You Will Need to Use a Retainer Once Your Braces Have Been Removed

Your regular adjustment sessions with Dr. Ben McDowell have finally stretched your periodontal ligaments to move your teeth into their ideal position. Even after your braces have been removed, there will still be some lingering tension in the periodontal ligaments. Without some preventative measure, this tension will slowly start to pull your teeth out of alignment.

To prevent this process of relapse from happening, Dr. Ben McDowell will fit you for a retainer. This is usually done immediately after your braces have been removed. There are a few different types of retainer available. The most common type is known as a Hawley, after its inventor Dr. Charles Hawley. If Dr. Ben McDowell feels you are a candidate for another style of retainer, he will discuss your options with you.

At first you might need to wear the retainer for a long time each day. As the lingering tension in the periodontal ligaments starts to ease, Dr. Ben McDowell might adjust the time that you need to use the retainer. In most cases you will need to use a retainer in some form, for the same amount of time it took to realign your teeth with braces.

When you first start wearing a retainer, you might salivate abnormally. In time, your mouth should adapt to the retainer and things will return to normal.

If you have a question about retainers, you can call Payson Orthodontics’s clinic in Payson, Arizona at 928-472-7223 to ask a question.