Your teeth have now moved into their designated places, and your orthodontist breaks the news to you that your braces treatment is done. Joy, happiness, a sense of freedom are few of the feelings that envelop the orthodontic patient. But, is your orthodontic treatment? The answer is yes, and a no!
All during your orthodontic treatment, what your orthodontist was essentially doing was moving your teeth to their designated places to align them and correct your smile by letting the teeth settle into their new places. You may also remember your orthodontist telling you towards the last two months of your treatment that “your treatment is complete. However, let’s give your teeth some time to settle in”.
Why do teeth need to settle in? Well, your teeth are moved with brackets and wires inside the bone they are housed in. Every time the teeth move, there is remodeling of bone, which takes a few weeks to a few months to complete and become permanent. This is what we refer to as settling-in of the teeth. But, what happens when your orthodontist debonds or removes your braces after completing your treatment? How does he ensure that your teeth, which have now moved to new places, stay where they are supposed to for life? To do this, your orthodontist uses what is called a retainer.
Retainers are orthodontic appliances that are provided to the patient after the completion of the orthodontic phase of their treatment to maintain the teeth in their newly moved positions. This phase of treatment is called the retention phase. Retainers are mainly divided into two broad categories:
- Removable
- Fixed
As the name suggests, a removable retainer is an appliance which the patient can wear and remove by himself/herself and does not need the dentist to help or supervise. The fixed retainer is fixed to the backside of your teeth by the dentist and does not need to be removed regularly.
Removable Retainers
There are primarily two types of popular removable retainers– the Hawley’s retainer and the Essix or clear transparent retainer. They are both removable yet different in the way they are.
Hawley’s Retainer
The Hawley’s retainer is made of an acrylic plate and a wire. The retainer is tongue-shaped and is available in different colors based on the color of the acrylic chosen by the patient. To fabricate this retainer, your orthodontist or dentist will take measurements of your upper and lower teeth after the removal of your braces and send them to the lab to be fabricated. In most cases, the color of acrylic is chosen to match the soft tissues of the patient’s mouth so that it remains as inconspicuous as possible.
The Hawley’s retainer has been in use for many years now, and it is simple to make, easy to wear and remove, and very durable. Compared to the other retainers available, Hawley’s retainer is adjustable, and so it can also be used to perform minor tooth movements. If used and maintained well, the retainer can easily last a few years. Apart from this other advantages of the Hawley’s retainer include:
- It is easy to maintain oral hygiene
- Easy to clean
- Doesn’t stain like the fixed retainer
However, this retainer also has inherent disadvantages such as:
- Easy to break or lose
- The retention of the teeth in their positions depends largely on the patient’s compliance
- The metal wire is seen on the front surface of the teeth
- Can form a bacterial lining on the plate if not cleaned properly
- Increases saliva production in the mouth