Taking off your braces or finishing your series of Invisalign aligners isn’t the last step of your orthodontic treatment! The final leg of your journey towards a straighter, healthier smile is to wear your retainer. However, if you’re caught up in enjoying the freedoms you had to give up or modify during your treatment, you may be wondering just how necessary it is to wear this little oral appliance. It may be much more important that you imagine! Here are three big reasons why you need to wear your retainer once you achieve a straighter smile.
Your Teeth Could Drift Out of Place
Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that teeth don’t like to stay put. Once the constant pressure of your orthodontic treatment is gone, they’ll naturally begin to drift back to their original positions. It’s essential that you wear your retainer diligently for the first three months after completing your treatment. This should give your jawbone enough time to strengthen around the roots of your teeth and hold them securely in place.
However, it’s just as important to continue to wear your retainer after the first three months! The shape of your mouth and jawbone will change over time, which can cause your teeth to drift out of place without the help of a retainer. In fact, studies suggest that 50% of unwanted tooth movements occur within two years of a patient dropping the habit of wearing their retainer.
Wearing Your Retainer Can Save You Money
It’s no secret that orthodontic treatment can cost quite a bit of money. Naturally, you’ll want to do everything you can to protect your investment! If you don’t wear your retainer often enough, your teeth and jaws can change position again, and you may need to pay for an entirely new set of braces or Invisalign aligners. While it will hopefully cost less than your initial treatment, it will still likely cost a significant amount of money. While retainers come with a price of their own, they’re far more affordable than a full orthodontic treatment. Investing in an affordable retainer now can potentially save you a fortune in the future!
Enjoy Your Straighter, Healthier Smile for Life
Braces and Invisalign have the power to give you a better bite and straighter teeth, but only a retainer can guarantee that those results last a lifetime. Over time, the back molars naturally move forward ever so gradually. If you’re not wearing your retainer often enough, this means your teeth can become crowded and weakened. Simply wearing your retainer a few nights a week as instructed by your orthodontist is enough to keep your pearly whites in place for decades to come.
Your retainer plays a key role in the success of your orthodontic treatment! Don’t hesitate to contact your orthodontist if you have questions or concerns about yours.
About the Practice
At Simply Orthodontics Webster, we’re dedicated to helping smiles of all ages obtain optimal oral health and maintain it for life! Not only do we offer a variety of orthodontic treatments to fit nearly every lifestyle and stage of life, but we provide numerous appliances as well. With our orthodontic guarantee program, you can replace your broken, bent, or lost retainers for a small fee up to four times a year. To learn more, we can be contacted online or at (508) 943-2100.