Retainers in Goodyear

Orthodontic Retainers

After completing orthodontic treatment, our Goodyear orthodontist may recommend retention to prevent your teeth and alignment from returning to their old position. Patients who spent months to years wearing braces or using clear aligners want the results to be permanent, but as people age, teeth may move as the face continues to grow. This is why ProSmiles in Goodyear provides retainers for many patients following orthodontic care.

What Is Retention?

Retention is the final phase of treatment that ensures the adjustments made to your teeth are not compromised. Depending on your treatment, age and situation, Dr. McGuire will provide retainers to initially be worn all day, and then eventually just at night. While continued wear is not required after your recommended retention phase, the longer you wear your retainers, the less shifting you will experience long-term.

There are three basic types of retainers used following orthodontic treatment from our Goodyear office:

• Hawley Retainers: These are removable and prevent teeth movement through a piece of acrylic molded to the shape of the roof of your mouth and wires bent to the shape of your front teeth and back molars.
• Essix Retainers: These are removable and made of clear plastic, which is molded to the teeth so it fits snugly around each one across the entire arch of the bite.
• Bonded Retainers: These cannot be removed by the patient and use a wire to line the inside of the lower front teeth and hold them together in position.

All removable retainers are molded from impressions of the patient’s teeth and bite post-treatment to ensure a proper fit that maintains the desired results.

ProSmiles provides the best in orthodontic treatment, but it’s up to you, the patient, to follow retention instructions closely for long-lasting results. If you lost or broke your retainer, please call our Goodyear office at 623-236-9509 to set up a time to come in to get a new one.