The time immediately following the removal of your braces is the most critical for keeping your teeth straight. Wearing a retainer for the time prescribed by our team is the best way to maintain the smile you have worked so hard to achieve. If you neglect to wear your retainer, your teeth may move back into their original position. This is what may happen if you do not wear your retainer after treatment with braces.

After One Week
Your teeth will begin to move back into their initial place as soon as your braces are removed. Everyone’s teeth shift at different speeds and even the slightest shift can impact how your retainer fits. Wearing your retainer at night is especially crucial in the first week to prevent any relapse.

After One Month
After a month of not using your retainer, you may notice that your bite has changed and your teeth have started to move back into their original position. At this point, you will need to schedule another appointment with our team to get fitted for a different retainer. You may also need to return to wearing your new retainer during the day as well as at night.

After One Year
Going a year without wearing a retainer means that your teeth will have continued to move back to their original position and may even be crooked. The solution may be to restart treatment with braces. By wearing your retainer as instructed, you can prevent this from happening.

Keeping your teeth straight can be as simple as wearing your retainer after getting your braces off. Not wearing your retainer will make you lose the smile you spent time and money on to achieve. While it may take you a while to get into the habit of wearing a retainer, it will be worth it in the long run.

Contact us for more information or to schedule a consultation.