The treatment involving braces is the first milestone in your journey toward straight teeth. What’s the next step? Retainers! You may have heard about it, or you may have not. Regardless of what you know, this article will brief you about retainers and their types so that you can make informed decisions.
How Do Retainers Help?
They are custom-designed plastic or metal components. Retainers are orthodontic appliances used to keep teeth in a specific position. They’re frequently administered after therapy to keep the results you have worked so hard for. As teeth have a natural propensity to shift position over time, it is critical to wear a retainer and ensure that your teeth remain in the desired alignment for as long as possible. Retainers help maintain the alignment by preventing teeth from moving out of their new position. Retainers are fabricated keeping the shape of the mouth in mind so they can help straighten teeth depending on the use. However, why do you have to wear retainers in the first place? Why can’t the teeth maintain their new positions? Here is the reason:
Teeth need some time to adjust to their new placements, and this is because bones, muscles, and ligaments have to adapt according to the new alignment. If a retainer is not worn for the prescribed time after teeth have been straightened, they may shift back out of alignment.
Apart from dealing with alignment issues, retainers can also aid those who clench their jaws as they adjust to the new sensations after the treatment is concluded. Moreover, a retainer can help you avoid problems like migraines and teeth grinding by preventing you from clenching your teeth.
Types of Retrainers:
Based on the extent of use and the shape of restrainers, there are three main types of restrainers:
Permanent Retainers:
A solid or braided wire is curved to fit the contour of newly straightened teeth in permanent retainers. Moreover, the wire is cemented (bonded) behind teeth to restrict any form of movement.
Permanent retainers are also known as fixed, lingual wire, or bonded retainers, and they are most commonly used on lower teeth. As their names suggest, you have to bear them until your orthodontist or dentist decides to remove them.
Essix Retainers:
Removable retainers comprise a thin metal wire and plastic or acrylic designed to suit the roof of the mouth. Now, to ensure alignment, the connecting metal wire runs visibly over your teeth. The wire part of the retainer is responsible for maintaining your teeth in place, while the plastic or acrylic part acts as an anchor and is shaped to fit inside your mouth.
Clear Retainers:
These are detachable retainers that are custom-molded to accommodate the new tooth location. Molded retainers are another name for them. A mold of the teeth is used to construct this sort of retainer. The mold is then heated and sucked down with transparent plastic or polyurethane.
Would you like to learn more about these types of retainers? Brenham Family Dental would love to help you out, you can call us at 979-421-9685 for more inquiries.