Retainers

Once the active period is completed, your braces are removed. The next step is called retention. Retainers are utilized to hold your teeth in their new positions until your bone, gums, and muscles adapt to the new teeth positions. You must wear your retainer as instructed, otherwise your teeth may move toward their original positions and the benefit of wearing your braces will be lost.

Dr. Tichler and Dr. Abraham advise their patients to wear their retainers for life in order to eliminate shifting of the teeth. In some cases, permanent retention may be the best option. The retention period is an important part of your overall treatment and should not be neglected!

Retainer Instructions

2 REASONS: 

  • Your retainer holds the teeth in their final positions.
  • Once your teeth are in place, Your retainer keeps them there.  Otherwise, they might slip back toward their old position.

4 RULES:

  • At first, wear your retainer all day and all night.  We will tell you when you may reduce wearing time, but wear your retainer exactly as we instruct.
  • Bring your retainers to each appointment.
  • Keep your retainer CLEAN.  Remove before eating and gently rinse or brush your retainer before reinserting.
  • When not wearing your retainers, keep them in your case.  Don’t leave them lying around or wrapped in tissue.  They could get lost or thrown away.  Never leave your retainers in hot water or near a hot surface; it could change the shape

NOTE:

  • Your retainer should fit comfortably and snap in securely.  If it doesn’t, let us know.  Rember that it is delicate and expensive to repair or replace.