What type of adhesive do you recommend to bond Composite retainers?
We recommend Flow-Tain made by Reliance Orthodontics. This material is a nice flowable composite that has a unique delivery tip. A small dot on the gingival of each pad is all that is needed.
What is the most common wire requested on the Composite retainers when you are bonding to each tooth?
When we are placing pads on each tooth the .016 x .022 solid stainless steel wire is the most common wire used. It is very low profile but also allows for maximum durability.
What is the most common wire requested on the Composite retainers when you are bonding to the cuspids only?
We have been using .028 blue Elgiloy wire on the cuspids only type of bonded retainers for over 20 years. The durability and resiliency of this wire has proven itself over time.
Do you have other types of wire available to make the bonded retainers?
We offer TMA™, Rely-a-Bond™, and several other braided and solid wires to manufacture the bonded retainers. Please indicate on the prescription sheet which you prefer and we should be able to accommodate your needs.
How do the retainers look when they come back to my office?
The retainers will be placed in a two-part tray system. The tray will have a hard outer shell and a soft inner shell. Simply follow the bonding guidelines for the adhesive. Once bonded in the mouth the hard outer shell is easily removed and the soft inner shell peels away from the bonded retainer.
It is very common to bond the six anterior teeth, but we also make the bonded retainers for the posterior teeth. There is really no limit to the number of teeth that can be bonded; however, the more teeth that are bonded the more difficult the delivery.
Is there ever a time when bonded retainers do not work?
When you send an upper bonded retainer model to be fabricated, always send the lower model as well so we can check for interferences. This is the most common reason a bonded retainer cannot be constructed.
"Clear Image Aligners are the perfect solution in our practice for those in-between cases when you need to tweak one to six anteriors and Invisalign would be overkill. Our patients love that we have an invisible solution for their alignment..."
