Why Do I Need to Wear an Orthodontic Retainer?
You might need an orthodontic retainer for many reasons. The most common reason is to help your teeth stay set in their new positions after you have your braces removed.The retainer helps to regulate this shifting of the teeth, which happens naturally, especially if you are younger and your body is still growing.
When you wear a retainer for any reason, your teeth could feel pressure and could possibly even feel sore for a few days. This is normal so don't be to concerned if this happens to you.
Some retainers, called a crib or tongue cage retainers, are designed with little metal bars that suspend down from the roof of your mouth. This type keeps your tongue from going forward in between your teeth once you speak. Your tongue is trained to travel to the roof of your mouth rather than through your teeth. The length of your time children wear a tongue cage varies looking on the child.
Another use for retainers is to assist folks with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). This disorder is typically a results of a bite downside (the teeth do not meet along properly once the jaws square measure closed) referred to as disorder (say: mal-uh-kloo-zhun) or action (say: bruk-sih-zum), that is grinding your teeth whereas you sleep.
Grinding stretches the muscles and joints in your mouth and jaws and generally will cause jaw pain or headaches. Retainers will assist you by preventing your mouth from closing fully at midnight, that keeps you from grinding your teeth. Here are a few tips on cleaning and maintaining your retainer.
