Every Year International Retainer Day is observed on the 19 July. In the United States and around the world, millions of people wear retainers every day to maintain a healthy, beautiful smile after orthodontic treatment.
As early as the early 1900s, retainers were invented to prevent teeth from shifting so that your smile remains straight for as long as possible. If you do not wear your retainer after you have undergone orthodontic treatment, your teeth tend to shift. There is even a possibility that they might relapse back into their old, crooked positions in the future.
In honour of International Retainer Day, we encourage you to wear your retainer and make it a habit to maintain great oral hygiene and protect your smile.
What is Retainers?
The purpose of orthodontic retainers is to hold teeth in their new position after surgery or any other method of realigning the teeth. Orthodontic retainers are usually made of wire or clear plastic. It should be noted that after orthodontic treatment has been completed to straighten teeth, there remains a lifelong risk of relapse (the tendency for teeth to revert back to their original positions) due to a number of factors, such as the recoiling of periodontal fibres, the pressure from surrounding soft tissues, the occlusion, as well as the patient’s continued growth and development. There is evidence to suggest that by using retainers to hold the teeth in their new position for a period of time, the periodontal fibbers surrounding the teeth will adapt to the changes in the bone that are likely to occur after orthodontic treatment has been completed.1]2] Retainers can also be used to treat overjets.
Read More: 19 July in Indian and World History
INTERNATIONAL RETAINER DAY HISTORY
To recognize the importance of wearing a retainer after orthodontic treatment, Vivera® Retainers (from the makers of Invisalign® clear aligners, Align Technology) submitted an initiative to recognize International Retainer Day in 2021.
Read More: Nelson Mandela International Day