Caring For Your Smile After Braces

Most smiles are started by another smile.

Just because your braces are off doesn’t mean that your teeth don’t deserve your attention! As a patient at Decoteau Orthodontics, you will receive retainers to hold your beautiful smile in place once your braces are removed. Retainers will hold your teeth in their ideal alignment while your gums, bone, and muscles adjust to the new position of your teeth. We’ll continue to meet with you for a brief time after treatment is complete to ensure that you’re new smile is stable. We will monitor your developing wisdom teeth and advise you when it is appropriate to consult with an oral surgeon to have them removed. We truly enjoy these retention visits because we love to see our graduates’ smiling faces, and to hear about their personal success stories!

 

Instructions For Proper Care Of Your Retainer
  • Wear your retainer at all times, until Dr. Decoteau instructs otherwise.
  • Take your retainer out when eating, and always put it back in its case! (Most appliances are lost in school lunchrooms or restaurants.)
  • Clean the retainer thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Use warm but not hot water. Brushing retainers removes the plaque, and eliminates odors. Efferdent® or other orthodontic appliance cleaners can be used but do not take the place of brushing.
  • When your retainer is not in your mouth, it should ALWAYS be in its case. Pets love to chew on them!
  • Initially, you may find it difficult to speak. Practice speaking, reading, or singing out loud to get used to it faster.
  • Retainers are breakable, so treat yours with care. If your retainer gets lost or broken, call us immediately.
  • If you have any questions or concerns about your retainer, or you believe it needs adjusting, call us. Do not try to adjust it yourself.
  • Always bring your retainer to your appointments.
  • Retainer replacements are expensive, but with proper care they will last for years!
  • Remove your retainer when you go swimming.
  • Keep retainers away from hot water, hot car dashboards, pockets, the washing machine, and napkins.