Retention

 

Orthodontic Treatment in Griffin, GA

At Lindsey Orthodontics our mission is to help our patients achieve healthy, beautiful new smiles through convenient, comfortable orthodontic treatment. As a leading orthodontist serving Griffin, Locust Grove, and the surrounding areas, we're proud to offer a wide range of treatment options to our patients, and our orthodontist works closely with patients to personalize each and every treatment plan. But achieving a new smile requires more than just treatment with braces and clear aligners: you'll also need to take good care of your smile after the active phase of treatment.

What Happens After I Finish with Braces or Clear Aligners?

When you finally get your braces off or finish your last clear aligner, we know you'll be excited. After all, you're finally seeing your completed smile for the first time! It's a major milestone in your treatment – but it doesn't mean you're entirely finished.

Even after you finish the active phase of your treatment, we'll still need to work to take good care of your new smile. There are several important considerations that will make up your post-orthodontic care.

The first – and perhaps the most important – is retention. While your teeth will be in new positions at the end of your treatment, the ligaments and tissues that support them will have yet to adapt to those new positions. Left to their own devices, your teeth would actually regress back to their old alignments and erase all of your hard work! Wearing retainers helps to keep your teeth in their new positions and safeguard your smile long enough for your mouth to adapt to this new alignment. We'll fit you for a retainer during the same appointment when we take your braces off, and we'll provide detailed instructions on wearing and caring for your retainers.

In addition to protecting the alignment of your teeth, we may need to do some work to fix cosmetic issues, as well. Without diligent oral hygiene, it's easy for some patients to have some decalcification on their teeth, which results in opaque white spots on the teeth. Decalcification is very common after braces, but we can treat it using supplemental fluoride treatments and strong oral hygiene.

Contact Your Locust Grove, GA Orthodontist

Post-orthodontic care is important for putting the finishing touches on your smile and ensuring that it lasts you a lifetime, and no matter what your treatment method, our orthodontist will work closely with you to develop a plan for your post-orthodontic care. Curious to learn more or want to start treatment for yourself? Contact us today to ask any questions you have about post-treatment care or to schedule your own treatment consultation. We can't wait to hear from you!