At some point hundreds of years ago, the word spread that “brushing” your teeth would prevent dental disease.
While most people today have accepted the need to brush their teeth on a daily basis, when this concept was first explained the news would have met with a bit of reluctance. Many subsequently asked: “Does that mean I have to brush my teeth every morning and every night for the rest of my life?”
This is understandable. It is a natural reaction to feel burdened by an indefinite routine. But what people didnot consider are the immense benefits that outweigh the commitment of regular daily brushing.
The same kind of situation occurs in regards to your long-term removable retainer.
Following orthodontic treatment, all orthodontists agree that wearing a night retainer is a vital component of maintaining your newly straightened smile. So, if you get used to wearing your retainer every night without fail, you are ensuring that your teeth remain in the correct positions.
Some patients who want to absolve themselves of this responsibility opt for fixed retainers. Fixed retainers (in theory) splint the teeth together so they can’t move. The only problem is that you can’t floss properly with fixed retainers, and they often break and let teeth move if broken.
Therefore, while fixed retainers might seem like the easy way out for avoiding an indefinite nightly routine, the tradeoff could result in even more issues for your smile. As such, the right orthodontist advises accepting a night retainer as readily as you have accepted brushing your teeth on a daily basis. After all, popping in a thin sleeve of plastic over your teeth before going to sleep is a small price to pay for retaining a straight and beautiful smile.
Patients are often surprised to learn that there are few orthodontists that will guarantee that teeth will not eventually shift if retainers are not worn. While it might sound daunting to wear retainers “for the rest of your life”, patients must understand that even if retainers are worn for several years, the teeth will usually slowly shift back, because the same forces and factors that caused them to require treatment in the first place resume. Just like many patients understand that as they age, they may turn gray, lose hair, gain weight or wrinkle, some are ok if there post treatment result does not perfectly hold up year after year, but unlike these other eventualities, the orthodontic correction can be stabilized indefinitely simply by wearing a retainer each night. If weight gain or wrinkles could be prevented just by wearing a removable belt or cream each night, it would be the miraculous story of the century! Start thinking about retainers as miraculous.