Retainers are an important part of your treatment after the braces have been removed.  Their function is to retain your teeth in the alignment we have achieved with the braces.  Time is required for the bone and gum to settle around the new position of the teeth.

Essix Retainers

The Essix Retainer (sometimes called an invisible retainer) is made of clear durable plastic which snaps into place over your teeth.  We usually use the Essix Retainer to retain the alignment of the upper teeth.  Once placed, your teeth and gums show through the plastic making the retainers appear nearly “invisible”. 

The Essix Retainer is initially worn full time and then eventually only when sleeping.  We will give you instructions specific to your needs when you receive the retainer including when it should be worn and how to care for and clean it.

Hawley Retainers

The Hawley Retainer is perhaps the oldest retainer in the history of dentistry.  Popularised by Dr Alfred Kingsley in 1858, it has become the most common retainer used by orthodontists worldwide for the past 100 years!  Today’s Hawley Retainer was named after Dr C.A. Hawley who wrote about it extensively in the early 1900’s.  Although we constantly look for new and better treatment innovations, we do believe in using appliances that have withstood the test of time too! 

Some of our patients will receive an upper Hawley Retainer when their braces are removed.  It effectively maintains the alignment of teeth while simultaneously allowing for controlled and minute movements of the teeth which orthodontists call “settling”. When the retainer is worn as instructed, the patient’s occlusion actually improves in the critical first few weeks after the braces are removed.  Retainers are truly as important as braces in the long term results of orthodontic treatment.

Patients can have a retainer in one or more colours of their choice from a range of colours available and small pictures can be chosen and added.

Bonded Retainers

A wire is glued or bonded to the back surface of the teeth and is often used behind the lower front teeth once the braces have been removed.  It is a small custom bent stainless steel wire that is inconspicuous, easy to maintain and clean.

This retainer effectively maintains the alignment of the lower incisors while simultaneously allowing for the controlled minute movement of the lower teeth which the orthodontist calls ‘settling’.  Ideally this retainer should stay in place for several years or until after the facial growth and/or eruption of the wisdom teeth has been completed. 

Occasionally a bonded retainer may be placed behind the upper front teeth and they are used in a similar manner.