Before and after photos on get orthodontic retainers after braces are completed performed in our Braces Orthodontics office. Interestingly, sometimes we have patients who need to wear both a TMJ bite guard and also a removable orthodontic retainer. In those increasingly common cases we design one removable device, typically for the lower jaw, that is a combined retainer and TMJ bite guard.
After completion of orthodontics dental braces some type of teeth retention is always needed. This orthodontic retention can be either fixed retention – seen in these pictures – or a removable retainer. The fixed retention seen here is not visible during normal smiling or speaking. You will not lose it or forget to wear it because these fixed retainers are always on your teeth. On the negative side, patients will have to continue to use Floss Threaders like they should have used during braces, to thread the floss under the fixed wire retainer when they clean their teeth at night. They may also need periodic maintenance via bonding a portion of the wire if a piece of particularly hard food dislodges it. We treat many adult patients who previously wore braces in childhood whose teeth are crooked again! We always tell our patients that retainers need to be worn for life. People need to wear their retainers for as long as they want to maintain straight teeth. Please call and visit our NY orthodontist to learn more about types of orthodontic retainers and what might be best for you. It is also possible to add one or more false teeth to a retainer.