You should wear retainers for as long as your orthodontist recommends. This is generally in two stages. The initial full-time stage requires wearing the retainer day and night for six months, and this should be followed by a part-time stage of wearing it only at night for life.
You spend a lot of money and time getting perfectly aligned teeth to get a beautiful smile. You wouldn’t want your straight teeth to shift back to their previous misaligned position. Unfortunately, that is exactly what straightened teeth tend to do!
This is where retainers come in. Retainers “retain” your teeth in their new straightened position, preventing them from shifting back to their previous position.
But how long should you wear retainers after orthodontic treatment? Six months? One year? Forever? This article will answer this question and many more.
WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED DURATION FOR WEARING A RETAINER?
To retain your perfectly straight teeth after braces or Invisalign treatment, it is recommended that you wear retainers full-time for 4 to 6 months after the treatment, then switch to wearing them part-time indefinitely.
There are two main phases of retainer usage after teeth-straightening treatment – full-time and part-time.
FULL TIME
Immediately after braces treatment (or other teeth straightening procedures), your teeth are most unstable in their new position. During this time, you should wear your retainers all the time (except when you’re eating).
The full-time phase usually last between 4 – 6 months. But your orthodontist can recommend that you stretch it to one year.
PART-TIME
After wearing your retainer full-time for six months, your teeth will be relatively stable in their new position. Your orthodontist may be happy with your teeth’s progress and approve wearing the retainer only at night (at least 8 hours every night).
Orthodontists advise that the part-time nightly phase continues indefinitely.
After wearing your retainer every night for several months or years, your orthodontist may approve wearing it less frequently (allowing you to skip a night or two a week).
CAN I DISCONTINUE WEARING MY RETAINER AFTER SIX MONTHS?
No! You shouldn’t discontinue wearing your retainer after six months because that is not enough time for newly-straightened teeth to be firm in their new position.
Six months cover only the full-time phase of retainer use. Without continuing onto the part-time maintenance phase that requires wearing the retainer indefinitely, your teeth will relapse back to their old position.
DO I NEED TO WEAR MY RETAINER FOR LIFE?
The simple answer is, “You need to wear your retainer for as long as you want straight teeth.” If you want straight teeth for life, you need to wear your retainer for life.
Think of your newly-straightened teeth as a machine you need to maintain as long as you use. Part-time retainer use is the maintenance phase of your teeth after a procedure.
HOW LONG SHOULD I CONTINUE WEARING MY RETAINER IF I HAVE UNDERGONE ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT IN ADULTHOOD?
The teeth shift more easily with age. So, when you undergo orthodontic treatment in adulthood, you should wear retainers for as long as you want the teeth to remain straight.
The support that keeps our teeth in place (provided by the jawbone, gum tissue, and ligaments) weakens with age. For example, all bones (including the jawbone) become less dense with age. The weakened jawbone and supporting system cause the teeth to shift more easily.
That said, people who undergo orthodontic treatment in adulthood are at a higher risk of having their teeth shift out of alignment.
The older they get, the greater the risk. Thus, adults who undergo teeth straightening treatment need to use a retainer for as long as they desire to maintain their beautiful straight-teeth smile.
DIFFERENT RETAINER TYPES AND DURATION OF USE
There are two types of retainers – permanent and removable retainers. You can use either type indefinitely (or throughout your post-treatment retainer use).
Let’s explore the usage in detail
A PERMANENT RETAINER IS ALSO CALLED A BONDED RETAINER (OR FIXED RETAINER). IT CONSISTS OF A SOLID WIRE BONDED TO THE INSIDE OF THE TEETH TO KEEP THEM FROM MOVING.
Permanent retainers cannot be removed except by your orthodontist, so they are perfect for the first phase of retainer use (6 months after treatment) when you should wear the dental appliance full-time.
You can also use permanent/ fixed retainers indefinitely if it’ll be difficult to follow the instructions for using removable retainers.
REMOVABLE RETAINERS
A removable retainer is one that the user can take out of their mouth at will. Removable retainers are perfect for every stage of retainer use.
You can use them during the full-time use phase, and especially during the part-time use phase when you may need to remove your retainers during the day.
There are two types of removable retainers – Hawley retainers and clear plastic retainers.
HAWLEY RETAINERS
A Hawley retainer is a removable retainer consisting of a metal wire (that runs across the outside of your teeth) and a plastic or acrylic (that sits on the roof of your mouth or along the inside of your teeth).
CLEAR PLASTIC RETAINERS
A clear plastic retainer is also called an Essix retainer. It is a removable retainer moulded to fit your teeth in their new alignment, thereby holding them in their new positions.
CAN I REMOVE MY RETAINER TEMPORARILY DURING THE DAY?
This question assumes that you have a removable retainer, as only your orthodontists can remove your permanent retainer. That said, you may remove your retainer temporarily during the day.
