Why Do I Need to Wear Retainers After Clear Aligner Treatment?
Congratulations on achieving the beautifully aligned smile of your dreams with SureSmile clear aligners. Now that you’ve completed your orthodontic treatment, it’s important to protect your investment with retainers. At Cream City Dental, we offer high-quality custom retainers to help keep your teeth from shifting back out of alignment. We’re all about preserving your beautiful, natural smile.
How Do SureSmile Clear Aligners Work?
SureSmile is a clear alternative to braces, offering a discreet, convenient, and comfortable solution to align your smile. The innovative clear aligner system by Dentsply Sirona uses a series of virtually invisible custom aligners to apply precise pressure on your teeth, moving them into their ideal positions.
SureSmile can address a wide range of orthodontic concerns, including misaligned, gapped, or crowded teeth, uneven gaps or spacing concerns, as well as problems with the bite, such as an open bite, underbite, overbite, and crossbite. The Essix ACE material supports precise, predictable tooth movement. SureSmile delivers impressive results even in the most complex cases.
Your SureSmile journey will begin with a personalized consultation, during which we will explain the process, capture digital scans of your mouth, and create your custom treatment plan to get your smile on track. Once your clear aligners are ready, you will wear them for 20-22 hours a day, swapping each set for the next every week or two. As your treatment progresses, you’ll see your teeth gradually move into alignment.
The Importance of Wearing Retainers After Orthodontic Treatment
Like all orthodontic treatments, SureSmile clear aligners work by gradually shifting the teeth and remodeling the jawbone to create a straighter, healthier smile. However, newly straightened teeth have a natural memory and tend to shift back to their original, familiar positions once the pressure from your SureSmile aligners is no longer there.
Wearing custom retainers is an essential final step in your SureSmile clear aligner journey. These oral appliances are designed to hold your teeth in their new positions as the bone and connective tissue in the area stabilize and the treatment results solidify. The retention phase is as important as the treatment itself, ensuring you enjoy your beautifully aligned smile for many years to come.
How Long Will You Need to Wear Retainers?
The length of time you will need to wear your custom retainers after SureSmile clear aligner treatment can vary. In general, most patients need to wear their retainers during the day and night for 4 to 6 months after treatment to give the bone and connective tissue time to fully stabilize around the teeth in their newly aligned positions. From then on, we typically recommend a lifetime maintenance routine, which involves wearing your retainers only at night to help maintain your treatment results.
Retainers Near Me in Wauwatosa, WI
If you would like to learn more about aligning your smile with SureSmile clear aligners, contact Cream City Dental to schedule a consultation. Dr. Ibrahem will personalize every step of treatment, from your first aligner set to your custom retainers, to deliver beautiful, long-lasting results. We invite you to call 414-476-4777 to schedule your appointment or request one online today.