Keystone Ortho Boxes · Beige · 120

A retainer box is the case a removable orthodontic appliance, such as a retainer, is kept in while it is out of the mouth. A removable appliance is taken in and out, and regeneration of the tissue around a tooth in its new position may need up to 12 months. Where retention is left out, relapse is likely to occur eventually, so most clinicians apply long-lasting retention, even permanently.

Once active orthodontic treatment ends, preventing the bite from relapsing matters as much as the treatment itself, because tooth arrangement tends to relapse, gradually returning to its initial state. Retention is provided either by removable or by fixed appliances, and removable devices, vacuum-formed retainers and lingually bonded wire are the ones most commonly provided. The most popular removable retainer is made of acrylic resin and wire, with a labial archwire, clasps and a palatal or lingual acrylic base.

Pain and discomfort are common complications of orthodontic treatment, caused by irritation of the lining of the mouth from trauma and from increased friction between the tissues and the brackets, wires and tubes. Barrier materials are used to protect such a sore from being irritated further, to prevent secondary infection and to reduce discomfort.

Sources: Orthodontic Retainers: A Critical Review, 2023 (Children) · Bozkurt et al. 2020, Comparison of microbial adhesion and biofilm formation on orthodontic wax materials (J Dent Sci) · FDA 21 CFR 872.3285, Preformed clasp