Completing your orthodontic treatment is extremely rewarding and exciting. Seeing your new beautiful smile usually makes the months of treatments worth it for our patients, but the work doesn’t stop once your braces are removed or you complete your final Invisalign aligner.
Once you complete your orthodontic treatment, Dr. Park will create a retainer for you that will maintain your new smile. This ensures your teeth don’t move from their final corrected positions during the years after you complete your braces or Invisalign treatment. In general, there are two different kinds of retainers: preventative retainers and corrective retainers.
Preventative Retainers
This is the kind of retainer you’ll receive right after completing your orthodontic treatment. They’re called preventative retainers because they help prevent your teeth from shifting into their previous locations, also called relapsing. This type of retainer is especially important to wear right after your treatment ends as that’s when your teeth are most susceptible to moving.
Preventative retainers come in both removable and permanent options. Removable retainers are what we recommend at OoLi orthodontics since they are nearly invisible and are easy to wear and clean, but permanent bottom retainers are also available upon request.
Corrective Retainers
If your teeth have moved significantly after your orthodontic treatment, you’ll most likely need a corrective retainer. This retainer differs from a preventative one as it actively shifts your teeth rather than just keeping them in their current positions. Depending on your unique situation, a preventative retainer might be able to double as a corrective retainer.
Damaged or Lost Retainers
While the cost of a retainer is included in your overall treatment cost, we do not include insurance for replacement retainers. If your retainer is damaged or lost, we recommend visiting our office so Dr. Park can create a new one for you. Creating a new retainer as soon as possible will help ensure your teeth don’t relapse or move too much.
Retainers are a necessary step to ensure your beautiful new smile stays the same for years after your orthodontic treatment. To learn more about retainers and corrective solutions read our in-depth blog post. If you think you need a preventative or corrective retainer, schedule a free consultation with Dr. Park.