From Volume 42, Issue 1, January 2015 | Pages 24-34
The need for long-term retention following orthodontic treatment is now considered essential to prevent post-orthodontic treatment relapse. The vacuum-formed retainer (VFR) has gained popularity in recent times. This paper describes briefly the characteristics of VFRs and summarizes the evidence in relation to their effectiveness.
Retention is the phase of orthodontic treatment that attempts to maintain teeth in their corrected positions after active tooth movement.1 It aims, therefore, to prevent relapse which is defined as the return, following correction, of the features of the original malocclusion.2 Although, rather erroneously, patients may consider relapse to include age changes unrelated to orthodontic treatment,1,3 this is not what is regarded here for the purposes of retention.
The rationale for maintaining the teeth in their treated position is to:
The principal method of retention involves the use of an orthodontic retainer. The choice of retainer depends on many factors, such as:
Research has shown that relapse occurs in patients with and without orthodontic retainers.9,10 There appears to be agreement that lifetime retention is necessary if relapse is to be minimal.7,11 Wide variation exists, however, in the retention regimes prescribed by orthodontists.7,11,12
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