Retention
After your braces are removed, we will place your retainers and begin the retention stage of your treatment. Our patients typically have four retainer check visits over the first year after their braces are removed. Once this 'active retention' phase is completed, most patients are instructed to wear their retainers one night per week indefinitely.
Quality research and clinical experience have clearly demonstrated that teeth are at risk for movement or shifting throughout life, so regular retainer wear is the only way to insure a perfect smile over time. Maintaining your final orthodontic result depends on your retainer wear, so please follow through with the hard work you've put in so far!
Removable Retainers
In most cases, we use clear 'Invisalign-type' retainers which slip over the teeth and are invisible when you wear them. We provide a special case for your retainers; any time your retainers are not in your mouth they should be in your case! Wrapping retainers in a napkin and placing them on a restaurant tray is a sure-fire way to lose them. To clean your retainers, brush them with dish soap and an old toothbrush. Occasionally brushing with toothpaste is okay, but it will scratch the retainers if used too frequently.
In some cases we use the more traditional plastic and wire 'Hawleytype' retainers. Cleaning and care instructions are similar to 'Invisalign-type' retainers, but care must also be taken to insure that the wires are not inadvertently bent.
Permanent Retainers
Permanent retainers are tiny wires glued to the backs of the front teeth (usually the lowers) to keep them straight after the braces are removed. Dr. Lazzara is a proponent of permanent retainers, and uses them in most cases where significant crowding of the lower front teeth exists before treatment. Permanent retainers are more difficult to keep clean, however, so their use must be limited to cases where relapse is a major concern, AND where patients have demonstrated good oral hygiene habits during treatment.
Permanent retainers generally stay in place at least 2 years after the braces are removed. If hygiene is adequate, and the patient's family dentist has not noted problems with tartar (calculus) accumulation around the retainer, Dr. Lazzara's recommendation generally is to keep them in place. In the event that permanent retainers are removed, removable retainers must be fabricated and worn regularly to keep the teeth straight.