What Are Retainers? Why Do You Need Them After Aligner Treatment?

Published Date: Updated Date: Reading Time: 4 min 0 Comment
 Clear Retainers

Maintaining a perfect smile can seem challenging, especially when dealing with dental care problems such as shifting teeth, bite problems, and jaw joint issues. While taking care of your teeth is a must, keeping a retainer by your side can provide ease and comfort to your dental care routine and protect it from any long-lasting damage.

Choosing your ideal retainer is vital to ensuring your smile gets the perfect care that it deserves. While retainers may not seem mandatory to some either due to limited knowledge as well as being unaware of their potential benefits, here are some reasons as to what exactly are retainers and how our industry-leading retainers can help you retain that perfect smile without any stress!

What Are Retainers? A Brief Guide

Retainers are dental devices custom-tailored to your needs to ensure your teeth don’t move out of place, ensuring enhanced alignment and added protection. They are considered mandatory by reputable orthodontists around the world regardless of your choice of orthodontic treatment.

Which Retainer Is The Best For You?

While retainers can vary depending on the type of material being used in their manufacturing, they are usually segmented into two types based on their functionality and usage: fixed and removable.

Fixed Retainers

As the name suggests, fixed retainers are considered to be a permanent solution for your dental care when it comes to teeth retainment. They consist of wires glued to the back of your front teeth and can be suggested by our orthodontist or dentist for an indefinite period of time.

Removable Retainers

Removable Retainers
A close-up of removable clear retainers

Removable retainers, on the other hand, are considered the ideal choice amongst users mainly due to their ease of usage as well as their comfort. Being the more portable option, our best-in-class retainers can be easily removed during consumption of daily food items and more.

Check out our quick assessment to see what retainers would suit you the best.

What Are the Benefits of Using Retainers?

Using a retainer can improve your dental health for a longer time frame, even after diligently using aligners as instructed by your dentist or orthodontist. While retainers do require maintenance of their own, not only are they the leading solution in providing their core function but are also beneficial for a number of reasons, such as:

  • Relapse Prevention

    A retainer is crucial to ensure your teeth remain in the newly adjusted position after using an aligner, as they have the tendency to return to their original state.

  • Oral Hygiene

    One of the added benefits of using a retainer is enhanced oral hygiene, as there is no spacing left between the teeth, therefore no food remains between them.

Contact ALIGNERCO today at +351 300 600 820 to start your teeth alignment journey!

How Long Should You Wear A Retainer?

As for how long you need to wear them, the time frame may depend on the severity of your unalignment, which is why it is better to keep in touch with your dentist or orthodontist during the duration of your teeth alignment treatment. Some may recommend wearing a retainer for a few months, while some cases may require compliance for more than a year. According to sources from NewsMouth, users were observed wearing a retainer for more than 10 hours in the first three months.

Misaligned teeth can lead to a number of issues, such as difficulty breathing, speech issues, bite problems, and potentially long-term jaw problems. While the origin of such dental problems can be dependent on various factors, it is the presence of such factors that makes a solid case for retainers to be mandatory in your dental care routine and why you should use them when required.

FAQs

1. Do retainers hurt?

A certain level of discomfort may be observed in the initial days of wearing retainers, but the feeling does subside after a while.

2. Can we sleep while wearing a retainer?

While it may seem like a tedious task to some, wearing a retainer while sleeping is generally recommended by dentists and orthodontists, respectively.

3. Can we stop wearing a retainer after the recommended time period?

Although wearing a retainer during the suggested time frame is considered crucial, and the wearing frequency is generally reduced with time, it is still advised to keep using the retainer indefinitely to maintain stable tooth alignment.

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