How Long Do You Have to Wear Retainers?

When you’re done with your orthodontic treatment, you’ll receive a retainer to keep the results of your treatment in place. Many patients wonder: how long will I have to wear the retainer?

In this video, Diamond Braces orthodontist Dr. Lawrence explains more about retainers after orthodontic care.

Retainers are “Nightime for a Lifetime”: that means you’ll wear your retainer every night for as long as you can – hopefully forever. That’s because teeth have memory – they want to drift back towards the place they were before your orthodontist moved your teeth into their correct positions. Retainers keep your teeth in the correct positions and prevent them from drifting back.

If you lose or break your retainer, it’s important to come back to the orthodontist to get fitted for a new retainer. You can do this even if it’s been many years since you finished your orthodontic treatment! It’s very important to get a new retainer to prevent shifting in your teeth: this can cause gaps to appear in your smile, as well as crowding.

If you don’t want to wear a removable retainer every night, you can also get a permanently bonded retainer: this type of retainer is fixed to the back of your teeth, facing your tongue, so you can barely see it. It will have the same effect as a removable retainer, to protect the results of your orthodontic care.

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