Can Retainers Fix Gaps in My Teeth?

Finding the Solution for You

Black Orthodontics in Asheville, North Carolina, ensures that your orthodontic treatment is comfortable, fast, and effective. Patients love Dr. Keith Black’s practice because he makes sure you’re comfortable and treatment is effective for healthy teeth. He provides a treatment plan and keeps his patients completely in the know about their orthodontic procedure. Throughout the entire process, you will know exactly what’s going on during your appointments. You’ll feel confident that you’re on the way to excellent dental hygiene, and look forward to interacting with the friendly staff during your visits!

Once you finish wearing braces or using Invisalign, you will need to wear a retainer to keep your teeth from shifting and undoing all your hard work. Many patients have questions about retainers, and we want to help answer them as well as clear up any misconceptions you may have.

What is a Retainer?

After your braces have come off, your doctor asks that you wear a retainer for a certain period of time. The amount of time depends on your unique teeth. Retainers are oral appliances that help keep your teeth in place after having braces removed. They are typically removable and easy to clean. Dr. Black’s treatment process is efficient and effective, so it is important to wear a retainer after treatment to avoid having your teeth shift back into their pre-braces position.

Causes of Tooth Gaps

While this doesn’t happen to everyone, it is always a possibility for several reasons. These include a non-fitting retainer, not wearing your retainer when necessary, genetic predisposition to misaligned teeth, daily teeth grinding, or teeth movement after your prescribed retainer use is over. If there starts to be noticeable shifting, you may wonder whether or not another round of orthodontic treatment is necessary. Given that treatment can take a fairly long time (anywhere from 6 to 12 months), Dr. Black will take the necessary measures to help you avoid going through the process all over again. At Black Orthodontics, we create the retainer properly suited to you to gently guide your teeth into place and correct gaps and misalignment.

Different Types of Retainers

Retainer creation for guiding your teeth back into their straight position is a case-by-case basis. It depends on how much the teeth have shifted or in which direction they’ve moved. Removable retainers can be taken out during meals and worn as much as recommended by your doctor. Fixed retainers stay installed until your teeth are back in place. A fixed retainer is only necessary if the teeth have shifted dramatically since orthodontic treatment and will usually be worn longer than a removable retainer. If your doctor prescribes a fixed retainer it means there has been significant movement, so be sure to follow all directions.

How to Use Your Retainer

The only requirements with wearing a retainer is remembering to wear it as often as your doctor recommends. It’s also important to clean it on a regular basis. You can care for removable retainers by keeping them in their protective case and regularly putting them in a solution to remove bacteria. Caring for fixed retainers is just like brushing your teeth, and you thoroughly brush to remove debris before going to bed. When you take proper care of your retainer you can avoid replacements. They are an important part of the process to getting you the healthiest smile and gums possible!

The Benefits of Treatment

You can get the healthy and bright smile you’ve always wanted with orthodontic treatment from Dr. Black. Although having straight teeth boosts your confidence, it also provides you with dental health long-term. It doesn’t matter what age you are, as Black Orthodontics treats people of all ages.

The benefits of braces are prolific. In addition to a beautiful smile, treatment can improve your dental health by aligning the teeth, jaw, and lips. Just a few of the many benefits include prevention of gum disease and cavities, avoidance or correction of a bad bite which can lead to headaches and facial pain, and better digestion with more efficient chewing. Not to mention, people with aligned teeth tend to smile and laugh more, sit up straighter, and be more outgoing. That is all the more reason why Black Orthodontics strives to help you create a beautiful smile and keep it! Braces won’t be needed thanks to the effectiveness of retainers and Dr. Black’s ability to create a solution suited to you as an individual. Contact us now to get started!