What does your retainer do after you take off your braces? will it make your teeth straighter?

Question

I just got my braces taken off. I've had them for about one and a half years. I had this huge over bite (it was horrible!!) And now that my braces are taken off I still have a over bite it's not a big as it used to be. But it's still noticable.I've cried for days because I really thought the braces were going to fix it. I'm supossed to be gettin my retainer soon. I wanted to know if my retainer will make my teeth straighter, and not just "keep them in place" like they say a retainer is supossed to do. I really want pretty teeth.

Answer 1

Almost all people have a slight overbite. Your teeth aren't supposed to line up right on top of eachother. The top jaw's teeth always go other the bottom. I just looks weird if they don't so don't woory about that! The dentist wouldn't have taken off your braces unless your teeth were perfect. The retainer will hold your perfect teeth in place and make sure they don't shift back!

Answer 2

Keeps them where they are suppose to be.  And please,  please, please wear it ALOT!!!!  My daughter didn't wear hers the first time around and then had to wear braces yet again.

Answer 3

Your retainer will help keep your teeth in place, since they are "loose" in your mouth.  After you get your braces off, your teeth are still able to move and can "unstraighten" for lack of a better term.  Your retainer keeps your teeth in their current position until the tissue around them strengthens enough to keep them in place.

Over time your orthodontist will tell you when you can start wearing the retainer less.

Answer 4

Hmmm well the retainer is not going to move your teeth any more. The only thing it will do is keep them in place, and if you don't wear one then your teeth will shift to their original position a little.

Answer 5

ok.. i had a 100% overbite...

braces for around 22 months....

i still have a very small overbite.. but I think its supossed to be that way.

cause if your direct front teeth met, your back teeth wouldn't.

if like you bite down and stick you fingernail under the top teeth, you shouldn't be able to get past 2 or 3 mm's of it...

Answer 6

Retainers have several functions.

1.  They are used after removal of braces to keep the teeth in place.

2.  They can include several functions to produce slight movement of several teeth.  These "activators" will effectively move one or several teeth.  

Ask your doctor if the appliance includes an activator.  If you are unhappy with your results, you may want to discuss your options with him/her.  If you have what I think you have, which is a Class III skeletal profile, then your bottom teeth will protrude in front of your top teeth, causing an underbite.  This type of skeletal profile is difficult to treat because it is unpredictable how much a person's jaw will grow.  Sometimes, doctors will try to correct it while the patient is still growing to mask the problem.  This treatment option is not wrong because it can save many patients from having to get orthognathic (jaw) surgery in the future.  If after treatment, you are not happy with the underbite, the next option is most likely surgery.  

I would talk to your dentist about your options.

I have included some info about Class III skeletal profiles

Answer 7

Your retainer is meant to keep your teeth straight after you get your braces off.  They don't continue to make your teeth straighter; hence "retainer".  It's retaining the straightness of your teeth.  

Answer 8

Your retainer is supposed to keep your teeth in place.  

I'm worried though since your braces are off and you don't have a retainer yet.  Normally you get your retainer the day your braces come off.

Answer 9

it keeps your teeth from floating back to where they were in the first place.