How To Know If Your Retainer Doesn’t Fit

Retainer is a very crucial aspect of orthodontic treatment. It is essential for maintaining the new appearance of the teeth, and one should be careful while ensuring it fits well so that continued utilization does not result in its deterioration due to lack of usage.

Retainers are usually the last brace you must wear during orthodontic treatment. This is a necessary aspect of every orthodontic treatment and is significant in avoiding the teeth regressing to their initial position.

Your retainer may not fit well over time. This often means that the retainer has become warped somehow and can no longer function properly. We will see why it happens and also discuss some tips for the same suggested by the Aransas Pass Dental Office.

Why Your Retainer Doesn’t Fit?

To solve a problem, you must first realize that a problem exists. So, how do you ensure you wear retainers that do not fit? Let’s find out!

If you have a loose retainer, you may have to forcefully fit it into your mouth—this is very risky and may harm your teeth. Forcing the retainer in place indicates a retainer that does not fit well is loose, or is damaged somehow.

Here are some tips that might help you know when it is the right time to visit your dentist and get a new retainer:

1. Your retainer has cracks

If you notice small cracks in the retainer plastic, you are advised to get a new one immediately. If you fail to do this, the fissures will deepen, and our retainer will be unable to correctly reposition your teeth.

2. Your retainer comes loose

If your retainer is not fitting tightly in your mouth and you are experiencing pain or discomfort, it is time to get a new one. The time when retainers need to be changed is important because if you do not do something, your teeth will return to stage one.

3. Your Retainer Demonstrates Calcium Deposit

With time, you will start to see certain materials deposited on your retainer, like a white color on the surface of the retainer, due to saliva production in your mouth. When using the retainer, there are some recommendations you have to follow about oral hygiene and cleanliness.

These white spots are formed due to improper cleaning of the retainer and lack of cleanliness during its usage. Every time you remove your retainer, you are advised to do so for cleaning. Such debris accumulation will firm up over time, making it even more challenging to wipe off the retainers.

4. Change in shape

If the retainers’ shape changes, they cannot cover the teeth properly, making retainers a less suitable solution. This can occur if some external force is applied to it by dropping it on a hard surface, stepping or sitting over it, or the wire gets twisted or breaks.

5. Eating with the retainer on

You must never take food or beverages aside from water while using the retainer if prescribed. There are specific foods that can wear down the wire used in the retainers, thus damaging the effectiveness of the retainer.

Not only will your food get stuck in it, but they may also break your retainer. The salt residues from foods such as pretzels and popcorn will likely make the metal used in the retainers lose strength and corrode.

6. Retainer wear and tear

No matter how well you have worn and cared for your retainers, they likely expanded in width over time because of wear and tear. Due to this, it will not be able to hold your teeth together as you may expect. In short, such a retainer will not be advantageous to you.

How To Get Your Retainer To Fit Again?

It is time to act and ensure your retainer remains where it should be. Here are three ways to ensure that:

1. Visit an Orthodontist

The most crucial step is this one! An orthodontist can determine the cause of the problem and maybe modify your retainer. They might be able to immediately make changes to it. Therefore, do not wait – feel free to contact the Aransas Pass Dental Office today to set an appointment to adjust your retainers.

2. Get a New Retainer

It is advised not to wear a retainer that does not fit the natural teeth shape. They are harmful to your orthodontic treatment. Hence, if your retainer is aged or chipped, it is time to replace it. You can ask your orthodontist to fix it for you and make a new one that will well fit over your teeth.

3. Change Your Retainer Regularly

It is also important to change your retainer even if it does not show signs of wear and tear since it will have served its purpose for a certain time. As it wears off, retainer material can lose its effectiveness in holding the teeth in check as they gradually become loose. Your orthodontist will be the right person to inform you regularly about when you should be changing your retainer.

Summing It Up

Your retainers will dictate your final orthodontic outcome, so that’s no excuse to slack off. Preventing your newly aligned teeth from shifting is now all up to you. Follow the instructions from the Aransas Pass Dental Office on how to wear your retainers, handle them properly, and do not discontinue replacing them even when you do not feel compelled to. Have all the time ventured in braces well spent!