So let’s say you’ve gone through years of orthodontist checkups to tighten your braces, or you’ve been wearing your aligners for months on end and your appointment to get these appliances removed is approaching soon. More than anything, you’re excited to visit your orthodontist in Mission Viejo such as Maryam Horiyat DDS to rid your mouth of these devices. 

We understand that feeling, but it’s also important to keep in mind that wearing your retainers after an orthodontic treatment is the only 100% sure way to keep your newly positioned teeth in place.

Retainers Work to Keep Your Teeth Straight

Whether you had braces or aligners, believe it or not, that was only part one of your orthodontic processes. Both of these appliances straighten your teeth by putting pressure on them to move toward a certain direction. Because of this, the bone within the tooth changes its shape. 

The pressure created by aligners and braces make the periodontal membrane, an area just below the gum tissue, diminish on one side, and grow back on the opposite side. The breakdown of the periodontal membrane allows your tooth to loosen, making it easier for the regrowth of the periodontal membrane on the other end to reinforce its new position. A dentist calls this process “bone remodeling.”

Any tooth moving process takes time. In fact, teeth move about one millimeter per month. Bone remodeling is even longer than that since the breakdown takes about 72 hours to begin, and about 90 days to rebuild. Once the rebuild is finished, it takes about ten months for the periodontal membrane to become strong enough to reinforce the tooth in place. During this time frame, it’s highly possible for the tooth to wiggle in another direction. This is disrupting your straighter-teeth process, wasting the money you’ve put into the task, and wasting the amount of time you’ve undergone wearing braces or aligners. 

Retainers are given after orthodontic treatments, and their sole purpose is to prevent any unwanted shifts from happening. 

So What Are Dental Retainers?

Dental retainers are made of plastic or metal that are used to keep your teeth in their new position after the removal of aligners or graces. Removable retainers allow you to remove them from your teeth while fixed retainers are perfectly fastened instead.

Removable Retainers

These types of retainers have a wire that stretches along the front of the teeth and is held in position by clasps on the back of the teeth and specific acrylic material. One of the benefits of removable retainers is that you can take them off, allowing for an easier process of clearing your teeth. Take for example brushing your teeth in the morning and evening.

Fixed Retainers

Fixed retainers have a thin wire that spans across the backside of either the upper or lower teeth. Similar to removable retainers, these retainers contain a combination of both acrylic material but utilize hooks to connect on the back of the teeth to keep the retainer in position. Unfortunately, fixed retainers make it more difficult to clean your teeth since you have to clean around them. A floss threader or a similar cleaning device must be used to reach smaller spaces between the teeth and the retainer. 

However, because of the fact that these retainers are fixed to the teeth, they give much better results between the two.

Removable Retainer Schedules Are Specific to Each Individual’s Unique Teeth

Every smile is different. This means that every smile’s retainers are specialized in that individual’s teeth. Your orthodontist will advise you with instructions on how you should go about your retainer process. They will detail out how long you should be wearing your retainers and when. You might need to wear your retainer every day for four months, then only wear it when you go to bed at night after. Or your orthodontist may recommend that you only wear your retainer in the evening, but every evening for a year or longer. Depending on your unique teeth, your straightening schedule will vary. For the best results from your retainers, it is recommended to wear your removable retainers according to the instructions given by your orthodontist in Mission Viejo such as Maryam Horiyat, DDS.