TM

 

There are  many different designs of retainers.  In our practice we use a fixed (bonded) wire retainer on the lower arch that is cemented to the inside (tongue side) of the lower front teeth with a light-cured resin cement.  This is generally left in until it fails in 5-7 years.  This is how it looks on the model:

It is held in place with floss while the cementing resin is applied to the teeth and light-cured. 

The upper retainer is removable and is usually only worn at night.  The patient can choose a special color or design from our lab chart for the palatal acrylic portion of the retainer (which is not visible while it is worn but it is fun for the patient):

This is a picture of an upper retainer on the model.  In the mouth, only the front wire is usually visible.

There is also a spring aligner that can be used to align the teeth in either arch, especially when they have shifted out of position by loss of the bonded retainer without replacement.  This is what it looks like on the model with the teeth reset straight.

This is what it looks like off the model.  The wires extend along the inside and support the stability of the retainer by fitting the inside surfaces of the teeth snuggly.

 

100 Wilburn Road,  Suite 203           Sun Prairie, WI  53590         (608) 837-7901

1001 N. Gammon Road,  Suite 3         Middleton, WI  53562         (608) 831-7721