The part of treatment that decides whether the result lasts. Fixed or removable retainers, fitted the day your braces come off, plus repairs and replacements, including for patients who finished treatment somewhere else.
Retention is not the epilogue to orthodontic treatment. It is the part that determines whether the result you paid for is still there in ten years.
Teeth are held in bone by fibres that remember where they used to be, and those fibres pull for a long time after the braces come off. On top of that, teeth drift very gradually throughout life whether or not you ever had orthodontic treatment. A retainer is what stops both.
We fit retainers the day the braces come off: no gap, no waiting for a lab. Fixed retainers are bonded behind the front teeth and do their job without you thinking about it; removable retainers are worn full-time at first and then at night indefinitely. Most patients end up with one of each.
Two years of treatment can be undone in eighteen months without retention. This is the cheapest insurance in dentistry.
Retainers go in the day the appliances come out, so there is no window for the teeth to start moving.
We recommend the combination that suits your case, your bite and how much you want to think about it.
Lost it, broke it, left it in a napkin at a restaurant? Come in. We also replace retainers for patients treated elsewhere.
We scan immediately after the braces come off, while the teeth are exactly where we want them.
We fit the retainers, show you how to insert, remove and clean them, and explain the wear schedule.
Removable retainers are worn full-time except for eating and cleaning during the initial settling period.
After the settling period, nights only. Teeth drift for life, so retention is for life.
We check your retainers at review appointments, and repair or replace them whenever you need.
Indefinitely, at night. Full-time for the first period after your braces come off, then nights only for good. Teeth drift throughout life, and a few nights a week is what keeps them where they are.
Come in and let us look. If the teeth have shifted only slightly, a new retainer may hold what you have. If they have moved more, a short course of re-treatment is usually far quicker than the original.
They do different jobs. A fixed wire behind the lower front teeth needs no compliance at all; a removable retainer covers every tooth and is easier to keep clean. Most patients do best with both.
Brush a removable retainer with a soft brush and cool water each time you take it out. Never use hot water or a dishwasher. Heat distorts the plastic and it will not fit again.
Yes. Book an appointment, bring the old one if you still have it, and we will scan and make a new one.
A series of clear, removable aligners that straighten your teeth without brackets or wires. We work with several aligner systems and choose the one that fits your case. You take them out to eat, brush and floss normally, and most people around you will never notice you are in treatment.
The most proven appliance in orthodontics, and far more comfortable than the braces you remember. High-grade stainless steel brackets and light archwires move teeth predictably, with coloured elastics if you want them.
Ceramic brackets in a translucent, tooth-toned material that blends into your smile instead of standing out against it. They work exactly like metal braces and are usually placed on the upper front teeth, where visibility matters most.
Lost or broken retainer? Call us before the teeth start moving. It is a far smaller problem this week than next month.
