling irons, the car, etc.)
• Don't lose your retainer!

Do's For Your Retainer

• Do put your retainer in the plastic container with your name, address, and phone number on it whenever you eat a meal.
• Do wear your retainer at all times, day and night, for the first year, except when brushing your teeth or eating.
• do call the office if you have lost or damaged your retainer.
• do come in for your retainer checkups.

Remember: Retainer wear is just as important as your braces!