Finally, the braces were removed! What's next?
Once teeth have been repositioned, dental braces may finally be removed. This, however, does not neccessarily mean the end of treatment. Teeth retainers usually must be worn for the next few months to maintain the new alignment of teeth.
In most cases, orthodontists may decide to remove just one set of braces at a time, such as top or lower brace instead of both. Once braces have been removed, another impression of teeth is taken to prepare retainers.
Good news is, unlike dental braces, teeth retainers are removable appliances, and can be taken out for brushing teeth or eating a meal. Without retainers, teeth would soon move back to their old positions and several months job of wearing braces will go to a waste.
Differences between upper and lower retainers
- The upper retainer has more acrylic with wire set into it to help maintain the space between certain teeth. Wire attached to each side of the retainer extends around the front teeth, like the archwire, and keeps teeth from moving back.
- The lower retainer has less acrylic as tongue lies in the bottom of the mouth. It follows the tooth line and slightly pushes against the teeth, to prevent them from returning to original positions.
Oral health and teeth retaners
To keep teeth healthy, it is recommended to clean retainers daily from food particles, germs and plaque. Simply rinsing may not be enough. Some antibacterial soap with toothbrush may help to remove the plaque. Keeping retainers clean prolongs their useful life and helps the mouth stay healthy.
Fun part of retainers
As with dental braces, retainers can come in different colors. It’s not only fun, especially for kids, but also helps to preserve them, as natural colored retainers tend to get lost, thrown away with meal leftovers, and even be eaten by pets. Color makes them stand out when you're looking for them. Be sure to get the colored case too.
Typical problems with teeth retainers
Not wearing them
It takes a good deal of patience to wear teeth retainers as presribed, since they can be removed at will. Especially after a prolonged treatment with dental braces - it's just too tempting to take them off and put aside. Bad news is that once people stop wearing retainers regularly, next they can hardly remember to wear them at all. That allows teeth to move back to their previous positions, thus undoing months of treatment. Compliance with orthodontist's instructions helps to finish the treatment faster.
Lost them
Like car keys, something as small as teeth retainers can get lost easily. The smart solution is to get a colored case, a colored retainer, or both. The color will help to stand out when you are looking for it.
Thrown out
Once retainer is taken out for a meal and wrapped in a napkin, it can easily be viewed as a trash and be thrown away. When people realize what has happened, retainers can already be miles away on board a garbage truck.
Pet toy
Do you have a cat or a small dog? Then do your best to keep the teeth retainer in a case when not wearing it. Retainer may easily be chewed, or even worse swallowed, once found by pet.
Why wearing teeth retainers is important
To keep the corrections made to the teeth, retainers must be worn for the most part of the day and night according to orthodontist instructions. Replacing retainer takes time and can be costly.