Retainers

It isn’t the end of the road when your child’s braces are ready to come off. Once their braces are removed, retainers will be fitted to make sure that their teeth are held in place. Some retainers are removable and some are glued to the teeth. The wearing time of removable retainers will usually reduce gradually as the teeth and bite become more stable.

Which retainers are selected for your child will depend on their bite before treatment and how likely the teeth will move once treatment is finished. A specialist orthodontist will tailor make a retention protocol to suit every individual.

Examples of retainers

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Looking after retainers

Your orthodontist will provide information on caring for your child’s retainers when they are fitted as care instructions depend on the types of retainers placed.

An orthodontist will usually follow your child up for at least a year after treatment ends to check that retainers are fitting well and preventing further tooth movement (relapse). Be sure to take all removable retainers to your follow up visits so that any problems can be identified early.