Retainers

Retainers are custom-made to fit your unique smile and come in two main types: removable and fixed.

• Traditional Removable Retainers: These consist of a metal wire that surrounds your front teeth, attached to an acrylic arch that rests against the roof of your mouth. The wire can be adjusted if needed to fine-tune the alignment of your teeth.

• Aligner-Style Retainers (Essix Retainers): These clear, nearly invisible retainers are a more aesthetic option. They fit over the entire arch of your teeth. They’re created from a mold of your newly aligned teeth.

• Fixed Retainers: These are thin wires bonded to the back of your front teeth. While they are often worn for about a year after wisdom teeth removal, many people keep them in place long-term to ensure their smile stays stable.

Pros and Cons

• Removable Retainers: They’re easy to take out for eating and brushing, giving you flexibility. However, they can be lost easily, so make sure to keep it in its case whenever you remove it.

• Fixed Retainers: If you prefer not to worry about taking your retainer in and out or keeping track of wear time, a fixed retainer is a great option. However, it does require extra care when flossing, as you’ll need to use floss threaders to clean between the retainer and your teeth.

We wear retainers to maintain the results of orthodontic treatment and prevent teeth from shifting back to their original positions. After braces or clear aligner treatment, your teeth and gums need time to stabilize and adjust to their new alignment.

Here are some key reasons why retainers are necessary:

1. Prevent Teeth Shifting: Without retainers, teeth have a natural tendency to drift back toward their old positions, especially right after braces are removed.

2. Stabilize New Alignment: After orthodontic treatment, the bone and soft tissues around your teeth are still adapting. Retainers keep teeth in place during this process to ensure lasting results.

3. Maintain Bite and Smile: Retainers help preserve the precise alignment of your bite, which is important for both the appearance and function of your teeth.

4. Protect Long-Term Results: Even years after treatment, retainers help prevent subtle shifts that can occur over time, keeping your smile beautiful and straight for the long run.

In short, retainers are essential for keeping the hard work you’ve done in orthodontic treatment intact, so you can enjoy a lasting, confident smile.

At Daly Orthodontics, we recommend Full Time retainer wear for the first 3 months after treatment is complete. After 3 months of full time wear, we recommend Night Time wear for a life time to guarantee that the teeth don’t shift.

We understand that life happens, and sometime you lose or break retainers. For this reason, we offer a Retainer Membership program. This serves as a retainer insurance policy. If you lose or break your retainers, you will be able to obtain new ones with minimal costs. You can join at the beginning of your treatment and have it included in your treatment costs for easy monthly payments. If you did not join the retainer membership at the beginning of your treamtent, no worries! You can always opt in at any time.

Ask a member of our staff for more information !