Once you have finished the “active phase” of your orthodontic treatment, it is important to maintain the result we worked so hard to achieve. Your teeth have a natural tendency to shift throughout the course of your lifetime. For that reason, we provide each of our patients with a set of retainers, and will monitor these retainers for a period of 6 months. Although we consider the 6 months after you get your braces off the “formal” retention period, we always enjoy seeing our former patients, and encourage you to call on an as needed basis. We do recommend that you never completely give up wearing your retainers, and will provide instruction on how to reduce wear. To review these instructions, see the retention & final visit pages of the patient handout section.
Caring for your retainers is relatively simple. Try to keep them in the case provided when not in your mouth. This reduces the possibility of them become lost or damaged. Clean your retainers by brushing them with a toothbrush and toothpaste daily. Never use water that is too hot, and never boil your retainers or place them in the dishwasher, as extreme heat can cause them to become distorted.