Retainers in Charles County, MD
Conveniently located in Waldorf, serving Charles County and St. Mary’s County, Maryland, Sequence Orthodontics offers retainers and other forms of comprehensive orthodontic care to the residents of Maryland who wish to improve their smile and oral health.
Retainers in Charles County, MD
Conveniently located in Waldorf, serving Charles County and St. Mary’s County, Maryland, Sequence Orthodontics offers retainers and other forms of comprehensive orthodontic care to the residents of Maryland who wish to improve their smile and oral health.
What Are Retainers?
Retainers are custom-made orthodontic devices, usually made of metal or clear plastic, that hold teeth securely in position following treatment with braces, surgery, or any other method of straightening or realigning the teeth.
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How Do Retainers Work?
Every retainer is custom-made for each patient. A retainer is designed to “retain” or hold the position of your teeth once they have been realigned via braces or other methods. Once your braces are removed, your teeth still need to settle into the jawbone and soft tissue that holds them in place. Retainers keep teeth from moving, loosening, shifting, wiggling, or returning to their original unaligned position following treatment with braces.
Advantages of Wearing a Retainer
- Wearing your retainer correctly, as recommended by the International Journal of Dentistry, preserves teeth alignment and minimizes health risks.
- Retainers can aid in improved breathing and snoring control during sleep for some patients.
- Orthodontic treatment and wearing a retainer can lead to speech improvement in certain patients.
Retainers Available at Sequence Orthodontics
Every retainer at Sequence Orthodontics is custom-designed for each patient, and we offer different types of retainers to suit individual needs.
Clear plastic retainers, resembling Invisalign®, offer durability lasting a year or more. While they're preferred by Invisalign® patients due to their invisibility, they may not be suitable for everyone, especially those with short teeth, puffier gums, or teeth-grinding habits, as they are less durable and may feel bulky.
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Who Should Wear a Retainer?
Almost anyone over the age of seven who is a suitable candidate for braces or other orthodontic treatment may also successfully wear a retainer. Typically, retainers are suitable for adults, teens, and children.
Why Choose an Orthodontist vs. a Dentist When Being Fitted for a Retainer?
A dentist is a general dental practitioner, while an orthodontist is a specialist trained in tooth movement, alignment of teeth, and jaw function. An orthodontist must first complete dental school to become a dentist and then attend an orthodontic program for several more years to become a professional orthodontist. Although some dentists have taken courses on how to apply Invisalign® or other types of orthodontic treatments, they usually do not have the skill, expertise, and experience of a professional orthodontist.
Most Popular Questions
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The length of time you’ll have to wear your retainer will naturally vary from patient to patient, just as all orthodontic treatment times vary with each individual, but generally, retainers are worn for the same length of time that you wore your braces, since teeth may take up to one year or more to stabilize after treatment. For patients who had gaps between their teeth prior to treatment, the period of wearing the retainer may be a bit longer.
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Wearing a retainer may cause mild soreness in the jaw and gums after the initial fitting. This soreness may last for a few days, but normally wearing a retainer produces less discomfort than wearing braces.
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Our orthodontic specialists provide extensive experience and expertise in the field of orthodontics. Our doctor will actually apply your retainer and conduct the consultation, which is not the case at many other practices.
Most Popular Questions
A
The length of time you’ll have to wear your retainer will naturally vary from patient to patient, just as all orthodontic treatment times vary with each individual, but generally, retainers are worn for the same length of time that you wore your braces, since teeth may take up to one year or more to stabilize after treatment. For patients who had gaps between their teeth prior to treatment, the period of wearing the retainer may be a bit longer.
A
Wearing a retainer may cause mild soreness in the jaw and gums after the initial fitting. This soreness may last for a few days, but normally wearing a retainer produces less discomfort than wearing braces.
A
Our orthodontic specialists provide extensive experience and expertise in the field of orthodontics. Our doctor will actually apply your retainer and conduct the consultation, which is not the case at many other practices.
