For those people who do not have straight teeth, but they do want to have straight teeth, braces and retainers are very important to them. While braces are used to align the teeth which have misaligned, the retainers are used to complete the process of re-alignment of the teeth. Orthodontists would regularly check-up the status of your teeth once you get your braces done. When the teeth are aligned to their places properly, the braces are removed and, in their place, retainers need to be fixed to make sure that the teeth do not go back to their original alignment position (pre braces).

Just like braces, retainers are also of two kinds, metal retainers and plastic retainers. Depending on your choice, you can select any kind of retainer. The retainers which are preferred by people these days are the Clear Retainers. These retainers are made up of plastic instead of metal. And hence, they are very delicate and more prone to damage than the metal retainers. Although they have many advantages that they are transparent and hence, people would not notice that you are wearing them, but they do have the drawback of being delicate. Hence, it is important that you take proper care of them. Good care would also ensure that your retainers stay in shape for a longer period of time.

Taking care of the clear retainers is a very important, yet simple task. You just need to take care of some small things. Some tips to take care of your clear retainers have been discussed here:

• Keep your retainers clean. Time to time, you should remove them from the mouth and clean them. For cleaning, always use warm water. Too cold or too hot water should not be used as it might damage the plastic with which retainers are constructed. When your retainers would be clean, there would be lesser chances of bacteria sticking to them and hence, irritation in gums or teeth would not occur.

• When you are not wearing your retainers, keep them socked in a clear and clean container that is consisting of the cleansing solution. You can avail cleansing solution especially designed for retainers at the medical shop. Over the solution, it would be written in instructions as to for how much time you should soak the retainers.

• Once you have socked them in the cleansing solution, do not forget to rinse them with clean water before putting them up in your mouth. Again, use warm water only to rinse them.

• If you think that your retainers have got very dirty, you can use toothpaste and a mild toothbrush to clean them. But never use soap solution to clean your retainers as it might harm them. Also, bristles of the toothbrush must be very soft so that scratches do not appear on the retainer surface.

Clear Retainers are something related to orthodontics, which is a branch of dentistry and it deals with the prevention as well as diagnosis and treatment of the misalignment of teeth and various kinds of facial distortion that arise due to this misalignment. Orthodontists are different from dentists in the regard that they are specialized in orthodonture and they know how to tackle problems related to teeth misalignment. Orthodontic treatment is carried out is a similar procedure everywhere – first, dental braces are prescribed to a person, then, the person would have to wear the braces for a specific period of time. After that, retainers must be worn by the person.

Dental Retainers

Dental retainers could be either made up of plastic or wires. Their work is to hold the teeth in their place after the braces have done their job of aligning the teeth. They are important to complete the entire process of realignment of teeth and they also improve the appearance of the teeth. The retainers are not available in general, rather, they are designed as per the person’s personal needs and requirements. Casts of the person’s teeth and gums is taken and according to that, retainers are constructed. The advantage of this type of construction is that they would fir the teeth of the person directly without any modifications.

Apart from holding the teeth in their place, the retainers are used to maintain the correct alignment of teeth. The gums and the tissues of the mouth adjust themselves as per the new alignment. If retainers are not used, the teeth may get back to their original alignment. Hence, it is important to choose retainers carefully and get them implemented. The new alignment of the teeth might take time. And hence, retainers must be used till jaws, tissues, gums and mouth bones are adjusted according to the new alignment.

Clear Retainers

Clear retainer is a sub type of dental retainer that is getting popular these days. It is made up of PVC material. If you are scared that you would need to put up PVC in your mouth, don’t be. There are a number of advantages of clear retainers. The mould of the person’s mouth is taken which includes his teeth as well as his gums and a retainer is constructed which fits properly the arc of the teeth. Various advantages and disadvantages of Clear Retainers have been discussed as under.

Advantages:

•    They are custom made to the mouth. So, they are bound to fix your teeth and hence, they would hold your teeth in the new alignment properly and you would not have to adjust according to it.

•    Since they are made up of a softer material like PVC and not of metal, they are comfortable on the teeth. Gums do not pain when you wear them and while eating food too, there would not be any problem.

•    They are less noticeable as compared to the metal retainers. Hence, patients would not hesitate to wear them. Also, they could be worn for the whole day rather than like the metal braces which people used to remove while going out.

Disadvantages:

•    Since they are made up of plastic and not metal, they are very delicate and a little mishandling could break them, which, in turn would force you to get through all the trouble again and order a new pair of retainers.

•    They cover the teeth completely. Hence, it is recommended by orthodontists that you do not wear them while clenching or grinding otherwise cracks and holes might be produced.

•    Although they are less bulky, you might forget where you kept them. Again, you would have to spend on them and order them again.

•    Some people have puffy gums. For them, clear retainers are difficult to construct. Even if they are constructed, they might be loose in fitting, which is not recommended.

Also, you need to take proper care of these kinds of retainers otherwise bacteria might attack them. However, caring is very simple. You just have to clean them with warm water when you take them off.