In order to prevent your teeth from moving after your braces have been removed, it is vitally important that retainers be worn.  The following are some guidelines about retainer use.

Wear your retainers as instructed according to the type of retainer prescribed for you.  Hawley retainers and Trutain retainers are worn as follows:  If the patient is a child, they should wear the retainer every night until the age of 21; adult patients wear this retainer every night for seven years, then once or twice per week to verify the fit and maintain straight teeth. 

On the rare occasions when retainers are required to be worn full time, they can be removed for eating.  But they should always be kept in a case and never be wrapped in napkins or tissues and laid on a table or plate.  (Patients have told us just how unappetizing it is to scour mounds of restaurant garbage, hunting for something that is then supposed to go back in their mouth!) 

In the morning when retainers are removed, clean them thoroughly with a toothbrush, toothpaste and warm (not hot) water.  Soaking retainers in vinegar, denture cleaner or other orthodontic appliance cleaners will help remove stains or tartar deposits. Then place them in their case until evening, when they are again inserted into the mouth. Never heat retainers in boiling water, place in a microwave, run through a dishwasher or washing machine to “sterilize” them.  They won’t survive the abuse.

Again, when retainers are not in your mouth, they should ALWAYS be in a retainer case.  Animals, especially dogs, love to chew on them.  Never place your loose retainer in your purse, backpack or place it in your pocket.  Cases are free, but replacement retainers are not. 

In the occasional instance when full-time wear is required, some patients’ speech may be affected for a few hours or perhaps a day.  But most patients adapt easily and speech returns to normal rather quickly.

If retainers become loose, seem ill fitting, cause soreness in the mouth, or if you notice teeth becoming crooked, contact the office during regular business hours to schedule an appointment.

It is normal for teeth to shift slightly immediately following orthodontic treatment as the ligaments and bone holding the teeth “settle” into their new position.  Retainers are designed to maintain the teeth in their corrected position, but teeth have the tendency to relapse slightly even years after treatment has been completed.  Rotations and shifting of the lower front teeth are the most common examples of changes which can occur through the normal aging process.  Prolonged retainer wear should prevent most of these from occurring.

Never “click” retainers in and out of your mouth repeatedly.  This will quickly “fatigue” wires, plastic or acrylic permanently.  Call our office right away if your retainer is lost or broken.  In order to not lose the progress achieved in moving your teeth into their desired position, a retainer is mandatory, so a new one (or set) will need to be fabricated.

Retainer replacement is expensive, but with proper care they can last years.