Nanc and overarm Ring Types Of Orthodontic Appliances Plastic Tray Material
My teeth are no longer moving, do I need to keep my retainers?
- Patients who have finished their orthodontic treatment several years ago frequently ask us this question. The ultimate decision to wear, keep or remove orthodontic retainers, whether they be fixed or removable, is up to the patient even if all orthodontists recommend a certain retention protocol.
- Most patients will stop wearing removable appliances after a while or the orthodontist will eventually give them the “permission” to stop wearing them. These appliances will wear out progressively and will become unusable one day or another anyway. The limited lifetime of most removable appliances is shorter than the lifetime of fixed appliances.
- The fixed appliances (wires and splints) can stay properly bonded and intact in the mouth for years and they are the kind of appliances that patients sometimes ask to remove. The reasons can be varied: difficulty to clean (dental plaque and tartar easily accumulate), discomfort or irritation for the tongue (this is very rare), they believe that they do not need them anymore (after growth has stopped or when wisdom teeth ) are extracted), etc.
- As described previously, there are always forces acting on teeth throughout life and not having observed changes months or years after the end of an orthodontic treatment cannot guarantee that none will occur eventually. Some of these forces or causes explaining the main relapses occurring during the immediate period (12-18 months) following the removal of corrective appliances become less significant with time. This is the case of the effect that gingival periodontal fibers that bond teeth together can have and can contribute to rotations of teeth. However, other forces, difficult to measure and evaluate, are and will always be present: residual growth, effect of the perioral musculature, mastication forces, parafunctions (bruxism and teeth clenching), other oral habits, etc.
- In summary, if you would not accept any changes in the position of your teeth, keep the retention wires and splints “indefinitely”, but if small movements would not bother you, they will not bother your orthodontist either, so you can have them removed. The decision is yours. If a small dental displacement does not cause any functional problems (interferences, wear, gingival recession, etc.) and does not bother the patient esthetically, it will certainly not bother your orthodontist!
