Why Do I Have to Wear Retainers Forever?

We often receive inquiries about the importance of retainers, so we want to take a moment to explain why they are essential. Whether you have metal braces, clear braces, or removable Invisalign aligners, wearing retainers is a necessary part of your orthodontic treatment.

Initially, you may need to wear your retainers for 12 to 22 hours a day. This recommendation depends on several factors, including the severity of your initial dental issues, your age, and whether the retainers are needed to finalize a few tooth positions. Most of our patients follow this regimen for 3 to 6 months. If the required hours are completed during this period, many can transition to wearing retainers only at night after the initial 6 months.

Wearing your retainers at night is highly recommended for an additional 6 months, or at least until you have completed a total of 12 months of daily retainer wear. After 12 months of consistent wear, we often advise that you wear your retainers 3 to 5 times a week for the rest of your life.

Many patients are surprised by these recommendations. We are not trying to impose on you for life; rather, we want to emphasize that without consistent retainer wear, there’s a significant chance that your beautifully straight teeth may not remain so forever.

So, why does this happen? The answer lies in basic biology. Your teeth are situated within your jawbone. When you undergo orthodontic treatment, a force system from your braces, wires, or aligners pushes the teeth into new positions. To facilitate this movement, the bone on one side of the tooth needs to soften or be resorbed. For example, if a tooth moves from the front of your mouth to the back, the bone behind it will resorb.

Once the tooth has settled into its new position, new bone grows around it to help stabilize it. This bone deposition process can take 9 to 12 months. During this period, retainers play a crucial role in stabilizing the new positions of your teeth while the bone is being redeposited. This is why we recommend wearing retainers daily for the first 12 months.

You may still be curious about the need to continue wearing retainers after these initial 12 months. The need for continued wear is also tied to the natural tendency of teeth to shift forward and inward as we age. This gradual movement typically occurs over decades; however, it can be largely prevented through regular and consistent retainer wear.

Regarding the lifespan of your retainers, they typically will not last a lifetime. Depending on the type, the care you provide, and whether you lose them, they usually last between 2 to 10 years. If you are committed to maintaining your smile as it appeared when your braces or Invisalign treatment concluded, you will likely need to replace your retainers multiple times throughout your life.

You don’t have to return to your orthodontist to get new retainers; any orthodontist can create a new set for you. However, we always welcome and appreciate visits from our patients!

To help ensure you always have enough retainers on hand, we offer an exciting and cost-effective solution: Vivera from Invisalign. This program provides a system of clear retainers delivered directly to you over 12 months, with a new set provided every 3 months. You can choose to use them as needed or store them for future use.

Imagine how convenient it would be to have spare retainers at home, so if your dog chews on yours, you won’t need to take new impressions or molds of your teeth. Your replacement retainers will already be readily available.

We offer Vivera without requiring traditional impressions. Instead, we use our iTero scanner to perform an intraoral scan, which we then submit to Invisalign for the production of four sets of retainers. The great news is that you can obtain these four sets for 50% off the regular price. While the standard price is $1,200, Vivera is available for just $597.

For more information or to schedule your free consultation, please contact our office today.