Is it time to finally bid adieu to your braces? It is an exhilarating feeling to know that after what feels like a long time, braces have served their purpose: aligning your teeth into the proper position. But wait, before you go on to celebrate, your orthodontist might tell you to wear retainers after braces. Wearing retainers is essential to ensure your teeth do not shift back into the misaligned position. If you don’t wear retainers after braces, your teeth will slowly move to their original position.
In this blog, we will explain why you should wear a retainer and what it does. Carry on reading to learn more about why you need a retainer after braces.
What Do Retainers Do?
First, let’s go over what retainers are. Worn after braces, a retainer is an orthodontic appliance made of plastic and metal. It fits on the top of teeth and mouth, tailored according to the patient’s needs. Hence, any patient who has undergone orthodontic treatment will require retainers.
You need retainers after braces to stop your teeth from reverting back to the position they were in before orthodontic intervention. The reason you need retainers after orthodontic treatment is that it keeps your teeth in place after braces have straightened them. Why you need a retainer because the tissues and ligaments have not caught up to the new alignment; without braces, the teeth become misaligned again — and fixing this will require more professional treatment than before.
Benefits of Retainers After Braces
Your orthodontist will tell you how long to wear a retainer after braces. You can expect the following benefits of wearing retainers after braces:
1. Stabilized Bite
The soft tissue and bone surrounding your teeth require time to adapt to the new position once the braces are removed. Gradually, they will stabilize in the new alignment, which lowers the possibility of orthodontic relapse.
2. Room for Third Molars & New Teeth
Usually, teenagers and preteens require braces. At this age, the body is still developing. Hence, they would use retainers for teeth around the time their wisdom teeth erupt. Using retainers will maintain enough space in the jaw to accommodate new teeth, such as the third molars. This way, you will not have to worry about crowding.
3. No More Treatment Reversal
After the braces have been removed, the teeth will start moving into their old position in the following months. But with a retainer after braces, you can ensure that does not happen. You will, however, have to wear a retainer for months or even two years, depending on your case.
4. Jawbones Aligned With Gums
The gums and bones around your teeth take longer to align into a new position. This is where retainers help as they accelerate the alignment, stabilizing your bite.
5. Teeth Held in Position
Whether you have overbites, underbites, or minor misalignments, the gaps in your teeth require time to stabilize. Thus, the teeth need to shift a considerable distance to stay in the new spaces that need to be held. This allows the mouth to adapt to the changes as wearing a retainer after braces hold teeth in position.
Straighten Your Smile, Today!
To conclude, your retainers help your teeth stay in position after braces are removed. Talk to our dental specialist at Aava Dental to discuss the best options for straightening your smile. You can contact us today at (818) 792 4500. Or, you can meet our dental team in person by visiting us at 12820 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91606, United States.