Braces are cemented onto your teeth by a professional orthodontist to help shift your teeth into a more desirable position. The braces will close the gaps that your smile has and give you one that you can be fully confident in. Once the braces are removed, you’ll need to wear a retainer for the rest of your life. This final step in your perfect smile can often be overlooked. We’re discussing why you need to wear a retainer after braces.
Your teeth have many different functions. You’ll use them to break down your food and turn it into an energy source. They also protect your tongue from injury, and when you use that tongue, you’ll pair it with your teeth to form words. Teeth are pretty great, but they also have a function that many people don’t realize.
Elastic memory is when your teeth will travel back to their natural position after being shifted by a dentist through aligners or braces. For some reason, your teeth will always want to return to their original position, so you have to “trick” them into staying put. You do this by wearing a retainer at night. This is the most important defense you can do to keep your teeth in place after your braces are removed.
When you are finished with your braces, your dentist will craft you a retainer to wear while you sleep. Retainers are thin plastic oral devices that slip over your teeth and are tightly fitting. They make it so your teeth won’t shift and hold them firmly in place. The more you wear your retainer, the better. Your teeth are most susceptible to shifting in the first year after your braces come off, but no matter how long it’s been, your teeth will shift back. It could be three years, 10 years, or 20 years since your braces were off, but your teeth will eventually make their way back to their original position, erasing all that time and money you or your parents spent on your perfect smile.
Replace your lost, cracked, gross, and damaged dental retainers with a new one from SportingSmiles. Prevent your teeth from shifting using the most durable clear retainers available. Take your own impression at home and save hundreds over going to the dentist. Impression kit included.
Free Shipping in the United States.
Free Storage Case
90-Day Warranty
Wearing a retainer after braces is crucial in protecting your teeth against shifting. It needs to be a nightly habit. If you’re getting ready for bed, once you brush your teeth, pop that retainer in. If you go a few weeks or even a few days without wearing it, your teeth may start to have microgaps between them or your retainer will feel very tight. That’s a sign that your teeth were trying to shift.
This is why if you lose your retainer, crack it, or if it becomes too gross to wear due to bacteria, it’s time to replace it. You’ll need to replace it as quickly as possible to prevent the chances of teeth shifting. Most people keep a back up on hand in case of these emergencies. It’s always better to have a backup so you cna wear it when you are getting a new retainer.
If you need a new retainer or a replacement one, SportingSmiles has been crafting retainers since 2009. There’s no need to go to the dentist; you can receive one from the comfort and safety of your home. By ordering retainers online from SportingSmiles, you’ll be sent the patented impression kit to make impressions of your teeth. If you have molds of your teeth from the dentist or a scan of your teeth, you can use those too with SportingSmiles to make the process even easier.
You now know how important it is to wear a retainer after your braces come off. Make sure you replace your retainer once a year to keep it fresh and tight. The more you wear your retainer, the better the defense you’ll have against teeth shifting and keeping that perfect smile!
