Retainers

In my practice, fixed and removable retainers are used for almost every patient at the end of any active treatment, regardless of the type of braces used.

Fixed retainers are glued on the back of the front teeth, which stay in place for the long term, and only at night-time; a clear plastic retainer is worn over the fixed retainer for a long time.

Teeth always want to return to their pre-treatment position, and some teeth move unpredictably as we age. Hence the long-term retainers will stop or reduce these changes to keep the teeth straight.

Most fixed retainers I use in my clinical practice are made directly and adapted by hand chair side. Still, some patients may benefit from a 3D CAD-CAM-made retainer like Memotain. This type of fixed retainer is a more precise and intimate fit than the chairside-made fixed retainer.

The British Orthodontic Society has produced a beneficial resource explaining the importance of retainers.