Dental retainers are an absolute essential if you are someone who has had braces or Invisalign in the past. Following the completion of treatment of your braces or Invisalign, your orthodontist will make a custom dental retainer for you to wear. For the first year following the completion of your teeth straightening treatment, patients should wear their dental retainer at all times, with the exception of wearing it while eating. However, dental retainers can be cemented into the mouth as well. After the first year, the patient can switch up their routine to only wearing their retainer at night, and after a few years of this, it is advisable for most people to continue to wear their retainer for life but only a few nights a week while sleeping. Because dental retainers are needed for life, it is very important to clean them thoroughly after each use (to decrease the frequency with which you might need to replace the retainer) with soap and water. There are many benefits of wearing your dental retainer properly as advised by your orthodontist.
Benefits of wearing a dental retainer
- It will keep your teeth as straight as they were right when your braces or Invisalign were removed
- If you tend to be someone who thrusts their tongue towards the opening of your mouth, it could potentially end up pushing your teeth forward and out of alignment… retainers prevent this from happening
- Retainers help to avoid teeth and jaw clenching which helps to prevent headaches and teeth grinding as a result
- If you still have some small gaps or imperfections with your smile when your straightening treatment ends, wearing your retainer properly and frequently can help to finish the job of giving you the best smile
- Retainers do the job of protecting your overall oral health
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