Your dentist can help you get the straight smile of your dreams with clear-colored aligners. These custom-made, translucent appliances fit over your unique smile to gradually push teeth into your desired straight position. Then you can feel proud to show off your gorgeous smile and more easily keep your teeth and gums healthy.
After experiencing this smile enhancement, you will want to preserve your newly aligned teeth. This will mean following aftercare guidelines and making an effort to care for your smile. Read on to find tips from your dentist that will ensure long-lasting benefits after teeth-straightening treatment with clear braces.
Wear a Retainer
After you straighten your teeth with clear aligners, your dentist will provide you with a retainer to wear. This oral appliance works similarly to your aligners in that you wear them just as often and they are custom-made to fit your unique smile.
The retainer is necessary because it keeps your teeth in their newly aligned position. Otherwise, they may shift to their prior crooked places. For instance, you might notice that if you forget to wear the retainer for a few days, the appliance feels tight when you put it in your mouth again.
This happens because the teeth have already started to move. The tight feeling will fade as the teeth return to their position. But if you do not wear your retainer for a long period of time, then it may no longer fit in your smile.
Then you have no way of keeping your teeth in their proper alignment. Eventually, you can begin to wear a retainer less frequently as the teeth fuse into their new spots in the mouth. Check with your dentist before changing your retainer usage.
Maintain Good Oral Hygiene
You likely already understand the importance of oral hygiene when it comes to keeping your teeth and gums healthy. But this regimen also will keep your teeth straight after treatment with clear braces.
Oral hygiene clears away lingering plaque and other harmful residues. If these particles remain on your smile, they could deteriorate your dental structure, which may cause teeth to move and become crooked again.
Maintain your straight smile by adhering to consistent and thorough oral hygiene. This will entail brushing your teeth at least twice per day and flossing daily.
Stop Bad Oral Habits
Some people develop crooked teeth and bite problems due to poor oral habits, especially in childhood. But if you continue harmful behaviors into adulthood, including after teeth-straightening treatment, you could see your teeth become misaligned again.
For instance, if you grind or clench your teeth, the pressure exerted on the teeth and jaw with this habit may make teeth move out of their straight alignment. Your dentist can help you stop harmful habits like this one.
Schedule a dental consultation to diagnose the root cause of these behaviors and find advice to resolve them. Call your dentist in Silver Spring, MD today at 301.508.9755.