Your retainer is customized to fit the unique contours of your mouth. Your orthodontist will let you know how often you should wear your retainer and for how long. It’s important to follow these instructions exactly for best results. Sometimes, if you only need to move one tooth or close a gap between two teeth, you’ll wear a retainer instead of braces. In these circumstances, you’ll need to wear your retainer according to your orthodontist’s instructions to keep the teeth moving in the right direction.

Beautiful Young Woman with braces

It’s also common to wear a retainer after undergoing orthodontic treatment with braces. Even after your braces have shifted your teeth into their proper positions, they could still move out of alignment. By wearing your retainer, you’ll prevent your teeth from shifting out of place. Other people need to wear a retainer because of a medical condition, such as tongue thrust or temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).

If you have any questions about your retainer, schedule an appointment with Seligman Orthodontics on Park Avenue. Call (646) 681-8519 or visit our website to learn more about our premier orthodontic practice.