Typically, a retainer is necessary for a lifetime, though the frequency of wear
may decrease over time. Your orthodontist will provide guidance based on the stability of your teeth alignment. A memorable phrase to keep in mind regarding wearing your retainer is: “Nighttime for a lifetime to ensure your hard-fought results!”
Retainers are prescribed for two reasons: first, to allow the bone that holds teeth to rebuild after teeth have moved, and second, to maintain the healthy new positions of teeth after active orthodontic treatment ends. Your body changes your whole life, and your teeth change too. The only way to keep your teeth in the ideal position created by your orthodontic treatment is to wear retainers for life!
Seven videos about different kinds of surgical procedures are available here.
Surgery is performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, who works in conjunction with your orthodontist. The two specialists work as a team to design and execute your plan of care.
It is highly unlikely that surgery alone can correct both misaligned teeth and misaligned jaws. Orthodontic treatment is necessary to ensure teeth are in the right positions within the jaws
Yes.
For correction of misaligned jaws and teeth that are the result of a growth problem, surgical orthodontics is performed on patients who have finished growing.
Surgical orthodontics is generally recommended for adults who have a severe problem with the positions of their teeth and jaws that cannot be corrected by orthodontic treatment alone. Sometimes surgical orthodontics may be needed for those whose jaws are injured in an accident, or to correct a birth defect.
Orthodontic treatment usually comes before surgical orthodontics. The purpose is to align teeth so that they fit correctly after surgery is performed. Orthodontic treatment continues for a time after surgery to bring teeth into their final, optimal positions for good functio
Sometimes the root cause is genetic – as you were growing, your upper and lower jaws grew out of proportion to each other, and that can keep upper and lower teeth from meeting as they should, making it hard to bite, chew or speak. Other causes can be linked to birth defects or injuries to the jaw or environmental causes.
