Just because you or your child may have completed your Line-M-Up™ treatment, it doesn’t mean that you’re completely done!
All of us at JK Orthodontics are so excited when a patient comes in for their final checkup or to get their braces off after many months of treatment, and this same excitement applies to our Line-M-Up™ patients as well. It’s such an incredible feeling to finally be done with your treatment, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be done in terms of perfecting your smile for the long-term.
We understand how Line-M-Up™ patients look forward to not needing to take them on and off before and after each meal or drink, and the cleaning habits of Line-M-Up™ are rarely missed by patients at the end of their treatment. But the hard truth of the matter is that every orthodontic patient will need to wear their last aligner set as retainers to maintain their newly perfected smile and prevent their teeth from shifting back to their original positions.
The good news is that the JK Orthodontics team is here to support you while you’re transitioning into post-treatment life!
Using Your Retainers After Line-M-Up™ Treatment
It’s well-known throughout the orthodontic industry that patients will need time after treatment for the bones around their teeth to re-harden, and this is particularly important for teenagers who have jawbones that are still developing.
The good news is that retainers for Line-M-Up™ patients are the last set of aligner trays during treatment, mainly because they’re clear and fit perfectly over an individual’s teeth.
Dr. Karpac will conduct a final scan towards the end of your treatment to be absolutely certain that your teeth are aligned correctly. It’s important to note that you can use your last set of Line-M-Up™ trays as your retainer.
The overall amount of time that you’ll have to wear your retainers (last set of aligners) will largely depend upon unique factors, but most patients will only be required to wear their retainers at night while they sleep. If you do need to wear your retainers during the day, you should make sure that you’re removing them prior to eating to avoid food particles and other debris getting stuck within them.
Beverages and Retainers
It’s important to make sure that you’re avoiding hot beverages of all kinds while wearing your retainers, and this is mainly due to the possibility of the retainer slightly warping and no longer fitting correctly. This type of issue may necessitate a replacement.
It’s important to scrub your retainers with soapy water and/or toothpaste when conducting regular cleaning and upkeep. You can also soak your retainer for around 20 minutes in water and a retainer cleaner tablet or denture cleaning tablet.
The most important time to wear your retainers is at night, and this is mainly because you’ll want to protect your teeth from any kind of unconscious grinding.
Sticky Foods and Smoking
It’s very important to avoid chewing gum or eating any kind of sticky food when you’re wearing your retainers.
Smoking is also very bad for your retainers and can cause them to turn yellow, so you should at the very least try to stop or minimize your usage when wearing retainers.
Maintaining Your Oral Hygiene
Continuing your oral hygiene routine will also be very important after your orthodontic treatment is completed, so keep brushing and flossing like you have been during your treatment. It’s common for some people to feel gum and teeth sensitivity in the first few weeks after treatment, so we recommend using toothpaste for teeth sensitivity and a salt water rinse during your transition period.
Reach Out To The Orthodontic Specialists At JK Orthodontics For More Post-Treatment Information!
JK Orthodontics has been an industry leader throughout the Columbus Metro Area for over 30 years, so we’ve helped countless Line-M-Up™ patients during their transition period after treatment has ended.
Reach out to us online or call us at 614-766-0330 (Dublin office) or 614-471-6355 (Gahanna office) to get in touch with our specialists and learn more about our revolutionary Line-M-Up™ invisible aligner treatment!