Retainers

🔍 1. What Are Retainers?

A retainer is a custom-made dental appliance worn after braces or aligner treatment to keep your teeth in their new position. Teeth naturally want to shift back, and retainers prevent relapse.

🧠 Fun fact: Without a retainer, your teeth can start moving within days after braces are removed.

Retainers are custom-made dental devices designed to maintain the new position of teeth after orthodontic treatment with braces or aligners. Once teeth have been moved into alignment, they naturally tend to shift back to their original position. Retainers help prevent this by holding teeth in place until they stabilize in their new alignment. There are two main types of retainers: removable (usually made of plastic and wire or clear material) and fixed (a thin wire bonded behind the teeth). Wearing retainers as prescribed is crucial to preserving the results of your orthodontic treatment.