Marrero Retainers
Protect Your Smile
Retainers at Stumpff Orthodontics help keep your smile straight and protect the time, effort, and results of your hard work. Without a retainer, your teeth will naturally shift after braces or clear aligners, so wearing your retainer as directed is a big part of protecting your new smile.
Types of Retainers
Retainers play a simple but essential role after treatment: they help protect your results. Once your braces come off or your clear aligner treatment ends, retainers keep your teeth from drifting out of their new positions.
At Stumpff Orthodontics in Marrero, Dr. Matthew Stumpff offers different retainer options based on your smile, your treatment history, and what works best for long-term retention. The goal is always the same: keeping your smile straight, stable, and healthy.
Essix Retainers
Essix retainers are clear, custom-made trays that fit closely over your teeth. They are a popular choice because they are low-profile, comfortable, and easy to wear.
How Essix Retainers Work
Essix retainers are made from digital scans of your smile, which helps create a snug, custom fit. Because they fully cover the teeth, they hold your alignment in place while staying nearly invisible in daily life.
They are also removable, which makes them easy to take out for meals and brushing. For many patients, that makes them a convenient option for long-term wear.
Hawley Retainers
Hawley retainers are a classic, time-tested option for protecting your smile after treatment. They use a combination of acrylic and wire to hold your teeth in position and support long-term stability.
How Hawley Retainers Work
Each Hawley retainer is custom-made to fit your smile and sit securely in place. Because the design is durable and adjustable, it can be a practical option for patients who need a retainer that can adapt over time.
That adjustability can be especially helpful if minor shifting occurs. In some cases, Dr. Stumpff may be able to modify the retainer instead of replacing it completely.
Caring for Your Retainer
Your treatment may be complete, but keeping your smile in place takes ongoing care. Wearing your retainers correctly and taking good care of them helps protect the result you worked hard to achieve.
Follow these guidelines to help your smile stay straight, healthy, and stable:
- Wear your retainers as directed. Unless we tell you otherwise, wear them whenever you’re home and remove them only to eat, brush, swim, or play contact sports.
- Bring your retainer to follow-up visits so we can make sure it still fits the way it should.
- Keep your retainer case with you and always store your retainer inside it when you’re not wearing it.
- Call us as soon as possible if your retainer feels tight, cracked, broken, or no longer fits correctly.
- Call us right away if you lose your retainer. Teeth can begin shifting surprisingly quickly without it.
- Clean your retainer every day with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and warm water, not hot water.
- Practice talking, reading, or singing out loud while wearing your retainer to help your mouth adjust faster.
- Keep your retainer away from heat, including hot water, hot cars, washers, dryers, and pockets, so it does not warp.
Treat your retainer with care, and it will help protect your smile for the long run.