Did you know that Invisalign braces were invented by non-orthodontists that noticed their teeth moved if they did not use their retainers properly? Two MBA students that had completed active treatment with braces realized that if they did not use their retainers, their teeth would shift. What does this mean for you after you have completed the active treatment phase and have your braces off? It means that you must fully and faithfully participate in the retention phase of orthodontic treatment or face tooth drift.
Retention phase
Once active treatment is complete and your teeth have been expertly moved into position by your orthodontist, you may think that you can just go about the rest of your life with a beautiful smile. This is true, in a way. You can have that beautiful smile for the rest of your life, but it requires some work and attention on your part. The retention phase of orthodontic treatment is just as important to keeping a beautiful smile as the active treatment phase is to getting it.
Retention refers to the way in which your teeth are retained from moving around your mouth. The way that your orthodontist will retain your teeth is by providing you with a retainer. A retainer is a plastic dental appliance (sometimes with metal) that holds your teeth in their proper position. There are various types of teeth retainers though one will be selected based on the treatment plan and patient preferences.
Teeth retainers
Teeth retainers should be worn precisely as the orthodontist instructs them to be used. This usually means wearing the dental retainer virtually all of the time. Wearing teeth retainers as prescribed is especially important in the early part of the retention phase because it takes teeth about six months to a year to “fix” to their new location.
Think about docking a cruise ship. It takes a lot of time and energy to slow down the enormous cruise ship and get it precisely into the dock so that tourists can disembark. However once it is in place, the massive ship can be held in place with simple ropes. While braces may require time and energy to move the teeth, a dental retainer is like keeping the teeth properly docked. It requires less energy, but it is still important to keep the ship (teeth) in the proper place.
How long is the retention phase of orthodontic treatment?
The answer to this question is “it depends.” In general, most orthodontists will continue the retention phase as long as needed so that teeth do not move from their new positions in the mouth. Expect to wear a dental retainer for at least a year after the active treatment phase and getting braces off. Some patients wear their retainers for years to make sure that the teeth stay in the right place (some wear retainers forever). The length of the retention treatment phase is something you will need to discuss with your orthodontist.