Congrats on your beautiful new smile! You’ve finished treatment, your smile looks amazing, and now the next phase begins.
Whether you’ve been wearing your retainer for a week, or months now, you’ll probably wonder at some point: “How long do I actually have to wear my retainers?”
“Are retainers really necessary?” “What happens if I don’t wear them?”
You’re not alone in asking those questions, and we’ve got honest answers. Dr. Lin and your Fellow Ortho team are breaking down exactly what retainers do, how long you should wear them, and what happens if you don’t.
TL;DR (Key Takeaways)
- How long? As long as you want your smile to stay straight!
- Why wear one? Retainers keep your teeth from shifting after braces or Invisalign®.
- How often? After braces, wear full-time for 2 months then transition to night time only to maintain results. After Invisalign, wear 8 hrs/day every day.
- At Fellow Orthodontist in NYC (Union Square, Manhattan), we offer Vivera™ custom retainers!
Why do you wear a retainer after braces or Invisalign®?
Once you’ve finished your Invisalign, BRIUS™, or braces treatment, active treatment is over – but retention begins! This is the key to holding your smile in its beautiful new formation.
Braces move your teeth, according to a personalized, precise treatment plan created by your board-certified, NYC orthodontist. Because your teeth are making tiny, gradual movements throughout treatment, the bone and tissue need a period of consistent stabilization once the movement is complete.
Without stabilization, through the support of your custom-designed retainers, teeth are prone to ‘orthodontic relapse’ (reverting back to their original, pre-treatment positions.)
Simply put: Braces move your teeth into place, but it’s your retainer’s job is to keep them there.
So how long do you have to wear a retainer?
How long you’re instructed to wear your retainer after active treatment depends on your specific orthodontist’s instructions.
At Fellow Orthodontist, we recommend wearing retainers full-time for the first 2 months after braces, then switching to nighttime wear. After completing Invisalign treatment, you should plan to wear your retainers for about 8 hours each day to keep your smile stable.
Do you actually have to wear a retainer forever?
Okay, so let’s get to the question you’re really wondering. Do you have to wear a retainer forever?
The honest answer is yes. If you want to keep your perfectly-aligned smile in its best condition for life, you’ll have to wear your retainer at night time for a lifetime.
So the answer to “when can I stop wearing my retainer at night”, is – when you stop wearing your retainer, you’re risking your teeth shifting out of place. In most cases, patients who stop wearing their retainers need re-treatment or a touch-up treatment in the future if they want to re-align their smile.
While skipping a night or two here or there (after you’ve been wearing your retainer for a few years) won’t do much harm, the best thing you can do is make wearing your retainer part of your nightly routine.
Just like wearing glasses, brushing your teeth, or doing your nightly skincare routine, wearing your retainer is something you need to do daily if you want the benefits. And once it’s a part of your routine, you won’t think twice about it!
Tips to Make Wearing Your Retainer Part of Your Routine
Here are a few tips that can help integrate your retainer into your routine:
- Set an alarm. Give yourself some sort of reminder! Whether it’s an alarm on your phone, or a sticky note on your bathroom mirror, give yourself a reminder you can’t ignore.
- Get an extra retainer case. If it’s not realistic for you to carry your retainer case with you, without forgetting it, get an extra carrying case so you can have one in your home, and one in your backpack or handbag.
- Check it off your list, daily. Who doesn’t love checking a task off a written to-do list, or clicking a ‘done’ box on your phone notes? It makes you feel accomplished, productive, and proactive! Don’t underestimate the power of writing your retainer reminder down, and crossing it out daily until you create the habit.
And as always, don’t hesitate to ask Dr. Lin for tips or advice!
Your FAQs About Retainer Wear: Answered
Still have questions about how long you have to wear a retainer? Here are some quick FAQs and answers to clear up your concerns!
What happens if I stop wearing my retainer?
If you stop wearing your retainer one day, you might not notice a difference the first few days. But trust us, changes are still happening!
Eventually, whether it’s after a few weeks or months of not wearing your retainer, you may feel a difference in your bite, notice a pre-treatment symptom returning, see a tooth or few teeth start to shift out of alignment, or you’ll try to wear it again and notice that your retainer doesn’t fit anymore.
Can I stop wearing my retainer after 2 years?
You can, but you shouldn’t. Your teeth may take a little longer to ‘relapse’ back to their original positions, but it will happen over time.
If I start wearing my retainer again, will my teeth move back?
It depends on how long it’s been since you’ve worn your retainer regularly, and how much your teeth have shifted.
If your teeth are just beginning to shift, they might go back if you start wearing your retainer again, consistently. But if your teeth have already moved, you may find that you can’t even put your retainer in anymore.
If your retainer doesn’t fit anymore or you’ve lost it, reach out to us as soon as possible! We want to help you get a replacement retainer to prevent further shifting.
Keep your smile in beautiful condition for life!
Remember, your retainer is your smile insurance! Regular wear is key to maintaining that beautiful smile you worked so hard for.
If you have questions about retainers, braces, Invisalign® or other orthodontic treatments, please reach out to us! We’re here to give you all of the info, tips, and tricks you need.
Haven’t started your journey yet? We have a board-certified orthodontist near you in Union Square, Manhattan (NYC).
Book a consultation with us and experience modern orthodontics with convenient virtual care designed to fit your schedule.
