Retainers are oral devices that are crafted by your dentist or dental labs to keep your teeth in place after post-treatments from braces or aligners. It’s crucial to wear a retainer every night to prevent your teeth from shifting. If you fail to wear one, your teeth will shift back into their natural position, but more on that later. What teeth fit in a retainer?

To answer this, it depends on the retainer crafted for your teeth. The best retainer and the most common one, are clear retainers. They look very similar to aligners, but their duty is drastically different. An aligner will shift your teeth into the perfect position. You’ll need to get different sets of aligners from your dentist to continue to shift your smile. This process could take anywhere from six months to two years depending on how out of place your teeth are. Retainers will come after this, but what teeth fit in a retainer?

The teeth that will fit in a retainer include all of your incisors which are the primary front teeth. The retainer will also include your canines which are the pointy teeth of your smile, and any premolars. Where it can become complicated is the back two sets of molars. Molars don’t move much and typically aren’t shifted when it comes to aligners or braces. The reason for this is that people don’t see molars and braces and aligners are mainly used for cosmetic purposes. At SportingSmiles, we can include your back molars if you want, but you’ll need to request them.

What teeth fit in a retainer? Almost all of them except the back molars. There’s no need to protect them against shifting since they were not shifted in the first place. If your molars have been shifted, then the retainer can fit around them if you request that with SportingSmiles. You’ll need to speak to your dentist if you want them to include your molars as it is not a common practice.

Now that you know what teeth fit in a retainer, your next decision comes with how you receive the retainer. If you are finishing up treatment, your dentist should provide you with a retainer. It’s always a good idea to have a back up on hand in case you lose or crack your retainers. If you don’t your teeth will shift back due to the elastic memory that they have. They’ll shift during the night and return to their natural position. That’s why it is critical to keep an extra set on hand.

If you need a replacement retainer or you will be completing your aligner treatment soon, SportingSmiles can craft you a set of premium retainers for the half the cost of the dentist. As the No. 1 online dental lab in the United States, SportingSmiles has been in business since 2009, crafting retainers for over one million people.

By ordering the patented impression kit or sending in your own molds, you can receive retainers that will prevent your teeth from shifting, all for half the cost of the dentist and without leaving the comfort of your home. The teeth that fit in the retainer will be the core ones that are shifted during your treatment. If you want the back molars included, you can select that option during your impression process.