Purpose of retainers

What do retainers do?

Retainers accomplish a very important facet of orthodontic treatment. They maintain that beautiful smile that you and your orthodontist achieved over the course of your treatment. But without a proper retention plan all that time and expense may be lost.

Your teeth are in living tissue. The ligaments and bone surrounding your teeth and that supply blood and nerve inner action are alive and not static like cement.  That’s why teeth move over your lifetime. 

Forces of chewing, eating, and swallowing exert force on your teeth. These directional forces, over time, can move your teeth. That’s why if you have had orthodontic treatment it is critical to have a retention program that maintains that smile you worked so hard to achieve.

Talk to your orthodontist and decide what retention program is right for you.