Why Do I Need to Wear a Retainer?

You might need a retainer for a few reasons. The most common reason is to help your teeth stay set in their new positions after wearing braces. It’s important to wear your retainer because as your body grows, your teeth do some shifting. The retainer helps to control this shifting, which occurs naturally.

After your braces are removed, your orthodontist (a special dentist who helps straighten teeth and correct jaw problems) will fit you for a retainer and tell you how long to wear it and when. For example, you might have to wear it all day for 3 months but then only at night after that. Some kids may wear their retainer only at night right from the start, but they may have to wear it for more than a year. The retainer keeps the teeth in line and you won’t even notice it while you’re sleeping!

Other kids may wear retainers to close a space between their teeth or just to move one tooth. In these cases, braces aren’t needed because retainers can do the job. Often, retainers will be worn for several years to close a space, for example, and then keep the gap closed by holding the teeth in place.

When you wear a retainer for any reason, certain teeth may feel pressure and might even feel sore for the first few days. If you experience this, don’t worry — it’s completely normal.

Retainers can help many mouth problems besides shifting teeth. Sometimes they’re used to help a medical problem. For example, you may have a tongue thrust (a condition where your tongue sneaks through your teeth when you talk). Some retainers, known as a crib or tongue cage retainers, are designed with small metal bars that hang down from the roof of your mouth. These retainers keep your tongue from going forward in between your teeth when you speak. Your tongue is trained to go to the roof of your mouth instead of through your teeth. The length of time kids wear a tongue cage varies depending on the kid.

Another use for retainers is to help people with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). This disorder is usually a result of a bite problem (the teeth don’t meet together properly when the jaws are closed) called malocclusion (say: mal-uh-KLOO-zhun) or bruxism (say: BRUK-sih-zum), which is grinding your teeth while you sleep. Grinding stretches the muscles and joints in your mouth and jaws and sometimes can cause jaw pain or headaches. Retainers can help you by preventing your mouth from closing completely at night, which keeps you from grinding your teeth.

  • Always wear your retainer until your orthodontist instructs otherwise.
  • Remove your retainer and deposit in its case when eating.
  • Thoroughly clean your retainer daily with a toothbrush, toothpaste and warm water. Efferdent® or similar orthodontic appliance cleaners are permissible but they do not replace brushing.
  • Keep your retainer in its case when it isn’t in your mouth
  • Practice speaking, reading or singing to get used to your retainer faster. Retainers are breakable! Treat yours with care and call us if it breaks.
  • Call us with any questions or concerns as they arise.
  • Always bring your retainer to appointments.
  • Retainer replacements are expensive! Use care so yours lasts longer.
  • Remove your retainer when swimming.
  • Keep your retainer away from hot water, hot car dashboards, pockets, washing machines and napkins.