An overview of orthodontic retainers

Orthodontic retention is the maintenance of the teeth in their ideal position from an aesthetic and functional point of view. The aim of this work is to illustrate the different orthodontic retainers. For this study we proceeded with a research of the abstract concerning this topic from the scientific archive "Pubmed" using terms relating to orthodontic retainers: 40 articles were selected from the research. In addition, 4 textbooks related to this topic have also been consulted. 7 fixed and 10 removable retainers have been identified. The most used retainers are the bonded ones for the lower arch and the Hawley and/or vacuum-formed ones for the upper one. Although numerous studies relating to orthodontic retention have been performed, there is no definitive evidence to identify the best type of orthodontic retainer.