Orthodontic Retention & Stability
The Importance of Orthodontic Retention & Stability
Orthodontic treatment moves teeth, but muscles determine whether they stay there. After orthodontic treatment, myofunctional therapy helps maintain proper oral function and supports long-term stability by addressing the underlying muscle patterns that may contribute to relapse.
What is The Goal of Post-Orthodontic Therapy?
At East Texas Orofacial Myology, post-orthodontic retention and stability therapy is designed to retrain the oral and facial muscles to prevent orthodontic relapse. Because improper tongue resting postures and swallowing patterns exert subtle but repetitive pressures that can push teeth out of alignment, therapy focuses on building structural harmony and lasting stability.
Why Is Orthodontic Stability and Retention Important?
Teeth naturally shift back to their original positions. Moving teeth into a perfect smile changes the bone and gum tissue, but it takes time to lock those changes into place. Avoiding this therapy creates a high risk of orthodontic relapse, functional jaw pain, and airway complications. When braces or aligners move teeth, they only alter the hard structures. If the underlying muscle behaviors that caused the misalignment in the first place are ignored, the mouth will continue to fight its new shape.
Your Child’s Treatment Steps:
1
Get a comprehensive evaluation. Sessions with our certified orofacial myology therapist may include full diagnostic metrics, visual photographs, and precise physical measurements of facial structure. This assessment establishes a baseline for your lips, facial posture, and overall tongue function.
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Follow your post-orthodontic care plan. With our guided therapy, patients can learn to realign swallowing by pressing the tongue upward against the palate rather than forward against the teeth, while retraining balanced, closed-lip chewing habits. Patients and guardians are taught targeted daily exercises to establish the consistent muscle memory needed for lasting results.
3
Ensure Your Success! You can get long-term stability with habitual monitoring. The clinician will monitor the patient for several weeks after therapy to ensure that natural muscle habits safeguard the teeth's alignment long afterorhtodontics treatment. Contact East Texas Orofacial Myology to ensure you get quality care and effective post-orthodontic treatment.
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Not Sure Where To Start?
We Can Help Make Orthodontic Retention & Stability Easy!
Finding reliable care can be frustrating, especially when you don’t know where to start, but we help make it simple!
If you’re a concerned parent looking for easy and effective orthodontic care for retention and stability, our clinic can help!
At East Texas Orofacial Myology, we prioritize the overall health and happiness of our patients, big and small. Let us know your concerns and we’ll walk you through your next steps. You can get an in-person or telehealth appointment through our contact form or calling our office at 903-504-8586.
