That moment when you finish wearing your last set of Invisalign aligners in Bowmanville is a cause for celebration. Provided you have followed our instructions on wearing your braces, the result should be a beautifully straight smile that you are proud to show the world. However, treatment doesn’t finish there. At this point, you want to make sure your teeth stay firmly in their new positions, which is why retainers are essential.
Why Do I Need Retainers?
Although your teeth may be in their new positions, they can try to return to their original places initially, undoing all your hard work. As your teeth move during orthodontic treatment, the bone and connective tissues around them gradually loosen and reshape, allowing your teeth to become realigned. The process happens slowly due to the pressure of the aligner trays. After the process is complete, the bone and connective tissues still need time to remodel around your teeth, but they no longer come under pressure from Invisalign aligners trays.
Replacing the aligner trays with retainers gives the bone and connective tissues time to rebuild around your teeth so that slowly but surely, your teeth are held firmly in place. Wearing your retainers prevents further tooth movements and stops your teeth from shifting out of place as they signal to your tooth roots that they must stay in the current positions to keep teeth aligned correctly.
How Long Will I Need to Wear Retainers?
The first six months after completing orthodontic treatment in Newcastle are especially important. During this time, your teeth will still be actively trying to return to their original positions, and you may need to wear your retainers all the time. Gradually, you will be able to reduce the time needed to wear your retainers, but it might still be necessary to wear them at night. Ideally, you will continue to wear your retainers periodically, probably for life.
Even when the bone has remodelled around your tooth roots, there is still a chance your teeth will try to return to their original positions, something called an orthodontic relapse. Often, adults seeking orthodontic treatment in Clarington have worn braces during their teenage years but have failed to wear their retainers and have seen their teeth relapse and move back to their original positions. Teeth also shift naturally with age, so the best way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to carry on wearing your retainers to ensure your smile continues to look good.
Ensuring You Get the Most from Your Orthodontic Treatment
Having Invisalign treatment in Courtice is an investment in your smile and dental health and can provide fantastic results. We want you to enjoy your straighter teeth for the rest of your life. The easiest way to do this is to make sure you wear the retainers as recommended. If you need to wear a nightguard to prevent bruxism (clenching and grinding), be sure to use it. If you lose your retainers, contact West Bowmanville Family Dental as soon as you can, as we can arrange to replace your retainers quickly.
Make sure you stick to a good oral care routine. You likely got into the habit of cleaning your teeth extremely regularly and flossing every day during your orthodontic treatment. It’s a great idea to keep up this awesome routine. Be sure to clean your retainer regularly and when you aren’t wearing it, keep it in the case provided. Your regular dental checkups are very important and bring your retainers with you to check they still fit correctly and are working properly.
