Tricks of the trade: fixed retention appliance (FRA): an effective retention appliance with a simple design

The Fixed Retention Appliance (FRA) is a fixed retainer which can be used after orthodontic therapy. It is effective in patients who show poor compliance with conventional removable retainers such as Hawley's retainer or Begg retainer.¹ It can also incorporate lingual attachments, such as cribs or beads, when used as retainers in patients with a tongue-thrusting or thumb-sucking habit.² FRA is effective in correcting mild proclination in less compliant patients and in patients who exhibit intolerance to acrylic plates.³

The fixed retention appliance (Figure 1) has a simple design with two major components, a long labial bow and molar bands on first molars. The labial bow acts as the active component which contacts the anterior teeth. The labial bow can be constructed out of 0.7 mm or 0.9 mm stainless steel, depending on the purpose of the appliance. If the FRA is to be used only as a retentive appliance, the bow can be bent from a heavier 0.9 mm stainless steel wire. If any mild correction is required during the retentive phase it would be advantageous to make the labial bow from a thinner (0.7 mm) stainless steel wire (Figure 2).