Patients often underestimate the power of their retainer. It plays such an important role in your long-term smile, and there are some special rules that come along with it. Icon Orthodontics is going to explain why this is and how long you need to wear a retainer after braces.
A Dynamic Timeline
Did you know that retainer use actually varies throughout your retention phase of treatment? Retention refers to the period when you discontinue the use of clear aligners or have your permanent braces removed. This is your retainer’s time to shine!
Your wear schedule will shift after your active treatment concludes and will probably go something like this:
- Full-Time Use: After first completing orthodontic treatment, you’ll need to wear your retainer full-time (20–22 hours daily) for the first 3–6 months to lock your new smile into place while the surrounding bone and tissues adapt to their new positions.
- Part-Time Use: The initial risk of shifting diminishes 6–12 months post-treatment, so you can transition to wearing your retainer only at night, usually for 8-10 hours.
- Ongoing Use: After the first year, most patients continue wearing their retainer nightly or every other night for another 1–2 years. While the risk of significant movement decreases, some shifting can still occur without consistent use. Most patients can expect to wear their retainer a few times a week indefinitely.
A Piece of the Puzzle
Your retainer has a lot of different functions, some of which you may not even think about at first. Here are a few benefits of retainers Dr. Sun and Dr. Sarpotdar want to remind you of:
- Preserving Your Investment: It’s no secret that orthodontic treatment can be a long process, one that takes a lot of commitment and patience. Naturally, protecting these results should be top of mind for any patient—and that’s exactly what a retainer does.
- Preventing New and Old Problems: After your active orthodontic treatment concludes, teeth can shift over time without further intervention. Wearing a retainer helps keep your teeth evenly spaced, as well as your bite aligned, which is important for both aesthetics and oral health.
- Support Speech Clarity: Speech correction or changes is a pretty common result of orthodontic treatment since properly aligned teeth contribute to clear speech. Retainers help keep speech patterns consistent after orthodontic treatment.
Tips & Tricks for Your Retainer
So yes, many people will need to wear their retainer at least occasionally long after their braces come off. For this reason, our Icon Orthodontics team wants to share some wise tips for retainer use:
- Wear as Prescribed: Follow our team’s instructions regarding how long and how often to wear your retainer. Remember that consistent wear secures your smile in place. Missing even a few nights can allow your teeth to start shifting back.
- Tip: We recommend setting reminders on your phone or using a calendar to keep track of when you should be wearing your retainer.
- Store it Smartly: Like clear aligners, you always want to keep your retainer in a protective case when it’s not in your mouth.
- Tip: Do your best not to leave your retainer in a vulnerable position, like openly on your nightstand, on your bedsheets, or anywhere near a toilet.
- Clean Your Retainer Daily: Clean your retainer regularly to keep it free from bacteria and plaque buildup. This means rinsing it with warm water after removing it and sanitizing it with a soft toothbrush and mild soap.
- Tip: For deeper cleaning, use retainer cleaning tablets or a vinegar solution once a week. Try to avoid using toothpaste, as it’s often more abrasive than you think.
- Remove for Eating: You’ll discover that eating and drinking are uncomfortable with your retainer—and for good reason! Be sure to take it out when you’re eating this to avoid trapping bacteria or food particles.
- Tip: Place your retainer in a case before meals to avoid accidentally throwing it away.
- Replace When Needed: We can promise you that you will not be able to wear just one retainer for the rest of your life (though that would be convenient). Retainers, especially plastic ones, wear out with continued use.
- Tip: Be aware of warning signs like cracks, warping, or a strange fit, and contact us if you think it’s time for a replacement.
Practice Makes Perfect!
This new routine can take some practice, as well as some trial and error—but we want to remind you that you’ve already completed your active treatment by this point. That is no small feat! Use this experience to your advantage so that you can have success with your retainer use, too. Icon Orthodontics is always here to answer any questions that arise. Come see us soon at our Surprise or Glendale offices.