La Habra/Chino Hills, CA – When the braces come off, or you’ve finished your last set of aligners, you’ll no doubt want to celebrate. You’ve worked hard and want to enjoy your new smile. But your work isn’t over yet, and neither is your treatment. 

“Your braces or aligners did the heavy work of guiding your teeth to their new locations,” says Dr. Robert Gire. “And now it’s time for your retainer to ensure that work isn’t lost.”

We know you want to show off your new smile for everyone to see. But if you want that smile to stay as straight as the day we remove your braces or aligners, it’s crucial to wear your retainer. This is especially important in the weeks immediately following having completed your treatment. 

Why is a retainer needed at all?

Many people wonder why a retainer is needed since their teeth have already moved to their desired locations. The job of a retainer is in its name – it ensures your teeth retain those new locations. 

Your teeth had to loosen from their previous spots to move through your jawbone to their new locations. The periodontal ligament that holds them in place is elastic. Without a retainer, it wants to pull the teeth back to their old locations. Your mouth needs time to ensure that the periodontal ligament can settle in and new bone can regrow around the teeth to hold them in place. 

How long can I go without wearing my retainer?

A common question patients ask after completing their treatment is how long they can go without wearing their retainers. We always stress the importance of wearing the retainer FULL TIME for the first month. Remove the retainer only when eating, drinking anything other than water, and brushing. After the first month, they can transition to night time wear. It’s super important to wear them every night for at least a year. If you forget to wear it for a night or two after a year in retention, it won’t make a noticeable difference. But you definitely want to wear them consistently in some capacity, or your teeth will noticeably shift.

“My advice is, don’t risk it,” says Dr. Gire. “You’ve worked so hard to get to this point, so why would you risk it by skipping your retainer wear?”

How much your teeth will shift if you forget to wear your retainer depends on a few things, such as the type of malocclusion you had and your genetics. Some people are just more prone to relapse than others. If you fall into this category, it will be important that you wear your retainer as directed. 

How long do I have to wear my retainer?

As previously mentioned, retainer wear is full time for the first month, then night time only thereafter. After the first month, you’ll be able to display your new smile to everyone during the day. At Gire Orthodontics, we tell our patients to wear their retainers, “nighttime for a lifetime.” 

We tell our patients the following: “If I give you a night cream to put on your face every night before bed, to prevent any wrinkles for the rest of your life, would you do that? Would you put it on your face every night?” Most respond, YES! We continue with, “that’s exactly what retainers do. You put them on every night and it prevents your teeth from wrinkling or going crooked.” Most understand that very well and are very compliant with their retainers. 

What happens if I forget to wear my retainer and it no longer fits?

Forgetting to wear the retainers for an extended period of time could result in teeth shifting, which means the retainer will no longer fit properly. If this shifting is mild, and you’re still happy with the way they look, we may be able to simply make a new retainer for you. However, severe shifting may require additional treatment to correct. Remember, retainers retain. They do not move teeth. Tooth movement requires braces or aligners. 

“A properly fitting and functioning retainer is important,” says Dr. Gire. “If your retainer is too tight to fit comfortably over your teeth or if it has been damaged in any way, you should have a new one made. In some cases, patients forget to wear their retainers for a period of time and then they try to wear their retainer and it doesn’t fit well. So they try to jam it on or bite it into place which results in the retainer not fitting properly and that’s usually when we see the retainer crack or break.”

The bottom line

Retainers are a crucial part of your orthodontic treatment. Always wear them as directed and take proper care of them to extend their life. If you have questions about wearing them or if your retainer has become damaged, call us at Gire Orthodontics so we can discuss your options.

La Habra (562) 690-1199, Chino Hills (909) 393-9911