Retainers
As the human body grows, develops and ages, all parts of the body develop and shift. Teeth, as part of the body, also shift as part of the aging process, REGARDLESS OF ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT. An individual who has never had orthodontic treatment is likely to experience tooth shifting at some point in life. It is therefore recommended that retainers continue to be worn regularly at night forever to maintain ideal alignment. It is a convenient tool to prevent the aging process from affecting your ideal dental alignment.
Most of our patients at Oceans Orthodontics receive the more aesthetic and comfortable clear retainers. We are also proud to offer ‘permanent’ retainers to all of our patients to help reduce complications associated with imperfect retainer wear after treatment.
All removable retainers should be worn as follows:
- 22 hours per day for the first 6 months after orthodontic treatment
- 8 hours per day for months 6-12 after orthodontic treatment
- Regularly at night after 1 year following orthodontic treatment
All removable retainers should be cared for as follows:
- Brush your retainer each time your brush your teeth using cold water and NO toothpaste.
- Soak your retainer in ‘Retainer-Brite’ or similar fizzy solution.
- Do not use hot water, which may warp your retainer.
- Whenever your retainers are not in your mouth, put them in their case to avoid loss or damage.
- Never wrap your retainers in paper, tissue or plastic as they will be more likely to be discarded.
- Keep retainers away from dogs as they will be likely to chew on them and destroy them.
- Remove your retainers from the back rather than the front. Removal from the front will distort and eventually break your retainer.
Clear Invisacryl ‘Invisalign-style’ Retainer
It is important to brush your teeth after eating and before inserting your clear retainer. It is only permitted to drink clear, sugar-free, color-free and acid-free liquids (a.k.a. water) with your clear retainers in.
Bonded Lingual ‘Permanent’ Retainers (BLR)
When a BLR breaks, you will notice that one of the ‘bumps’ of cement will rock or move slightly on one or more teeth. This indicates that this tooth is likely to shift. This must be repaired as soon as possible.
Hawley ‘Traditional’ Retainers
These retainers are very durable and if treated well can last for decades.