Are you one of the many people who put off visiting the dentist? Maybe you associate the dentist with painful experiences in the past, or perhaps you think that your teeth will look after themselves. Whatever your reasons may be you must overcome them and take your place in the dentists' chair. The dentist plays an important role in maintaining your dental hygiene and preventing gum disease or tooth decay. If you would appreciate help finding the right dentist to care for your teeth and help you feel comfortable while undergoing treatment the articles here will help you do that.
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Are You Nervous About Dental Treatment?
Will You Need to Wear a Retainer After Your Invisalign Treatment Has Finished?
Felecia Brewer
You might have heard that when traditional dental braces are removed, it's not technically the end of your orthodontic treatment. While an orthodontist won't need to make ongoing adjustments to a fixed appliance (the braces), the patient still needs to wear a retainer to prevent their teeth from simply moving back to their pretreatment positions. But is this follow-up measure necessary when you use Invisalign?
Relapsing Teeth
An orthodontic retainer prevents your teeth from relapsing to their prior positioning, which is a risk after orthodontic alignment. The various ligaments and support tissues that anchor a tooth essentially attempt to uncoil themselves. If they were permitted to do so, your teeth would gradually revert back to their prior positions, although the relapse isn't extreme in all patients.
A Custom-Made Retainer
To prevent this relapse, an orthodontist provides a custom-made retainer, and there are different types available (and more about that shortly). To start, you'll be instructed to wear your retainer for the majority of the day, only removing it to eat and drink (much the same as your Invisalign aligner trays). In the months that follow, your retainer becomes less important, as the risk of relapse subsides to the point that constant retention is unnecessary. You may be instructed to only wear your retainer overnight, and then on selected nights of the week. This can continue for years, if not permanently. It doesn't matter if you had traditional braces or Invisalign because you will need a retainer after your initial treatment has concluded.
Different Choices of Orthodontic Retainers
You may prefer clear retainers, as these look identical to your Invisalign aligners. As such, you know what they'll feel like, and are probably quite adept at removing them when you need to eat. Unlike Invisalign, you won't need an ongoing series of retainers. Your teeth are no longer being repositioned, so the retainer simply helps the teeth to retain their new (correct) position. However, if you're not enthusiastic about transitioning from clear aligners to a clear retainer, you may request a fixed, non-removable retainer. This actually resembles traditional braces, although it's bonded to the backs of your teeth, meaning it can't be seen.
To maintain the success of your Invisalign treatment, you will need to wear a retainer afterward. It's important that you follow your orthodontist's instructions so that your teeth don't relapse, and a retainer is an integral part of this process.
For more information on Invisalign, contact a professional near you.
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