- An invisible retainer is made from Essix and A-plus -- a harmless, clear, soft plastic -- having a thickness of less than one millimeter. It should be cleaned using cold water or commercial orthodontic cleaners. On the other hand, standard retainers are made from acrylic and orthodontic grade stainless steel. It can be cleaned using cold water and vinegar solution or commercial orthodontic cleaning agents.
- Invisible retainers create complete dental positioning, while standard retainers correct smaller teeth misalignments. Standard retainers require at least a year of continuous wearing for the teeth to stay straight. On the other hand, invisible retainers can be removed for some time and they can still correct minor misalignments when worn again later.
- Patients being treated with Rapid Palatal Expanders, or those who wish for proper alignment of posterior teeth, are not advised to use invisible retainers. Standard retainers are not recommended for patients with poor oral hygiene, caries, periodontal problems, occlusion and incomplete dental treatment. Since invisible retainers are clear, losing them becomes fairly common, while users of standard retainers usually don't encounter these issues.
- An invisible retainer is often used as a transitional appliance. For instance, it may be installed temporarily while a functional appliance for the treatment of incisor intrusion and protrusion is created. While the invisible retainers are in place as a transitional device, no teeth resetting should be attempted as doing so might give rise to problems when the functional appliance is installed. A standard retainer holds teeth securely after bracket treatments and not as a transitional appliance.
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