By Dr. James May
•
01 Jul, 2021
Alright, so you have just gotten your braces taken off and your smile is looking fantastic... what’s next? The retainer! That’s right- it does not matter what type of orthodontic treatment you received such as traditional metal braces or clear aligners, everyone has to wear a retainer in order to help keep your newly straightened teeth in their positions and not revert back to their original spots. So now your question may be, how long do I have to wear my retainer? Orthodontists will recommend that you should be wearing your retainer for 12 hours or more every day, following the first 8 weeks after your treatment ends. This helps to ensure that your teeth, which have just spent months moving to this new spot, do not shift as these 2 months afterwards they are the most susceptible to moving. After this time, your Houston orthodontist such as James May Orthodontics, may advise from wearing them for most of the day to nighttime only. Make sure you only switch after your orthodontist gives you their approval that your teeth are not going to shift. If you prefer to wear your retainer longer even after the orthodontist gives his thumbs up, that is not going to harm your smile in anyway – just make sure you are taking them out when you eat and keep them clean! Teeth are pretty amazing little pieces of our bodies and they are incredibly dynamic. Unless they are held into place after your treatment, they will continue shifting, and after all the time and effort going through braces, do you honestly want to jeopardize that progress? Wearing the retainer as instructed will help to reduce the risk of shifting teeth. Your orthodontis is also going to instruct you to wear your retainer to bed every night for at least the first year after treatment. After a year, or when through your orthodontists instruction, you can begin to wear them every other night. After another year a lot of patients will opt to wear theirs only a few times a week during their sleep routine. Some people are more prone to having their teeth move fiercely than others and after a while you may find your retainer a little tight as you put it on. Talk with your orthodontist to see your options. There are different types of retainers, however, the same rule of wear still applies to them all. The Hawley retainers are going to be the most common one people recognize. These are made of acrylic and metal. The Essix retainer has the appearance of as an Invisalign or ClearCorrect aligners, however, these tend to be a little more durable and sturdy as they are going to be lasting a little longer than the average aligner tray. The final retainer is a permanent one. Sure, technically this one does not a set amount of time you need to wear it, as it does not come out. It is attached to the back of your teeth and is not visible from the front. No matter which type of retainer you and your orthodontist agree is the best choice for you, the function for all of them is to serve the purpose of keeping your teeth straight and not reverting back to how they were.