You’ve worked hard for that beautiful smile; let’s keep it that way!
Finally, your done with braces or Invisalign and your smile is straight and beautiful! However, your orthodontic journey isn’t quite completed. To keep your smile looking its best, you’ll have to wear a retainer to preserve and stabilize your results.
Retainers are needed to control or limit potential changes in tooth position. They are used after braces treatment to hold teeth in their correct alignment while the surrounding gums, bone, and muscle adjust to the new positioning of your teeth.
Dr. Zach believes retention is a lifetime commitment. Teeth can move and shift slightly with retainers, but in order to minimize any larger shifts or changes, the retainers must be worn as indicated. Just like people with vision problems need to wear glasses or contacts every day to see, all we ask is that you wear your retainer at night to keep your teeth nice and straight!
Types of Retainers
Retainers are custom-made and can be removable or glued to the teeth.
- Clear retainers, or Essix retainers, look similar to clear aligners and offer a more aesthetic alternative to wire retainers. This clear retainer may fit over the entire arch of your teeth like a mouthguard.
- Fixed retainers are glued to the back of your teeth. These retainers are usually used when there was significant crowding or spacing of the teeth in the beginning.
- Removable retainers typically include a metal wire that surrounds the front teeth and is attached to an acrylic plate that sits in the roof of the mouth.
Looking for a new retainer or concerned about your teeth shifting?
Let us help you out! If you had braces or Invisalign in the past, and simply want to get rid of your old retainer, we would be happy to make you a new retainer. Follow the link below and let us know how we can help. We take digital impressions with an iTero 3D video camera which means no gooey goopy molds : )