At long last your smile transformation is complete and your braces are off. While you admire your new look, don’t forget your orthodontic journey isn’t quite over.
Dr. Mike will fit you with a custom retainer to limit further tooth movement, preserving and stabilizing your straight teeth and ideal bite. Your retainer holds your teeth in correct alignment while the surrounding gums, bone, and muscles adjust.
Removable Retainers
Aligner-style (Essix)
For patients who want a more esthetic look, we offer aligner-style retainers, which look similar to clear aligners. We produce them from a 3D scan so they fit perfectly over all the upper teeth or just from canine to canine (a clip on retainer).
Patients love that they can remove their retainers for eating and oral hygiene. Keep in mind that a retainer can be lost easily, so always store it in its case when it’s not in your mouth. Also, pets (especially dogs) love to treat your retainers as a chew toy to keep them in the case and somewhere safe.
Fixed Retainers
A fixed retainer is a wire bonded behind the lower and/or upper teeth. For best results, we keep the retainer in place for at least a year after the patient has had wisdom teeth removed. However, many choose to keep it in place for life.
The fixed retainer is perfect for people who don’t want to worry about losing it or keeping track of how many hours to wear it each day. Just remember you’ll need extra care to remove plaque, calculus (hardened plaque) and tartar. Floss threaders help patients pass the floss through the small spaces between the retainer and teeth.
Text or call: (413) 443-0644
435 South St Pittsfield, MA 01201