Retainers

A retainer holds your teeth where treatment left them. Teeth keep moving a little for years, so most people wear a retainer after braces or aligners.

What happens

Retainers are part of treatment, and wearing them goes on after it.

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Step 1: Your retainers
When treatment ends you get retainers: removable ones, a thin wire fixed behind your teeth, or both.
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Step 2: The first months
You wear them as the orthodontist says, usually every night at first.
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Step 3: Check-ins
We look at the fit and your teeth at a short visit after treatment.
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Step 4: Over time
Wearing them less often can be fine for some people. The orthodontist tells you when.

The orthodontist says how long you wear them and how often, for your teeth.

Comfort
A new retainer can feel tight for a few days. A wire behind your teeth can feel odd at first and then you stop noticing.
If you stop wearing them
Teeth can drift back toward where they started, and a retainer that no longer fits means a new one.
Risks and after-care
Removable retainers get lost or broken, especially in a napkin or a pocket. Keep them in their case. A fixed wire makes flossing slower, and we show you how.
How it's billed
The fee is in your written estimate before treatment. With insurance, we file claims for plans that cover orthodontics; paying yourself or with a payment plan, you get an itemized receipt. No price is on this website.
How fees work

Most people do. Teeth move a little for years after treatment, and a retainer is how you keep the result.

Call us. A new retainer is quoted in writing like any other part of treatment.

Bring it to a visit and the orthodontist will check the fit before you keep using it.

Provided by Dr. Sachiko Goto or Dr. Dayana Arteaga, orthodontists. Our practice is limited to orthodontics.