Orthodontic Retention

You've worked hard for your beautiful smile; keep it that way!

Finally, your braces have been removed and your smile is beautiful, straight, and best of all, metal-free! However, your orthodontic journey isn't quite completed. To keep your smile looking its best, you'll have to wear a retainer to preserve and stabilize your results. Retainers are needed to control or limit potential changes in tooth position. They are used after braces treatment to hold teeth in their correct alignment while the surrounding gums, bone, and muscle adjust to the new positioning of your teeth.

Types of Retainers

WE NOW OFFER DIGITAL RETAINERS!

The removal of braces and one set of clear Essix retainers (one upper and one lower) is included in your orthodontic treatment as lifelong retention is needed to maintain the beautiful smile that braces provided for you!  

Please note, depending on the wear and tear of your set of retainers or accidental loss of them, we strongly recommend that you purchase an additional set of retainers at the time your braces are removed.  So, we have provided an exciting incentive for you!

After the necessary closure of the office for over ten weeks, Smile Center has gone digital and now offers an amazing 3D DIGITAL SCAN service for additional retainers.  The SCAN produces a 3D MODEL that is stored in our computer and with a click of a button additional retainers can be ordered for you. 

For those having their braces removed after May 12, 2020, we will WAIVE THE $100 FEE for the 3D DIGITAL SCAN AND MODEL IF you purchase an additional set of retainers at the time your braces are removed.  This one time offer for one set of additional Essix retainers is $300. We no longer offer the additional retainers we previously made in our office lab for $100.

IF YOU WANT YOUR RETAINERS TO LAST, 
PLEASE TAKE GOOD CARE OF THEM.

WE ARE NOT ABLE TO REPLACE RETAINERS FREE OF CHARGE

Retainers are custom-made and can be removable or fixed.

  • Traditional removable retainers typically include a metal wire that surrounds the front teeth and is attached to an acrylic arch that sits in the roof of the mouth. The metal wires can be adjusted to finish treatment and continue minor movement of the front teeth as needed.
  • Aligner-style retainers, or Essix retainers, look similar to clear aligners and offer a more aesthetic alternative to wire retainers. This clear retainer may fit over the entire arch of your teeth, or only from canine to canine (clip-on retainer). It is produced from a mold of your newly aligned teeth.
  • Fixed retainers consist of wires bonded behind the bottom and/or top teeth. While the device is usually required no more than a year after wisdom teeth have been extracted, it is often kept in place for life.

Pros and Cons

  • Removable retainers can be taken out for eating and hygiene routines.
  • Removable retainers can get lost easily, so remember to keep yours in the case whenever you remove it to eat or brush.
  • A fixed retainer is great if you don't want to keep track of it, or if you don't want to worry about how many hours per day it must be worn.
  • Teeth with fixed retainers require a little extra attention to remove tartar while flossing. Patients with fixed retainers often must use floss threaders to pass dental floss through the small spaces between the retainer and the teeth.
4218 IL-159, Glen Carbon, IL 62034
(618) 288-7000