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Now that Dr. Ronald Champion has successfully adjusted your teeth into their ideal alignment, your braces can be removed. Once your braces have been removed there will still be some residual tension in the periodontal ligaments holding your teeth in the sockets, attempting to pull them out of their ideal alignment. To combat this Dr. Ronald Champion will need to fit you for a retainer.

There are three different types of retainer that he might recommend, depending on the particular details of your mouth.

The most common type of retainer is known as a Hawley. This style of retainer gets its name from the renowned orthodontist Dr. Charles A. Hawley. It’s basically a thin, tongue-shaped piece of acrylic, custom fit to the unique contours of your mouth. It’s held securely in your mouth by a set of wires that interlock with a few of your teeth.

Dr. Ronald Champion might recommend a clear plastic retainer if you only needed braces to perform a minor adjustment to your teeth. The retainer is made from a durable plastic material molded to your perfectly fit over your teeth. Most of the time a casual observer can’t even notice you’re wearing it.

Dr. Ronald Champion might recommend a fixed retainer if your braces provided a significant amount of realignment. It’s basically a strong wire that is cemented in place behind your teeth.

If you are due to have braces removed and you have questions about what type of retainer you’ll need, you can call Dr. Ronald Champion’s office in Modesto, California at 209.575.5888 for a consultation.