Getting your braces off is the ultimate straight smile milestone, but it isn’t the end of the journey. The next phase of treatment is called retention, and choosing the right retainer and backup plan is the next step to setting yourself up for success. So, why choose clear retainers? The Chamberlain Family Orthodontics team is here to explain, so keep reading to find out why this retainer option is your best bet for maintaining your straight smile for a lifetime.
Benefits of Clear Retainers
The retention phase of orthodontic treatment is just as important as active treatment. Because you’ll wear your retainers full-time for the first year and then at “nighttime for lifetime”, choosing the right type of retainer is essential to maintaining your straight smile. At Chamberlain Family Orthodontics, we recommend Vivera clear retainers.
Designed by Invisalign, these retainers offer several key benefits that put them ahead of other options like Hawley or fixed retainers. Here’s what makes Vivera retainers so effective:
High Tech
Chamberlain Family Orthodontics partners with Invisalign to provide the most cutting-edge options for your retention phase, including Vivera clear retainers. Invisalign technology makes it possible to complete virtual bracket and attachment removal, allowing us to customize and order your retainers before your debond day so that you can immediately begin wearing them. This significantly reduces the risk of movement following treatment and makes the process much more convenient. Plus, Invisalign retainers are twice as durable as other clear retainer alternatives, making them stand out as a leader in the retention phase.
Aesthetically-Pleasing
One of the main reasons patients fail to wear their retainers is because of the way they look. Hawley retainers, for example, have a metal bar that fits across the front of the teeth to hold them in place, but the visibility of the metal wire can be off-putting for many patients who don’t want to hide their brand-new smiles. Unfortunately, this can cause patients to neglect wearing their retainers altogether, which can cause their teeth to shift back to their original positions over time.
Clear Vivera retainers remove this obstacle. Like Invisalign, these retainers are practically invisible, making patients more likely to wear them. Without having to hide their smiles, patients often feel more confident wearing clear retainers during the first year following treatment, and this makes them more effective overall. As an added bonus, clear retainers can be paired with prescription-strength whitening gels to keep your smile pearly white, an extra benefit that you couldn’t get with alternative retainer types.
Full Coverage
One of the most important aspects of any retainer is coverage. It is essential for your retainer to cover every tooth in your mouth so that none of them shift back to their original positions. Although other options like fixed retainers may seem like they’d be the perfect solution to prevent shifting teeth, these retainers only work for the bottom front teeth, leaving the rest of the teeth vulnerable to movement.
CFO clear retainers are designed from 3D digital scans of your teeth, providing a full coverage option that is more effective in the long run and helps ensure that every tooth remains in the same position as the day you finished treatment.
Low Maintenance
Vivera retainers are the lowest maintenance retainer option available. Whereas other retainer options like the Hawleys require wire adjustments every three to six months, clear retainers are made to fit your exact dental position at the time of completed treatment. This means patients with clear retainers need fewer retention appointments and don’t need to worry about unintentional movements.
The Importance of Having a Retainer Back-Up Plan
Once you’ve completed your orthodontic treatment, your retainers will become a permanent part of your daily life, which is why having a backup set is so important. Life happens, and we know from experience that losing or breaking retainers is a possibility no matter how responsible you are. Even if you do take great care of your retainers, it’s still important to replace them every few years, just like you replace your toothbrush or eyeglasses at regular intervals.
Anticipating the need for new retainers ahead of time can save money, time, energy, and, most importantly, your smile. Over 70% of our patients take advantage of the CFO’s Retainer Back-Up Plan before appliance removal, giving them the best chance to maintain their straight teeth.
Back-Up Options
Invisalign’s streamlined manufacturing process makes their clear retainers more affordable than other retainer types, and these cost savings are reflected in the Back-Up Plan pricing. In addition to your first set of retainers, you can choose between getting one additional set of retainers for 50% savings or three additional sets for 70% savings, depending on your needs. Plus, the Retainer Back-Up Plan extends the formal retention period from 24 to 36 months, which means you’ll get one extra year of free retainer checks.
If you’re interested in opting in, ask Dr. Chamberlain to learn more about your retainer backup options and what our team recommends for you.
Protect Your Straight Smile with Chamberlain Family Orthodontics
Straightening your teeth is only half the battle of creating happy smiles for a lifetime, and no treatment is complete without a retention plan. If you’re ready to learn more about your retainer options, contact our office in Redlands or Beaumont, and our Chamberlain Family Orthodontics team will be happy to help!
