What is a retainer and why do I have to wear it?
Retainers are appliances that are worn to prevent relapse of the tooth positions.
There are removable and fixed types of retainer appropriate to each case.
What is a retainer and why do I have to wear it?
Retainers are appliances that are worn to prevent relapse of the tooth positions.
There are removable and fixed types of retainer appropriate to each case.
How long do I need to wear my retainers?
The typical wear regime is often full time for 3 months and then night time only – reducing over a period of time to minimal wear. Your orthodontist will instruct you about this and the advice given will be based on your own particular situation.
When can I stop wearing my retainers?
Simple: “You Can’t” – at least not completely, if you wish to keep your teeth straight permanently. To stop unwanted movements, you will probably need to wear your retainers once or twice a week at night only indefinitely. This will help to minimise the slow movements of teeth that may occur naturally over a lifetime.
Will my teeth stay straight?
At the end of treatment we will provide you with retainers to support your straight teeth as they settle and firm up in their new position. You may be advised that this support should be continued at a lower level on a longer term basis.
However long term studies shows that relapse is unpredictable and it has been difficult to identify factors that may predict a patient’s risk of relapse but in general if you don’t wear your retainers as instructed your teeth might not stay straight.
Relapse following fixed appliances have shown that 10 years after retainers are stopped, up to 70% of patients may need re-treatment due to relapse.
Generally, every patient have the potential to relapse and the responsibility for retention is yours and you must be aware of this.
What happens if I lose or break my retainer?
Should you lose or break one of your retainers, please call the practice on 01473 462 355.
We will schedule an appointment with the orthodontist. Broken retainers may require a repair rather than a total replacement.
There is a charge for replacement retainers.
If you do require a replacement retainer, we will need to schedule two appointments, each equally important. The first appointment will be to take an impression of your teeth so that we may fabricate a new retainer. The second appointment is to fit the retainer. As with your first retainer(s), the replacement retainer(s) need to be fitted to the teeth by the orthodontist.
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