After orthodontic treatment such as braces or clear aligners, retainers are used to help maintain the new position of the teeth.
At TLC Dentists, retainers can be created using digital scanning and 3-D printing technology, allowing precise retainers to be produced from a digital model of the teeth.
Clear retainers are transparent orthodontic appliances worn after treatment to help keep teeth in their corrected positions.
Without retainers, teeth may gradually shift over time.
How Digital Retainers Are Made
1. A digital scan of the teeth is captured.
2. The retainer is digitally designed.
3. The appliance is produced using 3-D printing technology.
4. The retainer is adjusted for comfort and fit.
Digital retainers can be reproduced quickly because the digital model is stored.
Benefits of Digital Retainers
• transparent and discreet
• comfortable to wear
• precisely fitted using digital scanning
• can be reproduced from stored digital models
• help maintain orthodontic results
Retainers are typically worn after:
• Invisalign treatment
• clear aligner therapy
• orthodontic braces
• orthodontic relapse correction
Your dentist will recommend how long the retainer should be worn. It is usual for retainers to be worn for at least 3 years after orthodontic or aligner treatments, but in many cases, it is preferred that retainers are worn indefinitely.