In fact, you should remove your retainers
- Before eating anything
- Before taking any drink (except water)
- While participating in sports or swimming
HOW MANY HOURS EACH DAY SHOULD A RETAINER BE WORN?
How many hours you can wear a retainer each day depends on what stage of retainer use you are after your dental procedure.
During the full-time stage (the first six months after a procedure), you should wear your retainer all the time, up to 22 hours a day.
You should only take it out to eat, brush your teeth, or clean it. Then during the part-time use stage, you should wear your retainer for at least 8 hours every night.
CAN I WEAR MY RETAINER ONLY AT NIGHT INSTEAD OF THROUGHOUT THE DAY?
You must learn to walk before you run, right? So, your straightened teeth need to go through the full-time phase of retainer use before the part-time nightly phase.
After a dental procedure to straighten your teeth, you cannot jump into wearing retainers only at night. Nightly wear will not be insufficient in preventing your teeth from shifting back to their previous misaligned position.
However, after wearing your retainers full-time (day and night) for 6 months or as directed by your orthodontists, you may be able to start wearing them only at night.
HOW MANY DAYS PER WEEK SHOULD RETAINERS BE WORN?
During the initial phase, you should wear your retainers full-time, every day of the week. This is followed by the nightly phase, where you should wear the retainer only at night but also every day.
The recommendation is to continue the nightly phase indefinitely. But if your orthodontist is pleased with your progress after a sustained period of nightly use, they may approve that you wear retainers less often (allowing you to skip one or two days a week).
DO I NEED TO WEAR MY RETAINER DURING PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES OR SPORTS?
You shouldn’t wear your retainers during physical activities or sports because they cannot protect your teeth, and you risk damaging them.
Retainers are not designed to protect your teeth. When participating in physical activities (especially after a dental procedure), you should take off your retainer and wear a dental appliance crafted specifically for maximum teeth protection. – That should be a mouthguard to safeguard your gum during sports.
Also, the chances of falling and bumping are high during physical activities and sports, and this can cause damage to the delicate retainers.
HOW FAST WILL MY TEETH MOVE IF I NO LONGER WEAR MY RETAINER?
How fast your teeth shift depends on different factors. However, a few days is not enough for significant teeth shifting. Your teeth can shift after a week or two without retainers.
If you go up to four weeks without retainers, you’ll notice minor shifts, which may become more significant if you go three months.
Factors affecting teeth shift include:
- How far your teeth were moved: The farther a tooth was moved, the faster it’ll shift.
- Your gum and bone health: Weakened gum and jawbone make the teeth shift faster.
- How long you wore your retainer before stopping: The longer you wore the retainers, the firmer your teeth will be in their new position and the slower they’ll shift.
- How long you’ve stopped wearing your retainer: The longer you go without wearing them, the more your teeth will shift.
- Age at the time of dental procedure: Bone and gum health deteriorate with age, meaning teeth shift faster in older persons.
CAN MY TEETH MOVE OVERNIGHT WITHOUT A RETAINER?
The teeth like it slow and steady. So, it is very unlikely that your teeth will shift out of their new position because you skip wearing your retainer for one night.
WILL MY TEETH SHIFT IN A WEEK WITHOUT MY RETAINER?
It’s okay (though not advisable) to skip a day or two, but you’ll be pushing it if you go up to one week without your retainer.
Though the amount of movement your teeth make depends on many factors, your teeth can shift a bit if you go a week without wearing a retainer.
IS IT NECESSARY TO WEAR A RETAINER IF MY TEETH HAVE ALREADY BEEN STRAIGHTENED?
It is absolutely necessary to wear a retainer after you have your teeth straightened via braces or other orthodontic procedures. This is to avoid a relapse – the straightened teeth shifting back to their original position.
Relapse happens because after straightening your teeth, it takes several months or even years for the teeth to be firmly established in their new position.
When straightened teeth are not firmly established, the force from everyday habits like biting and grinding slowly shifts them from their new position to their former misaligned position.
Wearing retainers after having braces removed will keep your teeth straight in their new position until they are firmly established.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO SEE IMPROVEMENT WITH RETAINERS?
Retainers hold teeth in their straightened position, ensuring your teeth remain in their new post-treatment position. Thus, there’s no improvement to see when wearing retainers.
TAKEAWAY: FLASH BEAUTIFUL STRAIGHT-TEETH SMILES FOREVER BY WEARING YOUR RETAINERS IN THE SPECIFIED DURATION
You should wear a retainer after braces or other teeth straightening treatments. This ensures your teeth stay in place after treatment instead of shifting back to their previous position.
This is generally in two stages – an initial full-time stage requiring wearing the retainer day and night for six months, followed by a part-time stage requiring wearing it only at night for life.
Wondering where you can get the highest quality teeth retainers to keep your teeth in their new alignment for beautiful smiles? Your answer is MYMOFOSMILE.
MYMOFO retainers are dentist-grade retainers and are 100% functional. They are custom-made for your teeth and feature an innovative easy-to-wear technology that makes them very comfortable to wear.
