How Long do I need to Wear retainers?
How long do I need to wear retainers?
If you are considering teeth straightening, such as Invisalign or traditional braces, you may wonder how much longer you would be wearing some dental appliance to keep your teeth straight. Or, if you have recently finished your braces – how long will you need to wear a retainer? The short answer is – for as long as you want to keep your teeth straight. The only way to ensure your teeth won't shift is regular retainer wear – typically every night. The more detailed answer is that it depends on which type of retainer you have and how long it has been after treatment.
What are the different types of retainers?
Your retainer wear routine will depend on the type of appliance you have.
Permanent "wire" retainers:
There are "permanent" retainers, typically a stiff wire or a chain bonded on the lingual (inside) surface of your teeth where it can not be seen. Because these retainers are not removable except by a dental professional, they are “always” worn, and you will not need to bother maintaining and wearing them regularly. The downside to this type of "wire" retainer is that some patients do not like the feeling of extra bulk behind their teeth.
Additionally, most patients will feel inconvenienced by flossing between the teeth the retainer covers. Most commonly, patients that have a "wire" retainer will have it span across six teeth per arch. This means that when flossing, they will have to "thread" the floss under the wire and between each tooth to remove food debris and plaque between the teeth effectively. Because it is more difficult to floss and more accessible to have food stuck in the wire – this type of retainer could cause some patients with poor dental hygiene to develop cavities in this area. We recommend diligently flossing and perhaps supplementing with a water flosser (like a WaterPik).
Sometimes, your teeth will still want to shift despite the wire retainer. Although uncommon, we have helped several patients with retainer wires that have "popped" out or are loose and no longer keeping their teeth straight. If this happens to you, we recommend visiting your Winter Park dentist very soon to keep the teeth from shifting further.
Clear retainers:
The most popular "modern" retainer option is the clear plastic retainer, which keeps teeth straight by holding the shape around them. This style is removable and typically only worn in the evening. Even when worn, it is less visible, and a properly made clear retainer will have minimal effect on the patient's speech and comfort, allowing them to wear them for extended periods without affecting their daily activities.
Following their orthodontic treatment (Invisalign or traditional braces), most patients need only to wear clear retainers when sleeping. However, it is essential to note that the advice for nighttime/sleep wear is based on an 8-hour sleep cycle. If you don't regularly get that much sleep, consider starting to wear it a few hours before bed or extending it into the morning.
If you have recently finished Invisalign or braces, your dentist may recommend wearing your clear retainers full-time (20-22 hours a day) for the first several weeks. At our office, we recommend that patients finishing Invisalign wear their retainers full-time like their Invisalign aligners for the first six weeks. This helps "set" your smile, as the teeth are still mobile immediately after your treatment.
For some patients, skipping one or two nights at a time has also been successful. We typically do not recommend this as it is easy to break the daily habit of your retainers. However, several patients have tested one or two nights regularly – without their retainers and have found no shifting as long as they return to their retainers. Most commonly, this would be skipping their retainers for a weekend trip and resuming wear on Monday. However, we do not recommend this intermittent wear.
The disadvantage of clear retainers is that they can be lost or damaged and easily forgotten because they are removable. Curious pets and hotel housekeeping are among the most common reasons that clear retainers are lost, and many patients may not return to retainers until their teeth have shifted.
Finally, depending on the patient – one additional property of clear retainers can be an advantage or a disadvantage. Because the retainers cover all surfaces of your teeth – including the biting surfaces (occlusal), they are subjected to your clenching, biting, and grinding when you wear them. This means that they will not last as long as other retainer options. The disadvantage is that eventually, they will wear out and lose their ability to keep your teeth straight – giving them a shorter helpful life before needing replacement. However, if you are grinding/clenching in the evening, perhaps from stress, your retainers act as a "light duty" nightguard so the plastic wears away instead of your tooth surfaces. For this reason, several patients prefer the dual-purpose benefit of retainers, which keep their new smile straight and serve as a thin nightguard. Because it is thinner, they wear away faster but are more comfortable than a thicker nightguard, which may cause discomfort when sleeping.
Hawley retainer:
While Hawley retainer is the least popular option, it is very effective. It combines wire and resin materials to make a dental appliance that keeps tooth surfaces aligned in the evening. Because it is removable, the patient is able to avoid the inconvenience of flossing through a permanent wire. And because it is made of more durable materials that do not get subjected to the same biting forces as a plastic retainer, it lasts several times longer (many many years) compared to clear retainers.
Their main disadvantage is a higher cost as it takes more time and materials to fabricate. Because it is removable, the same issues arise when the retainer is damaged, lost, or forgotten. In the case that a Hawley retainer is lost, a replacement is more time-consuming and costly.
Takeaways
If you are finishing your treatment and need some specific advice on when, how long, and what kind of retainer is best for your specific smile and lifestyle – please give our office a call! We can help you with any retainer option, whether you have undergone Invisalign treatment with us, are finishing treatment elsewhere, or are in need of a new retainer after some time.