Retainer

Retainer after tooth correction: How to keep your teeth where they are

To ensure that your treatment results are maintained in the future, it is important to stabilize the teeth in their position. Retainers stabilize and maintain the achieved result. There are two different ways to hold your teeth in place. On the one hand, there is the fixed retainer and on the other hand, there is the retention splint.

Why do teeth shift again?

Unfortunately, teeth tend to move back to their previous position after orthodontic tooth correction. Such a relapse can occur at any age and is a completely natural process. Therefore, tooth retention is recommended for life.

Retention splint

Retention splints are made of transparent plastic and fit snugly over the entire arch of the upper or lower teeth. They are worn at night and can be inserted and removed by the patient himself.

Many patients find it an advantage that there is no foreign body in the mouth during the day and disturbs oral hygiene.

However, a disadvantage that should not be neglected is that a removable retainer requires a certain amount of discipline. This applies to children, young people and, of course, to adults. After all, only those who reliably wear their night splints can prevent a relapse. If this does not happen, the position of the teeth can change again within a very short time. Depending on how long the position of the teeth has not been secured, either a new retainer must be made – or even a new treatment must be started.

Wire Retainer

A sustainable way to stabilize the position of the teeth is the fixed adhesive device. This is a thin wire that is glued behind the front teeth. Usually from canine to canine in the upper and lower jaw. The big advantage of fixed retainers compared to removable splints is that the wire is firmly fixed in the mouth and thus guarantees reliable permanent retention.