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2020 Guide for the Dental Retainer
Those of us cursed with crooked teeth or an overbite have likely spent their childhood or young adulthood in braces. We counted the days until those braces came off and were so happy to feel our bare teeth again.
However, the orthodontist gave us a pair of retainers to use after the days of wearing braces.
What Do Retainers Do?
What are teeth retainers used for? Many don’t understand the importance of the orthodontic teeth retainer. What is the retainer braces meaning? Weren’t braces supposed to fix our teeth? Why do we need an orthodontic teeth retainer? While it may not seem vital to teenagers, the retainer is highly important. Along with kids and teens, dental retainers for adults are also common. It’s useful to first understand what retainers for your teeth are and what they do.
What is a Retainer for Teeth? What is the Retainer Braces Meaning?
What are retainers for and what do they look like? What is a dental retainer and what do retainers do? According to KidsHealth.org, retainers are plastic and metal pieces bonded together and custom-made to each person’s mouth when they need their teeth straightened. Still, what are teeth retainers used for and what is the retainer purpose? The retainer purpose is to maintain the work that the braces completed. What does a retainer do? Above all, retainers hold your teeth in the same place after your braces have done their job and have been removed.
Retainers fit the top of a person’s mouth and teeth. However, because they are customized, no two retainers are identical even if they look similar. The majority of people who have worn braces will need to wear a retainer for some time after the braces are removed. So what are retainers used for?
Besides keeping teeth in place, what is a dental retainer used for? What is a retainer for teeth? Dental retainers for adults are also used for helping some people close gaps in their teeth while others may need a retainer for mouth to help with other dental problems or even speech defects.
Helping Keep Kids from Losing Retainers
If you’re a parent with one or more children who need to wear retainers, you may find that one of the biggest issues is to make sure the retainer for mouth isn’t lost in school or when eating out. Kids may have difficulty with keeping their retainer safe in their brace retainer box, but explaining what does a retainer do as well as the importance of this object is vital to ensure your child doesn’t lose it and those years with braces aren’t a lost cause. You’ll need to explain to your child what is a dental retainer and why they should wear the retainer, which we discuss in detail below.
Why Wearing a Retainer is for the Best
Exactly what is a dental retainer used for? There can be numerous reasons why you need to wear a dental retainer. Usually, it is because those years of wearing braces could be for nothing if you don’t wear the retainer to ensure your teeth stay in the same position. As you grow older, your teeth can shift, which is why wearing retainers for your teeth is essential.
Once your braces are removed, your orthodontist will fit a mouth retainer and tell you when and for how long you will need to wear it. They will tell you how to use retainers for teeth. You may need to wear them for three months or even a year. It all depends on your specific dental issues. Sometimes you may be told only to wear the retainers at night and go without them during the day. Speak with your orthodontist to learn how to use retainers for teeth.
Sometimes children are told to wear a retainer even if they haven’t worn braces. Without braces, what are retainers used for? This can help them close a gap between their teeth or fix one tooth that is out of place. In such a case, the retainers are usually worn for several years. Some people wear a rubber retainer for teeth or even a retention clip for teeth.
It is important for children to understand that the first few days of wearing a dental retainer may feel sore or your teeth may feel pressure. This usually subsides quickly.
Some other reasons why a teeth retainer is necessary may be due to you having a tongue thrust condition and some tools can be used to keep your tongue from moving between your teeth when you talk. You’ll learn to bring your tongue to the roof of your mouth when speaking.
Another dental problem that can be helped with retainers is called a temporomandibular disorder (TMD), which is when the teeth don’t meet appropriately when closed due to an overbite. This can lead people to grind their teeth in their sleep. To fix all these problems, wearing a mouth retainer is for the best.
Other Benefits of Wearing Retainers
You’ll find that the benefits of wearing retainers goes beyond anything you could imagine. The dental retainer purpose is not merely for straightening teeth, but can make a huge impact on your overall dental health. For example, straightened teeth actually reduce your chance of getting cavities. This is because straight teeth are easier to clean and brush while reducing plaque buildup.
Additionally, since straight teeth allow you to chew better and more thoroughly, it means more saliva is produced and more digestive enzymes come into play. Digestive enzymes reduce plaque buildup and decrease your risk of cavities. Therefore, the dental retainer purpose revolves around improving your oral health.
You may not believe it, but wearing a teeth retainer can actually reduce the side effects of diabetes. When teeth are kept straight, your oral health is generally better. However, poor oral health actually impacts the blood-based effects of diabetes. Flossing, brushing, rinsing your teeth, and wearing dental retainers adults can all alleviate the problems associated with diabetes.
Another unknown benefit of either a child retainer or an adult retainer is that it can help with breathing. Essentially, kids or adults having trouble breathing at night or snoring too much through the night can benefit from either a child retainer or an adult retainer.
Sometimes, children can also improve their speech by wearing retainers. These tools are able to help keep their tongue in the right place when speaking so that children can form sounds properly when learning more advanced vocabulary.
Now that we’ve discussed the benefits and the importance of wearing retainers for kids, it is vital to learn how to keep them safe, how to care for your retainer, and how to get in the habit of wearing it.
How to Keep Retainers Safe
The best way to keep your dental retainers adults safe is to keep it in the brace retainer box when you’re not using it. You’ll want to keep it in the same place at home so that you do not lose it. So be sure to keep an eye out when you’re done with lunch in the cafeteria before you accidentally toss out your retainer.
Other ways to keep your retainer safe is to avoid putting it in hot water or near a hot surface. The plastic can become damaged very quickly if it gets exposed to heat. Don’t leave it near the stove or a radiator. Also, you’ll want to avoid breaking or bending the wires when the retainer is in your mouth. Be sure you’re not using your tongue to play with it or you may bend the wires.
How to Care for Your Dental Retainer
You’ll want to take care of your retainers and keep them clean. Since the retainer lives in your mouth, it is exposed to the bacteria and plaque as well as any pieces of food left in your mouth after a meal. You can ask your orthodontist how to properly clean your retainer.
Be sure to clean it every day. For example, you may want to soak it in a mouthwash in order to destroy bacteria. Soaking it will also make sure that the plastic doesn’t get very dry and potentially crack.
How to Get in the Habit of Wearing a Retainer for Teeth
To help your child get in the habit of wearing a mouth retainer, they need to learn what is a retainer for braces. Also, you may want to get them to put the plastic brace retainer box into a bigger bag with a fun action hero or use their favorite purse to bring the teeth container to school. You can also write notes for your children to help them remember to bring their teeth container to school and back home.
Your child should have one spot to keep their retainer in at the house. This will help them know where they left the box. If your kids spend all night wearing their retainers, you may even want to reward them with small gifts during the first week so that they get a reward for getting into this new habit.
Clearly, wearing retainers is highly important for our dental health and these tips and tricks should help your kids once their braces come off.
If you’re wondering how to get retainers for teeth or need to understand what is a retainer for braces, you’ll want to speak with the experts. Smile Angels of Beverly Hills can help you learn how to get retainers for teeth. Our Beverly Hills Cosmetic Dentist Bruce Vafa DDS can help you get a customized a retainer for teeth and teach you the proper ways to take care of them. We also offer a retention clip for teeth or a rubber retainer for teeth. Smile Angels of Beverly Hills can also help you get retainers for kids. All you need to do is contact the Beverly Hills Cosmetic Dentist Bruce Vafa DDS by calling (310)201-9001.