Someone told me that if my child gets braces as a young teenager, he will need braces again as an adult. Is this true?

Retreatment is only needed when retainers are not worn as instructed and teeth shift. If a person’s teeth move too much, a tune-up would be recommended to get them back to the finished result. I provide tune-ups at a reduced fee. Most of my patients who have tune-up treatment only need to wear braces for a year or less. When I finish treatment, I place a double retainer to ensure the most stable result-- a wired retainer glued on the back of both upper and lower front teeth, as well as clear, removable aligner retainers. If you need an orthodontic tune-up, call 1-800-4Braces today for your free consultation.

My son just had his braces removed. He has removable retainers, but I do not think he is wearing them as much as he was instructed to wear them. What should I do?

Your concern is justified. A recent study found that the average patient wears his or her retainers an average of just 7 hours per day, not the 12 to 24 hours recommended. Often, patients do not wear retainers for days. To help prevent relapse of teeth, I provide all of my patients with glued-on wire retainers on the backs of their front teeth in addition to the removable retainers. This means that my patients get double retainers for both upper and lower teeth. These glued-on wire retainers are an extra benefit that I provide my patients in the Four Corners area.

Question: When I finished braces, you placed a wired retainer on the back of my front upper and lower teeth. I also received a clear removable retainer to wear at night. Why two types of retainers?

Dr. Herman's Answer: Multiple retainers are provided to make it easier on you to maintain your newly straightened smile. Retainer wear is extremely important. If retainers are not worn as directed teeth will move. The glued on retainers allow you to wear the clear removable retainer only at night. This combination makes retainer wear more convenient and also helps you from losing your retainer. If you only have one type of retainer, glued on or removable, you have no backup. No backup is bad because teeth without retainers, can and will move!

Q: I got my braces off last year. The glue came off on a tooth on one of the retainers glued to my teeth. What do I do?

Dr. Herman's Answer: Make an appointment to come in and in minutes it will be repaired. I use a combination approach to retainers. You get two types of retainers: ones glued to the back of your upper and lower teeth; and removable, clear retainers that you wear only at night. You have a primary and a backup system to your retainers. Some orthodontists use glued on retainers for the lower only. They use a stiff wire glued on in 2 spots. I place both an upper and lower retainer with a flexible wire that is glued on in 6 spots on the lower and 4 spots on the upper. If the glue comes off one tooth or more you are protected. If the glue comes off a tooth be sure to wear the clear retainer at night until the repair is made.

Q: When do I get to stop wearing my retainers?

Doctor Herman's Answer: The purpose for wearing retainers is to keep your teeth from moving after you are done with braces. The goal is to make it easy for you to wear them and to minimize the number of hours and/or days you need to wear them. I routinely place a fixed retainer for both top and bottom teeth (A wire glued onto the back of your teeth). With the fixed retainer in place you need to wear the clear removable retainer every night. You do this for a year. The 2nd year the clear removable retainer is worn 3-4 times a week. The third year wearing once a week usually works. I do not recommend wearing a retainer less that 1 time per week. It is the least you can do to keep your smile looking as good as the day your braces were removed.