Fixed retainer

The fixed retainer on the AAO’s retainer pages

A fixed retainer is the kind of retainer that stays on the teeth. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) defines it on its retainers page: “A fixed or permanent retainer is a custom-fitted slender wire cemented or bonded to the inner side of either the upper or lower teeth.”

The AAO’s article on dental retainers gives its other names: “Fixed retainers (otherwise known as bonded retainers or permanent retainers) are a type of retainer that is not removable”. The AAO glossary’s broader Retainer entry covers both families: “A fixed or removable appliance worn after braces are removed or aligner therapy is complete.”

Permanent retainer, a nickname for a bonded wire

Permanent retainer is the everyday name for a fixed retainer, and it describes the bond, not a lifetime without care. The practice uses the word in its own sentence: We offer permanent retainers or clear removable retainers.

The AAO calls permanent a nickname and says “fixed retainers are still able to break or become dislodged,” and the AAO’s FAQ says the wires need “careful flossing and periodic checks to ensure the bond has not failed.”

A partly loosened wire can also go unnoticed. Writing in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics in 2016, Shaughnessy, Proffit and Samara warn of “possible problems with fixed retainers, especially those with all teeth bonded, because the patient might not notice partial debonding.”

Where Fixed Retainers come in, and the full comparison

Fixed Retainers is the practice’s label for the bonded kind, listed beside Clear Removable Retainers, and the AAO’s FAQ says who handles each of the two general kinds: “removable (put in and removed by the patient) and fixed (placed and removed by the orthodontist).”

Which kind follows your treatment is decided with Dr. Kunik. The page on retainers after braces and aligners compares the two kinds and reports what studies found about bonded wires that come loose, and relapse, the movement retainers are worn to help limit, has an entry in the glossary of orthodontic terms.