Do you need a retainer after braces?

After undergoing orthodontic treatment, many patients ask, “Do you need a retainer after braces?” The answer to this question is yes. Retainers are the last step of your orthodontic treatment and a very important one indeed. Teeth have a characteristic orthodontist refers to as memory cells, which relates to tooth movement. After all the necessary moves of rotation and displacement have been made to achieve the correct bite position and proper alignment of your smile, finally, braces need to come off, and you probably feel excited is finally over.

Well, thanks to these memory cells previously mentioned, when patients decide not to wear their retainers or not wear them as indicated by their orthodontist, teeth start to move back to their original position, affecting the work and effort of many months.

Every case is different, but a perfect smile is for all

• Remembering the reasons why you decided to commit to dental braces in Tijuana to improve your smile can help you move to the next step, but if not, here is a summary of other reasons to continue with your treatment.
• You invested time in searching for a qualified and experienced orthodontist. After you found one who accomplished your requirements, you then invested time and money to have the assessments, testing, braces glued, monthly check-ups, and change of rubber bands.
• Not to mention the discomfort you might have experienced with the active treatment of changing tooth positioning, but also trying to eat some foods that weren’t allowed (we know you have done it, some of the patients have come back to get their braces glued back on- all the time).

Knowing about the kind of retainers

We can continue to persuade you to view the next stage as positive but talking to your dentists in Tijuana should be the best option. You can also have an assessment by our expert orthodontists to see different considerations for retainer costs or options if that is what you are worrying about. Here is a list of types of retainers:

• Hawley retainer
• Clear retainer
• Fixed bonded retainer

Talk with your orthodontist if you need to contemplate the need for backup retainers.

Assertiveness comes from working with experts

Taking proper care of your smile does require post – braces care. Continuing proper oral hygiene in the next stage is also vital, not just to use the retainer to continue correct positions but to protect you from cavities or tartar buildup.

Making sure you understand the proper care of your retainers is important. Regardless of if you go for fixed or removable, it is equally important to give them the proper care. Don’t leave any questions without an answer. Discuss the details of your doubts or concerns with your orthodontist.

Don’t skip this very important step and have your teeth go back to their previous position. For these and many more dental issues, you can count on our dental clinic in Tijuana to have the care you need from specialized dentists in Tijuana you can trust.

Get in contact with our Dental Alvarez team.