Fixed Retainers after Aligner therapy or just an essix splint?

It is an exciting time as you near the end of your orthodontic treatment. You might believe that your teeth are going to stay put in their new straight positions after the aligners come off but that isn’t quite the case. Although it may be the end of your aligner therapy, it will still take a long journey for you to achieve your dream smile. After you complete your aligner treatment, you’ll need to wear a retainer.

Many patients are not compliant with their clinician’s advice to strictly wear a retainer when their treatment ends. Most are elated solely because they have finished their orthodontic treatment and thus, pay no heed to any recommendations about full-time or overnight retainer wear. And as luck would have it, their teeth begin slowly but surely shifting back to their pre-treatment positions.

What are retainers for?

In simple words, retainers help retain the newly allotted positions of your teeth after an intense orthodontic procedure. They are made to be worn after your treatment to prevent teeth from moving back to their original positions.

The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends wearing a retainer after orthodontic treatment mainly due to two reasons:

• After teeth have moved, retainers allow the bone that holds those teeth in place to rebuild.
• Retainers help maintain the perfect teeth alignment achieved after treatment.

It is recommended that you wear your retainer each night, overnight, after you’ve brushed and flossed.

Types of retainers and what the right one is for you

There are two main types of retainers available: permanent and removable. Your orthodontist helps choose the best type of retainer for you based on why you needed aligners in the first place.

• Permanent retainers:

Also known as fixed or bonded retainers, this type of retainer is exactly what they sound like. They are permanently fixed onto your tooth surfaces and cannot be removed on command.

They typically come with a thin titanium wire worn across the back of the lower or upper front teeth, bonded in place with the help of dental cement. These include lingual wires.

Orthodontists might recommend fixed retainers if the patient had a large space between their front teeth and will need the help of a fixed retainer to close the gap.

• Removable retainers:

The two most common types of removable retainers include the Hawley and Essix retainers.

• Hawley retainers

Typically made of stainless steel, these follow a basic design. The wires and clasps are anchored in a relatively thick plastic body which covers the roof of the patient’s mouth or else lies along the tongue side of their lower teeth.

The patient will be encouraged to wear the Hawley close to full-time at first, but after a sfew months, can be worn for lesser hours a day.

• Essix retainers

These retainers are affordable alternatives to Hawley retainers. Their design is very similar to the Invisalign® system aligners. Made entirely of transparent plastic, they are far less noticeable than traditional wire retainers.

For the first few months, you will be instructed to wear your Essix splints constantly, only taking them out to eat or clean them. After a few months, you will then be expected to wear them every night indefinitely.

Hawley retainers and Essix retainers are both reliable and effective. In fact, some experts claim that they provide the same effective results.

All retainers work with a similar effect. However, if you previously had severely rotated teeth or large uneven spaces, many orthodontists believe that fixed retainers are the way to go as they can maintain your alignment in a shorter period of time. However, if you do not mind wearing your retainer at night for a lifetime especially considering minor alignment issues, Essix retainers might be the right choice for you.