Importantly, retainers are not meant to move your teeth further. Meaning, after your treatment is complete, your retainers should need minimal adjustments. The initial months after you complete your treatment is a time when the bone and tissues are not tightly holding your teeth in position. That being said, the chances of your teeth drifting out of alignment are higher, so you need to wear a retainer as often as you can- preferably all the time, except when eating to maintain your new smile.
Even after the first month, there is a risk of losing your progress. This relapse period can be as long as a year — even longer if you had a particularly difficult and complicated case.
A good rule of thumb is that you will need your retainer just a little longer than the amount of time you had your braces in. So, if you wear your braces for two years, expect to wear your retainer just a little over two years, though you will taper back from full time to nights only to just a few nights a week and this is best a lifelong strategy to protect your smile!
Your orthodontist should discuss a retention plan with you when you are nearing the end of treatment. Different people naturally have different retention plans, depending on the details of their situation. Or, you might receive a removable retainer to wear at night only. An essential part of using your retainer is maintaining and cleaning it. Removable retainers should be cleaned regularly by soaking them in a diluted denture cleaner and periodically brushing them, as you would brush your teeth.
Regardless of if you got treatment with braces or with Invisalign, you will need to wear a retainer once your teeth have been straightened.
The question is, how long do you need to wear it? It is recommended you wear your retainer at least 12 hours out of every day for the first eight weeks following the completion of your treatment.
This diligent wear is crucial after your teeth have been moved to a new position because the teeth are the least stable during this time and are more susceptible to shifting. After eight weeks of wearing your retainers for half of each day, with the approval of your orthodontist, you can begin wearing your retainers at night only. Teeth are pretty dynamic, so unless they are held in place, they will continue to shift over time.
Your doctor may or may not give the go-ahead on this, but at least you will know where you stand. If you are given the go-ahead you should still make sure you wear your retainer when you go to sleep at night. It is the only way that you can know for sure that you are going to make the real progress that you need to make with your new smile.
The benefits of a new smile are too many to list here, but at the same time, you should also know that you are in this for the long haul.
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