Have a look at this video from Taher Rashid at Time Dental in Farnham, Surrey. He’s completed many cases of adult orthodontic braces and he knows what he’s talking about.
Lots of the adult patients he has seen have already had orthodontic treatment as teenagers, and they’ve come to see him because their teeth have moved and they have relapsed.
Orthodontic procedures have changed significantly over the years. After completing a course of adult orthodontic braces it used to be that you only had to wear retainers for 3-6 months after treatment and that was enough. The thinking has now changed and retainers are now for life!
What are retainers? After completing a course of orthodontic treatment and the braces have been taken off, the teeth are still mobile and can easily move back into their original position. That’s where retainers help to keep your teeth in a straight position. As the retainers hold the teeth the support around the teeth start to firm up in the new position. This often takes 3-6 months.
There are 2 types of retainers: fixed and removable. The fixed retainers use a very thin wire that is bonded with composite behind the teeth between your canine to canine. Its a great way to ensure your teeth are held in place day and night. They are very discreet and cannot be seen. After a few days patients often forget that the retainers are place.
The other type are the removable retainers. These are clear and discreet and like the name says, they’re removable. Normally these are worn day and night for up to 6 months and then nightly indefinitely.
You can choose which type you’d prefer to have. Dr Rashid will go through the benefits for both. The gold standard is normally to have both the fixed and removable retainers to make doubly sure your teeth will stay straight!
Time Dental- Private dental care at its best