Retention

Retention, pieced together from the AAO’s glossary

Retention has no entry of its own in the Glossary of Orthodontic Terms of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), so its meaning is pieced together from the entries for active treatment and for the retainer. The glossary calls active treatment the stage when teeth are being moved or jaws aligned, and it defines a retainer as “A fixed or removable appliance worn after braces are removed or aligner therapy is complete.” Retention is the stage that follows active treatment, when the retainer is worn.

Wearing a retainer, and why retention goes on

In everyday words, retention means wearing a retainer, and the AAO’s patient pages explain why it continues after the braces or aligners are finished. The AAO’s page on what to expect after braces come off calls the first stretch the early retention period, when “the tissues and bone around your teeth need time to adjust to their new positions after active orthodontic treatment ends.” The AAO’s page on a retainer that feels tight gives the reason retention goes on: “Teeth can continue to shift after orthodontic treatment, which is why retention remains an ongoing part of maintaining your results.”

Retainers the practice offers for retention

Retention comes up at the end of treatment, once braces are removed or the last aligner is finished and a retainer goes in. The practice’s retainers page names its kinds, Clear Removable Retainers and Fixed Retainers, and compares them. How long and how often to wear a retainer is the orthodontist’s instruction for your teeth.

Retention also appears among the glossary’s words for keeping teeth in place after treatment.