As you might know, patients aren’t certain to keep their straight smiles after using braces or aligners. They may neglect their follow-up care instead and let their grins turn crooked. All that said, perhaps you’re wondering: Could an old retainer re-straighten your teeth? Your Jacksonville orthodontist takes alignment seriously, so he’s here to address this question. Just keep reading to learn about retainers, why they can’t re-straighten teeth, and why to get proper orthodontic care instead.
Consider How Retainers Work
To grasp why they don’t re-straighten teeth, you need to know how retainers work. That context helps you make sense of the final explanation.
A retainer is – per its name – a device that “retains” orthodontic treatment results. Put more simply, it keeps your teeth in their now-correct positions after they’ve been aligned. When you don’t wear this appliance consistently, your smile will end up reverting to its earlier, misaligned form. That’s only natural when teeth can move without the use of orthodontic appliances.
The average retainer is removable, though fixed kinds also exist. It either has wire attached to a plastic (or acrylic) base, or it consists of molded plastic that you wear over teeth.
A Retainer Can’t “Re-Straighten” Teeth
Given the facts above, retainers can only preserve straight smiles; they can’t “re-straighten” teeth that’ve shifted out of place. The latter requires a more drastic form of alignment work.
Retainers don’t apply enough force to change your smile’s alignment. Since their role is to keep teeth still, they only do enough to stop all tooth movement. That truth applies even when your smile’s crooked and completely out of alignment. Even if you tried realignment with a retainer, the device likely wouldn’t fit; your teeth will have drifted so far that they don’t match your appliance.
At the very most, a retainer can only fix slightly misaligned teeth. More drastic orthodontic issues require a different approach.
For “Re-Straightening,” See an Orthodontist
Rather than use a retainer, you should see an orthodontist to re-straighten your teeth. They’ll offer appropriate orthodontic options after conducting an oral exam.
Your orthodontist may suggest Invisalign if your teeth haven’t drifted too much. After all, this treatment’s trays work wonders for minor misalignments and have a discreet look. They’d “straighten out” your smile without the hassle of brackets and wires.
Your orthodontist could also suggest other treatments. For details on these additional choices, visit your orthodontic provider soon!
About the Practice
Ortega Orthodontics is based in Jacksonville, FL. Led by Dr. Holland, our practice does everything possible to make (and keep) your bite and smile straight. We thus offer a wide range of orthodontic treatments, ranging from traditional and clear braces to various types of aligner trays. However crooked your grin may be, rest assured – our team can do something about it! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (904)-388-4600.