The office of Dr. Anthony Farrow located in Philadelphia PA understands that after a treatment has been completed, a retainer is very important to maintain the beautiful smile that your orthodontist has helped to provide you with. However, as we all know, it is easy to neglect your retainer. Many people forget to put it in or misplace it. The very unlucky retainers become a pets next meal. However, there are many reasons why retainers shouldn’t be ingnored or forgotten about.
Everyone needs some kind of retainer after they finish up with their braces or Invisalign treatment. Your teeth have memory, and for most people, their teeth want to move back in the direction they came from. The amount of movement varies from person to person. Some people are lucky and their teeth don’t move very much. Others see a more significant amount of movement.
Ask yourself this question…can you name one part of your body that hasn’t changed over the last 30 or 40 years? Our bodies change as we age, and that includes your teeth. They are not set in stone. You can generate a lot of force when you bite down. These forces are transmitted to the teeth and they can move the teeth around. This is especially true for people that grind their teeth in their sleep.
Many people are forced to get their teeth straightened for a second time because they stopped wearing their retainers and their lower teeth crowded up. Some people choose to use a bonded retainer on the inside of the lower front 6 teeth after treatment is finished. It is invisible to others and it becomes virtually unnoticable to a patient after a day or two. Bite forces have a tendency to make the lower canine teeth collapse inward toward the tongue over time. As the canine teeth drop back, the lower front teeth (incisors) tend to crowd up. With the lower bonded retainer in place this can’t happen. Of course, if someone doesn’t want this type of retainer, a removable retainer is another and just as effective option.
Most patients are given a removable upper retainer. This is either a traditional retainer that has the wire that goes across the front teeth, or a clear plastic retainer that is form fitted to the teeth. Both types of retainers have their advantages. The nice aspect of a traditional retainer is that the orthodontist can move teeth with it (it is also possile with the clear retainer, but on a much more limited basis). If a tooth moves, I can put a bend in the wire and move it back. The clear retainer has it’s obvious advantages as well. It’s clear! People can’t really see it, and patient compliance is usually higher with this type of retainer.
People often ask, “How long do I have to wear my retainer?”. The answer is up to you. How long do you want your teeth to stay straight? It is a long term proposition. This, however, doesn’t mean you have to wear it all the time forever. Most people start off with full time wear, taking it out to eat, brush, and for sports. As soon as possible, the number of hours a day that it has to be worn gets cut back. Most patients are wearing it just at night within about six months. Eventually, patients are just putting it in a night or two a week to keep things straight.
Basically, retainers are vital to maintain the beautiful set of chompers that you have spent so much time and money to obtain. So…keep up wearing your retainer!