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Retention

The supervised retention phase lasts 2 years. The long term stability of your finished result depends on your retainers. Retainers are of 2 general types: fixed (bonded to the teeth) and removable (can be taken out and replaced). Care and cleaning of retainers is just as important as it is for braces.

Fixed Retainers

Fixed retainers consist of a shaped wire bonded to the tongue side of the upper/lower front teeth. Most patients will have a lower bonded retainer placed. The advantage of fixed retainers is that they are always in place to hold tooth alignment. Their disadvantage is that they have to withstand the force of chewing. As care is required to avoid breaking your braces, so to must eating hard foods be avoided on the teeth that are bonded to the retainer.

Removable Retainers

Removable retainers are just that. They can be taken out and replaced for eating and cleaning. They come in many varieties ranging from simple clear plastic (covering the teeth) to plastic formed to fit the tongue side of your teeth (usually with wires added to help hold your tooth alignment and keep the retainer in place. These retainers should be removed for cleaning, eating and sports; however, because they can be removed they are easily lost or forgotten. When removable retainers are not worn, the teeth are free to move back toward their beginning positions, this is called relapse. The tendency for relapse is present for life, but generally, the more retainers are worn, the straighter teeth will remain.