Invisalign has allowed countless patients to straighten out their smiles without the pointy and conspicuous metal parts and frustrating dietary restrictions that come with traditional metal braces. However, wearing your retainer as instructed after your Invisalign treatment is finished is crucial to preserving your results. Here’s a brief guide to why retainers are necessary and how long you can expect to wear yours.
Why Are Retainers Necessary?
Invisalign works by exerting the constant pressure needed to gradually shift your teeth into healthier positions. Unfortunately, your teeth will begin sliding back towards their former places as soon as the aligners are removed, and this will still happen when you remove your aligners for the last time at the end of your treatment. To prevent this, it’s essential to wear your retainer as instructed so your teeth stay in place.
Retainers can be removable or fixed in place, and they can be made to be worn on either the top or bottom row of teeth. While a removable retainer will take the form of a plastic piece molded to fit the roof or floor of your mouth with a metal wire designed to hold the teeth in place, a fixed retainer is simply a wire discreetly cemented to the backs of the top or bottom front teeth.
How Long Will I Need to Wear My Retainer?
Ideally, you will continue wearing your retainer for life after your orthodontic treatment, but many patients fall out of the habit of wearing their appliances after a few months or years. It’s most important to wear your retainer during the years immediately following your treatment, as this will allow your teeth to remain in their new places while the gum and bone tissue supporting them adjust to the new alignment. This can prevent most of the dental drift that can make further orthodontic treatment necessary later.
My Teeth Fell out of Alignment. Can I Get Invisalign Again?
Thankfully, you can receive Invisalign as many times as necessary to get your teeth in their proper alignment, but you’ll probably be much more eager about wearing your retainer as instructed after receiving the treatment a second time. This will preserve the results of your investment and ensure that your smile stays straight and healthy for as long as possible.
About the Practice
Salmon Brook Dental offers the finest oral health services available in Granby. Led by Drs. Kenneth Endres, Gunveen Chawla, and Areej Almas, the staff treats each patient with sincere compassion and outstanding customer service. Areas of expertise include general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry as well as Invisalign treatments. To learn more about how you can make the results of your Invisalign treatment last, contact the office online or dial (860) 653-4551.