Braces form a beautiful and straighter smile, while retainers maintain better oral hygiene long after the braces are removed.
Retainers are most commonly used to maintain straight teeth after any orthodontic treatment.
Although the benefits for your kids in wearing their retainers correctly go beyond that.
Most of the time, the hardest part of having new retainers is keeping and cleaning them.
Having kids wear their retainers properly and keeping them safe is not easy but knowing the advantages of retainers and how to make sure your child adapts to wearing their retainers will help them go through the process with less stress – and higher marks from your Glen Waverley dentist.
Once the orthodontic treatment is completed, maintenance of your straightened teeth starts by wearing retainers. This will go a long way towards keeping the bite and smile formed over the years.
Usually, retainers are made by the dentist who performed the orthodontic treatment.
This is done by taking moulds or impressions, of the newly straightened teeth and making the retainer out of wire and/or acrylic materials.
The retainer is then tested during another appointment.
For most cases, retainers should be worn for several months, if not indefinitely.
Wearing retainers to keep straightened teeth in place is most common during the last phase of orthodontic treatment.
After the braces are removed, the teeth may move back to their original position — retainers worn overnight help maintain the position of your straightened teeth.
Two available types of retainers are: fixed retainers and removable retainers.
Fixed retainers are thin wire fixed across the back of the upper or lower front teeth.
Since the type of wire used reaches many teeth, a floss threader must be used to reach the spaces between the teeth, which is similar to how people wearing braces floss.
Even though this type of retainer takes a little more effort to keep clean, it produces the best results since the bonded wire holds the newly straightened teeth in perfect formation.
Removable retainers are combination of a wire going across the upper or lower front teeth, secured with a combination of acrylic and hooks that insert in and around the back teeth to secure them in place.
With this type of retainer, it is easier to keep your teeth clean, but the patient has to remember to wear it every single day.
Initially, your Glen Waverley dentist will ask you to wear your retainers for 24 hours for the first three months; if there’s no movement detected, you may be instructed to wear them at night or for a few hours during the day.
Your Glen Waverley dentist will recommend the best type of retainers based on your preferences and requirements.
You will likely be wearing and maintaining your retainer for several months or years, so it is important that you wear the type that works best for you and that you’ll use as instructed.
EK Dental Surgery provides high-quality orthodontic retainers out of durable and non-invasive materials.
To request an appointment with your Glen Waverley dentist, call us on (03) 9887 8787 or make an appointment online.
We are located at 230 Springvale Road in Glen Waverley.
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