Keep Your Smile In Place
You’ll receive retainers after the active portion of your treatment to help stabilize your teeth. Bones and soft tissues surrounding your teeth are stabilizing for several months after your braces are removed, so it’s imperative to wear your braces as directed.
If you don’t wear your retainers correctly, your teeth can move in undesirable ways, making re-treatment necessary.
Because teeth can continue to move throughout life, we feel that individuals who have undergone orthodontic therapy should wear retainers for life.
Retainers are made of a thermoplastic material sensitive to excessive heat, so they should be kept away from heaters, dishwashers, car dashboards or any place where the temperatures exceed 115 degrees (F).
The retainers should be cleaned before and after placement in the mouth. Because the material used for fabrication is slightly porous, plaque tends to cling to the surfaces.
Gentle scrubbing with a toothbrush and a mild liquid soap will remove the plaque. A denture cleaning solution, such as Efferdent, will aid in the removal of plaque and tartar. Be sure to rinse your retainers thoroughly after cleaning to remove any cleanser residue.
Our goal is to help your smile stay beautiful and healthy for a lifetime. Your cooperation is essential to achieve this goal.
A Few Things to Remember About Retainers
- Don't fold it in your napkin or leave it on the table at a restaurant. Garbage cans don't make happy hunting grounds.
- Don't put your retainer in your pocket. You might sit on it and break it. OUCH!
- Take your retainer out when swimming in a lake or ocean. If it falls out, you may not be able to find it. The same goes for a swimming pool depending on the size of the pool.
- Animals and younger children love to play with it. Please make sure your retainer is in your mouth at all times. Your retainer should only be out of your mouth when brushing or eating.
- Your lower retainer may be a fixed retainer bonded onto your teeth. It is not considered permanent and can be broken or detached from your teeth if you are not careful with it.
- Bring your retainers to your check-up appointment. If anything happens to your retainers (i.e. it doesn't fit, it's broken, or it's lost) please call us ASAP. If your lower bonded retainer wire comes out, keep it and bring it in at your next appointment for rebonding.
- The first set of retainers is included in your treatment fee. Any repair, replacement of your retainer, or rebonding of your lower retainer will be additional and charged to your account.
- Keep things clean! Be sure to brush your teeth without your retainers in. Do not boil your retainer or put it in hot water. Brush your retainer with a toothbrush using toothpaste or water.