When we remove your braces, the most important aspect of your treatment begins — retention. We are proud of your new beautiful smile, now it is your responsibility to maintain that smile by wearing your retainers as instructed. The retainers you will receive are designed to hold your teeth in place as the bone and gum tissue stabilize. Proper care and wearing your retainers as instructed is vital to keep your teeth looking great. The retention phase lasts for approximately 18 months, but wearing the retainers continues past that time. During retention visits, we will evaluate the fit of your retainers, determine when you should wear your retainers, and monitor the eruption of wisdom teeth. Many patients ask, “How long do I need to wear my retainer?” my answer is, “as long as you want your teeth to be straight.” This is not intended to be funny, it is just an unfortunate part of aging, teeth can always shift. Wearing retainers even a few nights per week, can eliminate or decrease teeth shifting and protect the investment you made in your smile.
If at any time you have problems our questions about your retainers, or if you need adjustments or replacements please call our office. We are proud of the smile we created together! Thank you for choosing our office.