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Healthy Living - Orthodontics
Retainers: The Key To Maintaining Your New Smile!
Posted: Jan 19, 2012 11:23 AM
From Star Orthodontics
After many months of hard work and sacrifice, you finally get your braces off and see your beautiful new smile! Some may think this is the end of their orthodontic treatment, but it's not! The final and arguably the most important step to your orthodontic treatment is retention. Why are retainers necessary? Once we have corrected all dental and skeletal problems, we really want your fabulous results to last! After braces are removed, your teeth are in proper alignment, but gums and bones have not completely settled into their new position. Because of this, it is possible for some teeth to shift back toward their original position. In order to avoid jeopardizing your beautiful final results, we recommend that you wear your retainers as instructed for the first year after braces are removed. However, one year of retainer use is not enough! We strongly advise patients to continue retainer wear at night while sleeping to stabilize teeth... forever! Children and teens will continue to grow and studies have shown that all young adults go through "maturational change" in their early 20s. This growth and change can cause teeth that were previously straight to appear crowded. The most common maturational change is crowding of the lower incisor (front) teeth. Continuing to wear retainers as instructed after orthodontic treatment will stabilize teeth and can prevent most of this change. There are three different types of retainers available. Talk to your orthodontist about which type is best for you or your child. Dr. Robertson and the entire team at Star Orthodontics are so excited when a patient completes treatment and sees their beautiful smile for the first time. We are committed to helping you make that smile last a lifetime! We continue to see patients for the first year after treatment has ended for "retainer checks" to ensure your retainers are fitting properly and teeth have not shifted. After that first year, we're happy to schedule an appointment for you if you have a question or concern about your retainers.
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