We see a lot of new patients wanting to straigthten their teeth. Many travel from nearby Leicester, Derby or Nottingham. Many others come all the way from Southamptom. A lot of these patients had braces when they were younger but the teeth relapsed into their original position few years later. This happens when retainers are not worn after finishing orthodontic treatment.
We tell all our patients wanting to have their teeth straightened that they have to wear retainers for the rest of their life if they want their teeth to stay straight.
The common questions we get are:
What type of retainers are there?
– removable retainers are clear plastic trays which are similar to the invisalign aligners.
-fixed retainers are a small wire bonded to the back to the back of the teeth
How long to I have to wear them for?
– we advise lifetime wear
why do I have to wear retainers?
during orthodontic treatment, new bone is deposited and the ligament around the teeth is remodelling. Retention allows to stabilise the position of the teeth while the bone matures and the ligament remodels.
