Keep Your Teeth Straight After Braces

Your orthodontic treatment doesn’t stop when your braces come off! Retainers keep teeth in place so your new smile can last a lifetime. 

After we remove your braces, we will take a new impression of your teeth. We use this mold to create a retainer made of either wire and acrylic or clear plastic (similar to a clear aligner). Sometimes we may suggest a fixed retainer, which permanently stays on the interior surface of your teeth. 

How long do you have to wear a retainer? As long as you want to keep your teeth straight! 

Failure to wear your retainers as instructed can result in teeth shifting back to their original positions. Retainers prevent this by putting pressure on the teeth to hold them in their new, straight positions. About a quarter of individuals who had braces will have to get braces a second time because they didn’t wear their retainer. 

If you end up losing or breaking your retainer, give us a call so we can make you a new one. Your teeth start shifting sooner than you may expect without a retainer to keep them in place.