Wearing your retainer may be the last step in your orthodontic treatment—but it is a very important one! Why? Because contrary to what you might think, your teeth aren’t rigidly fixed in place in your jaw; instead, they can actually (slowly) move around—whether you’re an adolescent, a young adult, or a senior citizen. In fact, that’s how your orthodontist was able to get your teeth into better positions. Wearing a retainer will help prevent your teeth from drifting out of the

It's exciting to finally get your braces off and move into the retainer stage. Here are a few things you should know about the different types of retainers. A retainer keeps your teeth in place after your braces come off. It takes almost a year for the periodontal ligaments to solidify into their new positions after your braces are removed. That's why you need to wear your retainer exactly as your orthodontist directs. If you slack off or stop wearing it, your teeth could shi

Bruxism is due to clenching of the teeth other than in chewing and is associated with forceful lateral or protrusive jaw movements. This results in grinding or rubbing the teeth together. The word bruxism comes from the Greek brychein meaning to grind or gnash the opposing rows of upper and lower molar teeth. People can clench and grind without being aware of it during both the day and night, although sleep-related bruxism is often the bigger problem because it is harder to c