Orthodontic retention – establishing guidelines when evidence is not sufficient

Piotr Fudalej  

Keynote Lecture - Saturday, September 16, 2017

Retention has become an integral part of orthodontic treatment. Virtually each patient who is currently under treatment will wear at least one of various types of retainers. A widespread use of retention is caused by two factors: (1) understanding that post-treatment changes in occlusion are likely if the dentition is unretained and (2) growing demand to maintain a perfect esthetic result indefinitely. Also, the duration of retention becomes longer and longer and in many situations lifelong retention is recommended. Actually, the retention phase lasts longer than the active treatment phase in most orthodontic patients. There is a great variety of retention strategies and little evidence which one is optimal. In this presentation, the most popular retention regimens will be discussed. Also, complications related to the long-term use of fixed retention will be presented.

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