If your straight smile is turning crooked again, you might be tempted to find a quick fix. That’s only natural – the thought of another round with metal braces (or similar devices) would make many people wince. Still, the obvious choice for such a fix won’t work; you can’t use a retainer to re-straighten your teeth. You’ll have to see a local dentist to get the realignment help you need. For more details, just read over this summary of the matter.
Context: What’s a Retainer?
Naturally, you’ll need to know the basics about retainers to see why they can’t re-straighten smiles. Those facts help the final explanation make sense.
A retainer (per its name) is an oral device that retains your orthodontic treatment results. In other words, its role is to keep your teeth in their new, correct positions after they’ve been aligned. Failing to wear it consistently can cause a patient’s smile to revert to its earlier, misaligned form. (After all, teeth can move on their own even without orthodontic appliances.)
While fixed kinds now exist, most retainers are removable. They either have a piece of wire attached to plastic or acrylic, or they’re clear, molded plastic you wear over your teeth.
Retainers Can’t “Re-Straighten” Teeth
While retainers can preserve straight smiles, they can’t re-straighten teeth that’ve shifted out of place. Their design doesn’t allow for such drastic alignment work.
You see, retainers don’t apply enough force to move your teeth much. They only exert what’s needed to make your pearly whites stay put, even when your smile isn’t where it should be. Given that fact, you may find your retainer won’t fit over your grin at some point. This change would indicate your teeth have drifted quite far out of place.
The most a retainer can do is fix slightly misaligned teeth, assuming the device can at least fit snugly. Otherwise, you’ll have to take a different approach.
See Your Dentist for Realignment Help
You mustn’t force a retainer to re-straighten your teeth, especially when it no longer fits. Instead, visit your local dentist (or orthodontist) to look into orthodontic options.
If your teeth haven’t drifted back too much, you may qualify for Invisalign. This treatment’s clear trays work well for minor misalignments and have a very discreet look. As a result, you could trust it to make your smile straight again without the hassle of metal brackets and wires.
Of course, this is only one option your dentist could suggest. Get to your dental practice soon to learn about the others!
About the Practice
Sunny Smile Dental is based in Dallas, TX. Led by the dedicated Dr. Sung-Hee Lee, our practice always aims to blend warm and attentive dentistry with top-tier results. We thus offer a wide range of services tailored to your smile, all while relying on modern and cutting-edge technology. That means you can trust us to make your grin thrive for a lifetime! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (972)-481-8800.