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Is a permanent bottom retainer necessary?
Permanent retainers are often recommended by orthodontists after braces to prevent your teeth from moving back to their original place. Your orthodontist may also suggest one if you have difficulty adhering to their guidelines for removable retainers.
Can I ever get my permanent retainer removed?
Permanent retainers aren’t truly permanent. They’re only called “permanent” because they can’t be removed easily, unlike removable retainers. Permanent retainers do eventually wear out, but they’ve been known to last for upwards of 20 years. When they wear out, they can be removed and replaced.
Are permanent retainers optional?
Retainers are the means to protecting your orthodontic investment, and are not optional. There are two types of retainers – fixed retainers and removable retainers. Like your braces or clear aligners, your dental retainer will be custom-made using high-end technology.
Can I stop wearing my bottom retainer?
Retainers keep your smile in place when active treatment is complete and adults need to wear their retainers for life, but adolescents may be able to stop wearing them after about 10 years.
Will my teeth move with a permanent retainer?
If not repaired or replaced quickly the teeth will shift and move. Fixed retainers are made out of various metal alloys. Like all metal that are subject to stress they can stretch over time. If the retainer stretches some spaces and small movement can occur.
Can a dentist fix a permanent retainer?
How is a Broken Permanent Retainer Fixed? If the wire of the permanent retainer is still solid, but the composite has gotten too thin or come debonded from one or two teeth, the fix is a simple procedure. Your orthodontist will place new dental composite over the wire and bond it to your teeth.
Why are permanent retainers bad?
Like any other dental appliance, a permanent retainer can get damaged. Biting into hard foods, injuries to the mouth, or simple wear and tear can cause wires to break or teeth to become unbounded from the device. You might not realize that the retainer has detached until one or more teeth begin to move out of position.
Can teeth shift with a permanent retainer?
Retainers are a key part of any long-term orthodontia. Patients just finishing a course of orthodontic treatment are able to maintain their new beautiful and straight smile by wearing retainers. But still, it is not uncommon for teeth to shift slightly in the years after the braces come off.
What if I stop wearing my retainer?
The good news is, after some time it won’t be necessary to wear them as often. Though the process becomes slower and slower, if you stop wearing your retainer, your teeth will gradually move back to their original position. In a way, teeth remember their original position.
How quickly do teeth shift without retainer?
This is unfortunate—but it’s not the end of the world. The first three months are critical, and the teeth are most likely to shift during this stage. During this time, a week without your retainer may cause some minor shifting. Your retainer may feel a bit tighter on your teeth when you place it back in again.
Should I get a retainer for my top or bottom tooth?
Some people get permanent retainers fixed to both their upper and lower teeth, however, dentists are less likely to recommend a permanent retainer for top teeth than they are permanent bottom retainers, because they have a greater chance of breaking prematurely. Removable retainers can be removed and replaced easily.
Do I need a permanent retainer after braces?
Permanent retainers are often recommended by orthodontists after braces to prevent your teeth from moving back to their original place. Your orthodontist may also suggest one if you have difficulty adhering to their guidelines for removable retainers.
Can a retainer be removed and replaced?
Removable retainers can be removed and replaced easily. There are two types: Retainers after braces are very important. To avoid the painful and forceful shifting of braces yet again, a permanent retainer gives you a permanent way to keep your teeth in place.
Does a removable retainer shift teeth?
Those with a removable retainer that they wear over top of their teeth as a permanent retainer backup will not see much, if any, tooth shifting. Having your removable retainer is a nice reinforcement for your permanent retainer and helps to make sure everything stays in its proper place.