Retainers are used once braces are removed. Retainers are needed to hold teeth in their new position while surrounding bone and gums adjusts to this new position. The most common type is the hawley retainer, which is made of a metal wire that surrounds the teeth and keeps them in place (left photo). It is anchored in a specially-molded, sometimes brightly colored acrylic form that sits in the palate or floor of the mouth.

Another type is the fixed retainer. A fixed retainer typically consists of a passive wire bonded to the tongue-side of the lower incisors, but other teeth can be treated in similar fashion. The bonded wire does not allow teeth to move (right photo).