Why Retainers Matter

Your teeth may appear straighter after months of alignment treatment, but underneath the surface, the fibers and tissues holding them are still adjusting to their new positions. Without retainers, these structures will gradually pull your teeth back to their original place.

While aligners and braces get all the credit for fixing misaligned teeth, retainers handle the equally important job of keeping them exactly where you moved them. This preservation supports your long-term oral health, helping you avoid further treatment while maintaining proper function and bite alignment. 

Top 7 Benefits of Wearing a Retainer

From protecting your orthodontic investment to preventing future dental problems, retainers offer compelling benefits that make them worth incorporating into your daily routine. 

1. Maintains Teeth Alignment

Your teeth are surprisingly stubborn, always ready to drift back into their original positions when pressure disappears. Retainers help keep your teeth in place while supporting the bone and tissues as they adapt to their new arrangement.

This maintenance happens gradually and continuously. Even wearing a retainer only at night can provide enough consistent pressure to counteract your teeth’s attempted return to their old spots. For an in-depth look, learn more about how long to wear a retainer.

2. Strengthens Bite Stability

A stable bite allows your upper and lower teeth to come together correctly when you chew, speak, and rest your jaw. Retainers help maintain this balance, ensuring that each tooth stays in position. 

Protecting your bite can help avoid orthodontic issues, such as uneven wear patterns, jaw strain, and additional misalignment, that can develop over time.

3. Protects Oral Health

Straighter teeth are easier to clean effectively. When your teeth are properly aligned, your toothbrush and floss can reach every surface without playing hide-and-seek around crowded or obscured teeth. Easier cleaning leads to more effective plaque removal, reduced bacteria buildup, and a lower risk of cavities and gum disease.

Since retainers help maintain your alignment by keeping your teeth evenly spaced, they likewise make your daily hygiene routine more effective.  

4. Defends Against Harmful Habits

Many retainers shield against unconscious destructive behaviors that can undo orthodontic progress and damage your tooth enamel. These habits often strike while you’re asleep, so it’s important to be proactive about prevention.

In particular, retainers can create a barrier that protects against several damaging behaviors:

• Teeth grinding

• Jaw clenching

• Tongue thrust 

5. Reduces the Need for Future Treatments

It’s much easier to wear a retainer for a few hours each day than it is to go through months or years of additional alignment treatments. 

Retainers reduce the likelihood that you’ll need future additional orthodontic intervention by keeping teeth in their corrected positions. This prevention saves you from the time, expense, and inconvenience of repeated treatments. 

6. Comfort and Convenience

Forget outdated, bulky plastic and wire contraptions that dig into your palate. Modern retainers are clear to make them more discreet and often removable, allowing you to eat and drink normally. 

If comfort is your main concern, most people adapt quickly to these new, lightweight retainers. Plus, if you’ve just finished your alignment treatment, you’re already used to having something in your mouth 24/7. Retainers are comparatively a part-time task that protects your smile for the long haul.

7. Prevents Teeth Wear and Breakage

Once enamel is worn away, it’s gone forever because your body can’t regenerate it. Actions like grinding and clenching gradually strip away this protective layer, leaving your teeth vulnerable to sensitivity, decay, and damage.

Certain retainer styles, like night guards, protect against grinding and clenching during sleep, helping preserve tooth enamel and prevent breakage and wear. 

SmileSet’s Clear Retainers: The Right Solution for Your Post-Orthodontic Care

Retainers protect your investment in your orthodontic treatment and provide ongoing benefits for your oral health. At SmileSet, we combine all these benefits into one sleek, comfortable solution designed for post-orthodontic care. 

There’s no need to make an office appointment. If you’re already a SmileSet customer, we use your alignment records to create a clear retainer for your smile based on your treatment outcome. If your teeth have shifted or you’re a new customer entirely, we’ll mail you an impression kit to capture the current state of your teeth. We can then craft your orthodontist-approved custom retainer, tailored to fit comfortably and maintain your dream smile without you ever having to visit a dentist’s office. 

Maintenance and upkeep of your retainer is made simple at SmileSet. Discover how to clean retainers at home to ensure your retainer’s longevity.

SmileSet's clear retainers make it easy to protect your smile with professional-quality retention. If you’re looking for easy, at-home, dentist-backed solutions to a healthier smile, explore our selection of at-home teeth aligners, night guards, and oral care accessories today. 

Sources: 

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Retention procedures for stabilising tooth position after treatment with orthodontic braces. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7138206/ 

B. Weiss. Can Retainers Help Keep Your Jaw in Position? Shocking!. https://bweisshealth.com/blogs/oral-health-blog/can-retainers-help-keep-your-jaw-in-position-shocking# 

Melbourne Dental Sleep Clinic. Do Retainers Stop Teeth Grinding? A Closer Look at Bruxism and Dental Appliances. https://sleepclinicmelbourne.com.au/do-retainers-stop-teeth-grinding/ 

Cleveland Clinic. Tooth Erosion. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/tooth-erosion