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Retention

 

Post orthodontic care.After you’ve put in the time with braces or Invisalign, you want your teeth to stay straight and your smile to stay beautiful, but if you go straight from braces to nothing, there’s a good chance that your teeth will just shift back to where they were before. Thats where retention comes in—the easy way to make sure you get to keep your new smile that you worked so hard for. Here at Oubre Orthodontics, you local orthodontist in Youngsville and Lafayette, LA, we want our patients to get what they asked for with braces or Invisalign, so we offer retention to help you hold on to your smile after your orthodontic treatment. Learn about retention below and what you can do to make sure your straight teeth stick around!

What Is Retention?

Types of orthodontic retainers.

Whether you got braces in Lafayette, LA or if you are simply looking for an orthodontist in youngsville, retention is an essential part of any teeth straightening treatment. While braces and Invisalign might put your teeth in the right place, your jaw needs time to adjust to your teeth’s new position. Retention helps your jaw set around your perfectly aligned teeth, so you can be prepared for a lifetime with a straight smile. After your braces or Invisalign comes off, we will capture a 3D scan of your mouth, print an accurate model on our in house 3D printer and make a retainer unique to each patient for you to wear. The retainer is removable, but we will recommend that you use it as often as you can until your teeth start to settle. You will have to continue wearing your retainer as you sleep to continue to maintain your orthodontic results, but don’t worry, you can take it out for meals, special events, and sports games!

How To Take Care Of Your Retainer?

How to Clean Removable Retainers video

While your retainer is tough enough to keep your teeth in place, it needs to be taken good care of for it to do its job. That means keeping it in its case while it isn’t in your mouth (bent wires or a broken model will make it obsolete), and cleaning while it isn’t in use. Cleaning is an important part of taking care of your retainer because otherwise bacteria can grow on your retainer which can be harmful to your teeth and make your breath smell bad! Clean your retainer with a toothbrush and toothpaste or soapy water every evening. You can also purchase retainer cleaning liquid at most drug stores which you should use once a week to kill any residual bacteria that may be on your retainer. Finally, you will need to schedule regular visits with our office to make sure that your retainer is doing what it is supposed to. If you take good care of your retainer, keep it clean, and remember to use it, your teeth will set in no time!

Visit Your Orthodontist in Lafayette and Youngsville, LA

If you already got braces in Lafayette, LA and want to make sure your teeth are straight, or if you have a retainer already and have a question, the best thing you can do is schedule a visit to your orthodontist. Here at Oubre Orthodontics our friendly staff will help answer any questions you have about retention and help you decide which orthodontic treatment is right for you. Don’t delay—you don’t want to lose all that hard work you put in with braces or Invisalign. Contact Oubre Orthodontics today to learn more or to schedule an appointment. We look forward to hearing from you!

Related Articles

Orthodontic Retainers - Dear Doctor Magazine

The Importance of Orthodontic Retainers Decades ago, orthodontists used to think that once teeth were moved into the “right” positions, they would stay there forever. Research over the past thirty years has shown that this is not true — there is no “right” position that can assure a permanent, unchanging result. The only way to be sure the alignment of your teeth and your bite remains stable after orthodontic treatment is to wear retainers as needed and as directed by your orthodontist or dentist... Read Article

Orthodontic Retainers - Dear Doctor Magazine

Why Orthodontic Retainers? It is common to wear retainers following orthodontic treatment or what people commonly refer to as braces, for good reason. Teeth must be “retained” or stabilized in their new position long enough for the gum tissue, bone and ligament to reform and mature around them, which can take several months. The teeth will tend to relapse into their old position quite rapidly if the retainers are not worn... Read Article

Oubre Orthodontics

  • Oubre Orthodontics - 1605 Kaliste Saloom Rd., Lafayette, LA 70508 Phone: 337-988-2025

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