Your child has put up with wearing braces for the past couple of years and now it’s time for them to come off. Hopefully he will be prepared and aware of the fact that their is still one more step in the process.
While the braces have been in place they have slowly been guiding the teeth back into proper alignment. Now we want to make sure they stay put. It will take the teeth awhile to adjust to their new position and stabilize. In order to help them do so your pediatric dentist will fit your child with a retainer. A retainer is a dental appliance that fits over the teeth to hold them in position.
There are three types of retainers, two of which are designed to be removable. Some kids will only need to wear the retainer at night while others will wear theirs in the daytime as well but remove it before meals or to brush and floss. There are high risk cases that may require a fixed retainer which will remain on the teeth for up to an additional two years. An individual evaluation will determine the kind of retainer to be recommended.
A pediatric dentist or orthodontist will go over explicit instructions for the proper way to care for your child’s retainer. Younger children will need to be reminded to keep their retainer in its case when not wearing it.
Make your appointment online via the website www.kids-dental.com or call Kaelin Prdiatric dentistry @ 303-805-8266.