Retainers are used after braces in order to help prevent the teeth from falling back to their original position by holding teeth in a certain position while allowing surrounding gums and bone to adjust.
Often a patient will be required to wear the retainer at all times except when eating for a period determined by the orthodontist and then after this period it may only be necessary to wear it at night. Removable retainers should be kept in a case to protect them. During the first few days of retainer use, many people will have extra saliva in their mouth. This is natural and is due to the presence of a new object inside the mouth and consequent stimulation of the saliva glands. There is usually a slight change in speech only for the first 1-2 days.