Goodlettsville Dental Services

Dental Braces Post-Treatment

In order to avoid the teeth moving back to their original position, retainers may be worn once the treatment with braces is complete.

Patients may need post-orthodontic surgery, such as a fiberotomy or alternatively a gum lift, to prepare their teeth for retainer use and improve the gumline contours after the braces come off.

Orthodontic Retainers

Retainers are required to be worn once treatment with braces is complete. The orthodontist will recommend a retainer based on the patient’s needs. If a patient does not wear the retainer as recommended, the teeth will move towards their original position (relapse).

A Hawley retainer is made of metal hooks that surround the teeth and are enclosed by an acrylic plate shaped to fit the patient’s palate. An Essix retainer is similar to an Invisalign tray. It is a clear plastic tray form-fitted to the teeth and stays in place by suction. A bonded retainer is a wire permanently bonded to the lingual side of the teeth (usually the lower teeth only).

Pre-finisher

If a person’s teeth are not ready for a proper retainer, the orthodontist may prescribe the use of a pre-finisher. This rubber appliance similar to a mouth guard fixes gaps between the teeth, small spaces between the upper and lower jaw, and other minor problems that could worsen. These problems are small matters that dental braces cannot fix.

The pre-finisher is molded to the patient’s teeth by use of severe pressure to the appliance by the person’s jaw. The pre-finisher is then worn for the prescribed time, with the user applying force to the pre-finisher in their mouth for ten to fifteen seconds at a time. The goal is increasing the “exercise” time, time spent applying force to the appliance. Like the retainer, the pre-finisher is not a permanent addition to one’s mouth, and can be moved in and out of the mouth.