Does Every Houston Braces Patient Need a Retainer?

Getting your Houston braces removed after a significant amount of time wearing them is in itself a reward. Doing so allows you to fully appreciate the improvement your Houston family dentist has done on your pearly whites. Our helpful and caring staff are familiar with the glowing smile radiating from patients who have just had their Houston braces removed. However, your treatment is not yet over because you will most probably have to wear a retainer. In this article, our top-rated Houston dentist will discuss why Houston braces patients need to wear a retainer after their treatment.

How Houston Braces Work?

As you probably may well know, your Houston braces work by applying constant force to your teeth and jaw to slowly coax them into the desired position. These forces are applied to your teeth through brackets that are glued to them and the archwire that are tethered to the brackets. As your braces move your teeth, your top-rated Houston family dentist performs regular adjustment to get your teeth to move to the target position.

We think of teeth and jaws as fairly fixed parts of our mouth and are quite immovable. So how do your teeth move during a Houston braces treatment? Your teeth are attached to your jaw through your gums and fibrous ligaments. The gums and fibrous ligaments are what is being acted upon by the forces coming from your Houston ceramic braces.

What Does a Retainer Do After Houston Braces?

During the treatment, the gums and fibrous ligaments that hold your teeth become loose. When the braces are removed, the gums don’t tighten for a while so they offer no resistance to your teeth moving around. This is why almost all patients who have undergone a Houston Braces treatment will have to wear a retainer.

The length of time you will need to wear a retainer after your Houston metal braces treatment will vary depending on your Houston family dentist’s assessment of your situation but it is typically for several months to a year or longer. Wearing a retainer will help your teeth keep their new positions. Retainers help prevent this from happening by holding your teeth in place until your gums and fibrous ligaments stabilize and adapt to the new tooth positions.

When It Comes to Houston Braces, Work Only with the Top-Rated Dentists

Here at Centra Dental, we believe that everyone deserves to have a smile they are proud to wear. That is why we have come up with a wide range of dental services that can cater to the specific needs of their customers. We have pooled top-rated general and family dentistry practitioners to provide the highest quality of dental care. We have assembled a team of helpful and caring staff to guarantee that your visits to our clinic are pleasant and stress-free. Call us now and let us help you embrace your smile.