Retainers Issues

Once you have completed your Braces journey, you will move on to the maintenance phase with retainers. Teeth are biological structures that are sitting in gums and bone. They are constantly working to help us eat, smile, and talk. It is natural for them to move slightly after treatment.

Retainers are ‘Maintainers’.

Retainers are very important to avoid/minimize Teeth Relapse (which is the teeth shifting back towards its original position).

Studies have shown that the most relapse occurs in the first year after completing tooth movement with certain types of tooth movement more at risk of relapse than others.

Retainers tighter than usual

Retainers are designed to hold your teeth in the position when braces were just removed. If you have not worn your retainers for a period of time, tooth movement may shift teeth from their original position in their retainers, causing the retainers to feel tighter than usual.

What to do:

• Check the position of your teeth. If the tooth movement is tiny and the retainers can fit almost all the way down, try sleeping overnight with the retainer on and wear the retainers full time  (except eating and brushing teeth) for a few days to ease teeth back into position. The retainers should feel tight,
• Retainers are not braces and they are cannot do big tooth movements. If teeth have shifted a lot, do not force retainers in. This can cause irreversible damage to teeth and gums! Reach out to us ASAP.

If retainers are too tight because they have been dipped in hot water/ stepped on/ sat on/ crushed by heavy textbooks:

• Unfortunately, the retainers are most likely distorted/ deformed out of shape. Reach out to us ASAP for help!

If retainers are too tight because you have not worn them for a while: Please notify the Team@MyBracesClinic by dropping us a Facebook Message, calling us at (65)6737 9797 or email us at smilematters@mybracesclinic.com. We would like to schedule an earlier appointment to address this issue.

Spend some time training with us till you’re comfortable and confident of removing aligners on your own.

Retainers are too loose

Retainers are too loose if they just can’t stay on your teeth. Loose retainers that do not hug teeth, cannot hold teeth in place efficiently.

Possible reasons for loose retainers are:

• Distorted/ deformed retainers
• Cracked/ broken retainers or parts of the retainer.
• Newly erupted teeth.
• Altered shape of teeth from new dental restorations or dental trauma.

What to do:

Do notify the Team@MyBracesClinic by dropping us a Facebook Message, calling us at (65)6737 9797 or email us at smilematters@mybracesclinic.com. We would like to schedule an earlier appointment to address the cause of loose aligners ASAP.

Retainers are cracked/ worn out.

Look out for cracks and traces of wear on your retainers, it may indicate that you have a habit of clenching or grinding your teeth. You might need a firmer and more durable retainer to withstand your grinding tendencies.

What to do:

Do notify the Team@MyBracesClinic by calling us at (65)6737 9797 or email us at smilematters@mybracesclinic.com. We would like to schedule an earlier appointment to get you back on track.

Lost Retainers

Top reasons for losing retainers

• TISSUE PAPER! Wrap retainers in them and a high chance you’ll bin everything.
• If you see someone rummaging through the dustbin of Macdonald’s, there is a high possibility their retainers were kept in the burger box and accidentally binned.

What to do:

Consider Vivera Retainers as they are a set of 3 identical, digitally printed clear retainers so you will never be caught out even if you accidentally lose a set.
Alert the Team@MyBracesClinic by dropping us a Facebook Message, calling us at (65)6737 9797 or email us at smilematters@mybracesclinic.com.