• Don’t lose it! This is the most important part of retainer care, as retainers can be expensive to replace. Plus, you can’t wear your retainer if you’ve lost it, and that may allow your teeth to shift. When you’re not wearing your retainer, keep it in its case!>
• Remove your retainer while eating and drinking. To keep your clear retainer in perfect shape, refrain from eating or drinking while wearing it.
• Denture cleansing solution daily. Your retainer can accumulate food particles and bacteria, so make sure you clean it daily with a toothbrush.
• Brush your teeth after each meal. If you put your retainer in an unclean mouth, food particles may get trapped. Prevent this from happening by diligently brushing your teeth after each and every meal.

With our removable Beverly Hills retainers, many patients are tempted to avoid wearing the appliance when it may be inconvenient. However, this is a big mistake, because wearing your retainer is one of the most important aspects of your orthodontic treatment. Once your braces are removed, the teeth naturally want to shift back to their original positions within the jaw. If they are allowed to do so, the beautiful new smile we created with your orthodontic treatment will be undone. Wearing your retainer as instructed by Dr. Partovi will prevent this from happening – ensuring your teeth remain straight and healthy for a lifetime.

After a course of treatment ranging from one to two years on average, the teeth have shifted into an aligned position that is both more visually appealing and functionally efficient. This is due to the application of constant force on specific points, adjusting the amount and location of the pressure as alignment occurs. All those trips to Dr. Partovi’s Beverly Hills office eventually pay off.

The teeth are able to locate into a new position by the action of a process called resorption. This is a term referring to the absorption of bone on one side of the socket to allow room for the tooth to shift in the jawbone. When the tooth has moved into position and no more force is being placed on it, new bone growth begins to anchor the tooth into the new position.

This process takes years to occur but even after the teeth have moved into alignment, the bone resorption and regrowth process has not been completed. This is why retainers are needed. Otherwise the new growth would not be able to complete with the tendency of the teeth to slip back into their former location.

Here at 360 Orthodontics, we make the process easy to obtain clear retainers in Los Angeles. Since it can take from 9 months to a year for the new bone to fully develop, the retainer needs to be worn daily to support the teeth during the process.

Best results are obtained by patients who incorporate wearing retainers into their daily life as instructed by Dr. Partovi. Although it may be inconvenient to wear retainers and perform the added hygiene steps that are necessary it won’t be necessary to wear them constantly forever. Dr. Partovi will monitor this second stage of your orthodontic treatment and as your teeth become more permanently anchored in the new location, the retainer will be needed less and less.

It is recommended that you wear your retainer for a few nights a week going forward. This is to ensure your teeth maintain a youthful arch as you age. Teeth naturally move inward and in a more forward position. This takes decades but if you think of someone you know who is in their 70s or 80s you will notice their smile is different than when they were younger.

To prevent this slow movement inward, all you need to do is get in the habit of wearing your clear retainer a few nights per week. Whether the retainers are clear or not, they perform a vital function in orthodontic treatment. To neglect this step will eventually allow the teeth to revert to their original location, at least to some degree.