Once your braces come off or use your last aligner, it’s necessary to round out the process with regular retainer use. Here at Brenham Family Dental, you’ll hear us talk a lot about how retainers are key to keeping your teeth in their newer and improved positions. To understand why it is essential to wear a retainer for your overall orthodontic success, please keep reading.
Why are retainers so important?
When the initial stage of your orthodontic treatment is complete, it is just not your teeth that we want to stay in place. The bones and gums in your mouth will also need to align with these new positions. Because the soft and hard tissues surrounding the teeth can take a little bit longer to align to a new position, wearing a retainer regularly can help the gums and bones to realign. This further stabilizes your new bite.
In simple words, it helps to understand that teeth aren’t just fixed in the jaw, rather each one is held firm in its socket by ligaments that attach the roots to the bone. These ligaments are living tissue, affected by the movement of the teeth. This attachment is responsible for the small teeth movement during treatment. When tension forms in and around the teeth using an orthodontic appliance like braces, new ligaments are formed.
Once the initial treatment phase is complete, those same tissues, ligaments, and bone will need time to stabilize. Without a retainer to help hold them their new positions as they stabilize, the teeth will try to move back to their previous positions. It can take several months for your teeth’s new position to become more permanent.
We offer superior service for retainers…and more!
Whatever your orthodontic needs, Brenham Family Dental is here for you! We are glad to help with all your queries. For more information regarding why you should wear a retainer after your orthodontic treatment, get in touch with us today. Call us at 979-421-9685.