Your braces hardware has worked in synergy throughout the course of your routine adjustment sessions at Dr. Jae Park’s Phoenix, Arizona orthodontic clinic to effectively reposition your teeth. Now that this has been done, your teeth are at decreased risk of suffering dental attrition and dental fractures. You can also enjoy a much more appealing smile.
It’s important to note that there will still be a little residual tension lingering in the sockets of each tooth. To prevent this from pulling your teeth out of alignment, Dr. Jae Park will need to fit you for a retainer.
Hawley retainers are the most common type used by Dr. Jae Park. They are a removable mouthpiece custom molded to the shape of your upper mouth. It will help hold your upper teeth in their ideal position while the tension in your teeth abates.
If there was one area of your teeth that needed significant realignment by braces, Dr. Jae Park might advocate installing a fixed retainer. This is a strong metal band, adjusted to the shape of your lower teeth. After adjusting it, we will cement it in place using a very strong dental adhesive. This is more common for lower-front teeth.
Since the fixed retainer can’t be removed, it will need special focus in your daily oral hygiene routine. If you’re struggling to clean some of the contours of your teeth, you might want to try using interdental brushes to remove plaque and food particles from hard to reach places. A floss threader loaded with waxed dental floss can help insert the floss strand around the wire to help clean along the gum line of each tooth.
Your Hawley retainer also needs to be rinsed and lightly brushed each day. When you aren’t wearing it, you should keep the retainer in the case provided. Improvising with a napkin or a plastic bag increases the chances of losing it or suffering some damage.
If you are due to have your braces removed at the office of Dr. Jae Park in Phoenix, Arizona and you have a question about retainers, please call 623-877-8500 to seek further insights from a member of our staff.