Orthodontic Retainers
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Duane S. Shank, DDS, Board-Certified Orthodontist
A retainer holds your teeth in their new positions after braces come off. There are three main forms: the Hawley, made of an acrylic plate and a stainless steel wire; the clear Essix tray; and the fixed retainer, a thin wire bonded behind the front teeth. Most patients wear one full time for a few months, then at night indefinitely.
Retention is the part of orthodontics people underestimate, and the part that decides whether the result you paid for is still there in ten years.
Why teeth need retaining at all
When a tooth moves, the bone around it remodels to accept the new position, and that is slower than the movement itself. For months after the braces come off, the ligament and bone are still settling, and during that window teeth drift back with very little encouragement.
After that there is a second and permanent reason: teeth move throughout life whether or not you ever had orthodontic treatment. It is part of normal aging, the lower front teeth crowd first, and it happens to people who never wore braces. Which is why current guidance is nighttime wear indefinitely rather than for a fixed period.
The three types
Hawley retainers
A Hawley retainer is made of an acrylic plate that sits against the roof of the mouth or behind the lower teeth, with a stainless steel wire that runs across the front of the teeth. The acrylic is custom molded to your palate, and the wire can be adjusted by the orthodontist, which is the Hawley’s real advantage: if a tooth starts to drift slightly, the wire can be tweaked rather than the whole retainer remade.
They are durable, last for years with reasonable care, and are the most repairable of the three. The visible front wire is the trade-off.
Essix and clear retainers
An Essix retainer is a clear tray, vacuum-formed over a model of your finished teeth. It is the most common type made today.
They are close to invisible and less expensive to replace than a Hawley. They also scratch, crack, and warp more easily, particularly if left in a hot car or washed in hot water, and they cover the biting surfaces, so the upper and lower teeth do not meet while they are in.
Fixed retainers
A fixed retainer is a single thin wire bonded to the tongue side of the front teeth, usually the lower six. Nothing shows, and nothing depends on you remembering.
They are used where teeth were rotated or spaced substantially and are most likely to relapse. They make flossing more awkward, requiring a threader or water flosser, and they need checking, because a bond can quietly fail and the teeth behind it move without you noticing.
Many patients end up with a combination: a fixed wire on the lower front teeth and a removable retainer on the upper arch.
How long you wear them
Full time for roughly the first two to six months after the braces come off, out only for eating and cleaning. Then nights only, and then nights indefinitely.
“Indefinitely” is the honest word. A few nights a week is enough for most people after the first couple of years, and it is a very small price for keeping a result that took two years to build.
Looking after them
Keep it in the case. Retainers left folded in a napkin at a restaurant end up in the trash. A brightly colored case is a genuinely effective defense.
Do not eat with it in. Food catches under the acrylic and around the wire, and a clear tray covering the biting surfaces stops you chewing properly anyway.
Drink only water while wearing it. Liquid trapped under a tray holds sugar and acid against the enamel for hours, which is how patients who never had a cavity get one after treatment.
Clean it properly. A Hawley can be brushed with a toothbrush. Clear trays should not be scrubbed with stiff bristles or washed in hot water; use a denture or retainer cleaner and cool water.
Bring it to appointments. A retainer that has stopped fitting is telling us something worth knowing.
If you have stopped wearing yours
You are in good company, and it is worth getting looked at.
If the teeth have not moved much, a new retainer will hold what you have. If they have drifted, a short course of treatment can usually bring them back, much faster than the original treatment because the teeth have been moved once already. The adult orthodontics page covers retreatment in more detail.
Retainers at Smithtown Orthodontics
Your first set of retainers is included in your treatment fee. Replacements for retainers lost or broken carry a fee, which we will tell you about before it applies.
If you need a retainer check, a replacement, or an opinion on teeth that have shifted, call (631) 265-3666 or request an appointment.
Smithtown Orthodontics 200 E Main St. Smithtown, NY 11787 (631) 265-3666
Frequently Asked Questions
After orthodontic treatment, it’s normal to have questions about how to maintain your results. Here are some of the most common questions our patients ask about retainers and long-term smile care.
What are Hawley retainers made of?
A Hawley retainer is made of two materials: an acrylic base plate custom molded to fit against the roof of the mouth or behind the lower teeth, and a thin stainless steel wire that crosses the front of the teeth to hold them in position. The wire is adjustable, which is why Hawley retainers can be modified rather than remade when a tooth drifts slightly.
How long do you have to wear a retainer?
Full time for roughly the first two to six months after braces come off, then at night indefinitely. Retention has no end date, because teeth keep moving throughout life. Most people settle into a few nights a week after the first couple of years.
What are the three types of retainers?
Hawley retainers (acrylic plate with a stainless steel wire), clear removable retainers such as Essix, and fixed retainers bonded behind the front teeth. Many patients wear a combination, typically a fixed lower and a removable upper.
What happens if I stop wearing my retainer?
Teeth drift back toward their original positions, fastest in the first year and slowly but continuously after that. Lower front teeth crowd first. If it has been a while, get it looked at: sometimes a new retainer will hold what you have, and sometimes a short course of treatment is needed.
Do orthodontists still use permanent retainers?
Yes, routinely, particularly on the lower front teeth in cases most likely to relapse. They work without depending on the patient, which is their appeal. They do make flossing harder, and the bond needs checking periodically, because a failed bond can go unnoticed while teeth move behind it.
