Tuckahoe, NY – We love celebrating with our patients the day their braces are removed or the day they complete their final Invisalign aligner wear. We love seeing your new smiles and marking this big milestone with you. However, we’d be remiss not to note that your treatment isn’t over just yet!
We know you’ve put months and maybe even years into your new smile so you’re ready to show it off. But to ensure that your smile stays as beautiful as it is today, it’s crucial to wear your retainer.
“Forgetting to wear your retainer after you walk out of our office leaves you susceptible to relapse,” says Dr. Polan. “After we’ve straightened your teeth, the bone surrounding them needs to solidify in place to keep your teeth in their new positions. Wearing your retainer allows this to happen and prevents them from shifting back to where they were before treatment.” We like to think of retainers as your insurance policy for your new smile. That’s because your retainers ensure all the work and investment you put into your new smile wasn’t for naught. And this retainer wear is most important in the early days after your braces are removed or Invisalign treatment is completed.
The periodontal ligaments, bones, and gums all need a bit of time to adjust to the treatment that occurred. They are essentially remodeling themselves to accommodate the new location of your teeth. Without a retainer, they can exert forces that will try to pull the teeth back to where they were before.
The Role of the Periodontal Ligament (PDL) in Maintaining Tooth Alignment
Some key points about the periodontal ligament to consider include:
- The PDL has an elastic nature, which allows for a bit of movement when pressure is applied. While this is what helps us guide the teeth to their new locations, it is also what can shift the teeth back if a retainer isn’t worn.
- As we move your teeth, the PDL fibers are stretched and rearranged. This starts the process of bone remodeling to form new bone around the teeth in their new positions. A retainer ensures this process can happen properly.
- The PDL has muscle memory, meaning until it adjusts it will want to pull the teeth to their original alignment.
The good news is retainer wear should be a breeze after your braces or Invisalign treatment. There won’t be discomfort as you may have had during your treatment. Your teeth are no longer being guided to new locations; they are simply being retained in place.
It can take a little bit of time to get used to a retainer, however. Most retainers used today are very similar to Invisalign aligners, so if you previously had Invisalign treatment retainer wear will be very similar. The retainer can cause an increase in saliva production, but this will ease as your mouth gets used to having the retainer in.
The first three to six months after completing treatment are the most crucial for retainer wear. We recommend wearing your retainer around the clock, only removing it to eat, brush, and floss during this time. After this, you’ll most likely be able to switch to only wearing your retainer at night.
Beyond the first few months, it is still important to continue wearing your retainers at night for the long term, as teeth can still shift even years after treatment. It is important also to know that teeth shift naturally over time as we age, even in people who never had orthodontic treatment. So for this reason, long term retainer wear helps both to minimize shifting after braces or Invisalign treatment, in addition to minimizing the shifting that occurs naturally over time.
Everyday wear and tear can cause slight shifts in our smile, but wearing retainers can prevent more serious and noticeable shifting.
If you have any questions about your retainer wear or are looking to begin your smile journey, call Tuckahoe Family Orthodontics today.
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