‘Hold that smile’ film and animation now available for dental clinics to share on their website or waiting room screen

The ‘Hold that smile’ animation and a captioned short film which communicates the benefits of retainers are now available for orthodontic and dental clinics to share with their patients.  Hold that smile has the support of the British Dental Association and the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP (UK)). 

 The BOS is asking dentists to check patients are looking after retainers long-term as part of ongoing dental care. Simon Littlewood, the BOS authority on retention, (pictured above speaking at the BOS press conference) says, “I think there are some misconceptions with retention. In the past, we used to think that once patients reached a certain age, their teeth would eventually be stable. Now we know that’s not true, there is potential for teeth to keep moving throughout life – it’s almost like a normal ageing phenomenon.”

He continued, “If a patient ever has a problem with their removable retainer or bonded retainer, it’s important that something is done about it as soon as possible because, without that retainer, teeth will relapse.”