What Are Hawley Retainers Made Of?
A Hawley retainer is one type of orthodontic retainer. Hawley retainers are made of a plate made of hard plastic or acrylic attached by a thin wire made of metal.
Your retainer will be designed to fit snugly on the palate of your upper jaw, and the wire will be positioned such that it rests on the front of your upper teeth. It is molded to your mouth to ensure a proper fit.
What Are Hawley Retainers Used For?
The Hawley retainer is an orthodontic appliance that is worn by a patient to prevent their teeth from shifting back to their default position. It continues to be one of the most prevalent and successful retention devices used by orthodontists. It is also the retainer that patients choose, even though clear retainers are gaining popularity.
How Should You Clean Your Hawley Retainer?
To keep your Hawley retainers functioning as intended, it is essential to maintain the Hawley retainer and put it away appropriately when it is not being used. Always remember to put in your Hawley retainer and thoroughly clean it before putting it back in its case.
To wash, remove the appliance from your mouth and carefully brush the whole surface with a toothbrush dampened in warm water. It would be best if you avoided using toothpaste on the retainer because of the potential damage it might do to the plastic.
You may also give the retainer an occasional, more thorough cleaning by soaking it in baking soda and water for several hours.
Although you shouldn’t do this every night since it might cause the metal wire to deteriorate over time, soaking the retainer overnight once or twice a month will offer a comprehensive and complete appliance cleaning.
Try also soaking the storage case to avoid the formation of bacteria. Before placing your retainer back in your mouth or the storage case, you should rinse it with water first. It would help if you also did this with the storage case.
How Does A Hawley Retainer Work?
A Hawley retainer is not intended to shift a patient’s teeth in any way. Instead, Hawley retainers work to safeguard the gains obtained by your orthodontic therapy, whether with braces or clear aligners.
This is something that may happen regardless of the approach that was used. If you fail to wear your retainers, your teeth will begin to shift to their original position. However, if you wear a retainer consistently, you may prevent this shifting from occurring, which will help you maintain a healthy bite and a beautiful smile.
Even though it’s natural for your teeth to move somewhat as they become used to their new position, using a retainer consistently can prevent them from sliding out of alignment and requiring more treatment.
If you have let the retainer slip your mind and your teeth have moved out of their regular positions, wearing the retainer will not bring your teeth back into their original locations. It is likely that you will need extra orthodontic treatment in order to fix the shifting that has occurred.
By wearing the Hawley retainer on a regular basis you can prevent dental drift and save yourself the time, money, and aggravation of undergoing a second round of orthodontic treatment.
How Long Should You Wear a Hawley Retainer for Your Teeth?
During the first year, you will wear your retainer more frequently but after that, your orthodontist will tell you to wear your retainer some or every night. This will prevent your teeth from slipping back to their previous, incorrect alignment and maintain them in the correct positions they should be in.
You should continue to wear your Hawley retainer for the first year after your orthodontic treatment has been completed. It would help if you took it out only to eat, wash your teeth, and clean the retainer during this time.
Your teeth are still adapting to the fact that your braces have been removed, so they still need support to prevent them from slipping while you are in this phase of the retention process. This is a critical time in your orthodontic treatment.
Are Hawley Retainers Vulnerable to Breakage?
The Hawley retainer is built to last and is meant to be stable while in your mouth. However, mishaps can occur, and retainers are prone to breaking.
Because of this, it is vital to take sufficient care of your retainer, including placing it in a case when you take it out to ensure that it is not lost or ruined.
Contact Us Today!
At Grand Oaks Orthodontics, we specialize in providing Hawley retainers to our patients. If you have recently completed your orthodontic treatment and need a retainer, we would be happy to help you find the right one.
Schedule an appointment with us and learn more about what we can do for you!
