If you’ve recently had your braces taken off, you’re probably relieved to get the metal out of your mouth. You’re ready to show off your brand new, shiny and healthy smile! Your orthodontist has likely also prescribed you a set of retainers to wear. Some people may have to wear them during the day and night, and others will only have to wear them at night.
After months or years of braces, you might be frustrated at the prospect of wearing retainers. After all, your teeth look much straighter already! Though you might feel tempted to ditch the retainers, this is possibly one of the worst things that you can do to your brand new smile, and your beautiful straight teeth may not last for long if you choose not to follow your orthodontist’s recommendation and wear your retainers.
From braces to dentist veneers in Center City, your orthodontist is an expert in making teeth straight, healthy, and white but this is not an overnight process. When you have braces or Invisalign veneers on your teeth, they shift thanks to a constant pressure being applied to them.
Even fully-formed adult teeth are surprisingly malleable. With relatively little pressure, the teeth cave and shift into place directed by the taut metal of the braces. When your braces are removed, the pressure that held the teeth in their straight shape is gone, and to solidify their new position, retainers are introduced to “retain” the shape of the teeth that your braces created. Without the retainers, teeth can easily apply force onto one another and recreate the misalignment that was initially corrected with braces.
If your teeth have shifted due to not wearing your retainers, don’t panic; make an appointment with your orthodontist and discuss options for adjusting your teeth back into place. If you are in need of a new orthodontist or you are considering visiting our Center City Philadelphia office for dental implants, feel free to call our friendly team at Center City Emergency Dentist a call today at 215-315-7691.