{"id":331,"date":"2018-12-19T23:36:44","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T04:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woowangdental.com\/blog\/?p=331"},"modified":"2019-08-27T23:38:45","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T03:38:45","slug":"retain-your-new-smile-after-braces-with-a-retainer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woowangdental.com\/blog\/retain-your-new-smile-after-braces-with-a-retainer\/","title":{"rendered":"Retain Your New Smile After Braces with a Retainer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s been a long road with your braces, but now they\u2019re finally off. Hopefully the first glimpse of your new smile more than made up for the time and effort they required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while braces removal is a big milestone, it\u2019s not the end of your treatment\u2014not, that is, if you want to keep that new smile! You\u2019ll now need to wear an appliance called a retainer<\/em> for a few years or, in some cases, from now on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Retainer

<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Orthodontic retainers are a must after braces for the same reason braces work in the first place\u2014your teeth can move. While the teeth attach to the jawbone via the roots, they\u2019re firmly held in place by an elastic gum tissue network called the periodontal ligament. This tough but elastic tissue lies between the teeth and gums and attaches securely to both with tiny fibers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the ligament provides stability, it\u2019s also dynamic\u2014constantly remodeling to allow the teeth to move in response to biting pressure and other mouth factors. Orthodontists use this mechanism when moving teeth to better positions. The braces apply pressure on the teeth in the desired direction and the periodontal ligament responds as the teeth move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afterward, however, the ligament can still retain a kind of \u201cmuscle memory\u201d for a time of the teeth\u2019s old positions. Free of the pressure once supplied by the braces the teeth have a tendency, especially early on, to \u201crebound\u201d to where they were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A retainer helps prevent this by exerting just enough pressure to \u201cretain\u201d the teeth in their new positions. In the beginning this may require wearing the appliance around the clock, but you may be able later to reduce wear time to just a few hours a day. Rebounding is unpredictable, so you should continue to follow your orthodontist\u2019s recommendations on retainer wear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wearing a retainer may seem like a drag, but it\u2019s absolutely essential. Being diligent about it will help ensure that the beautiful smile you and your orthodontist worked so hard to obtain stays with you for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


If you would like more information on getting a new smile through orthodontics, please contact us<\/a> or schedule an appointment<\/a> for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor<\/em> magazine article \u201cThe Importance of Orthodontic Retainers<\/a>.\u201d
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a long road with your braces, but now they\u2019re finally off. Hopefully the first glimpse of your new smile more than made up for the time and effort they required. But while braces removal is a big milestone, … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":333,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nRetain Your New Smile After Braces with a Retainer - Woo Wang Dental<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Orthodontic retainers are a must after braces for the same reason braces work in the first place\u2014your teeth can move.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/woowangdental.com\/blog\/retain-your-new-smile-after-braces-with-a-retainer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Retain Your New Smile After Braces with a Retainer - Woo Wang Dental\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Orthodontic retainers are a must after braces for the same reason braces work in the first place\u2014your teeth can move.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/woowangdental.com\/blog\/retain-your-new-smile-after-braces-with-a-retainer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Woo Wang Dental\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-20T04:36:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-08-28T03:38:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/woowangdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Screen-Shot-2019-08-28-at-11.37.14-AM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"299\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"299\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"woowangadmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"woowangadmin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/woowangdental.com\/blog\/retain-your-new-smile-after-braces-with-a-retainer\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/woowangdental.com\/blog\/retain-your-new-smile-after-braces-with-a-retainer\/\",\"name\":\"Retain Your New Smile After Braces with a Retainer - 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