Ballyraine Orthodontic Clinic

All orthodontic patients will need to wear retainers after treatment. If you do n’t, the teeth could move! The risk of this movement will get less slowly with time. The position of the teeth will need to be supported while the bone and soft tissue round the teeth remodels to the new position. If the teeth are not held the teeth will ‘spring’ back a little in the first few weeks. It takes up to 9 months for the bone and gums to fully settle with the teeth in the new position. Even after this time the teeth will need to be held to prevent movement, but not quite as much. Ever so slowly, the control can be reduced in most patients until the retainers can be thrown away. This could take several years. Some patients will have to wear retainers for ever. For growing patients the retainers should be worn in some form until facial growth has finished. In females this could be 18 or 19 years old. In males this could be 20 or 21 years old.

These appliances have become extremely popular in recent years and can certainly help with some simple orthodontic problems. We use a simple 5 stage therapy which can treat minor alignment problems with good cooperation. Patients should be aware that this type of treatment seems to offer the perfect solution with no visible appliance, however there are limitations. Unfortunately the control over the tooth position is much reduced and the results can be disappointing if the expectations are too high or they are not worn properly. This form of treatment can be useful for patients who are unable to tolerate fixed appliance and are aware of the limitations. These appliances are also good for cases with minor relapse following previous orthodontic treatment.