First 3 Months After Orthodontic Treatment
Your teeth need time to stabilize during the months after active orthodontic treatment. For 3 months, wear your retainers for 22 hours every day to avoid shifting. Only remove them to eat and brush your teeth.
After 3 months, you can begin wearing your retainers only at night. You will need to wear retainers every night to prevent any changes or shifting of your teeth. Missing a day here and there will not be detrimental, but if it becomes a habit, your retainers may no longer fit properly over time.
Clear plastic retainers are highly effective at maintaining your smile, but they typically last up to 2 years before showing signs of wear or stretching. Some people may need replacements sooner—around every 6–12 months—depending on factors such as:
- Heavy grinding/clenching at night, which many people do without even realizing it.
- Your first aligner may also wear more quickly because you are wearing it for 22 hours for the first 3 months.
- Inconsistent use, which can cause added pressure when worn again
- Unsafe storage allowing pets to destroy or hide retainers
- Many other uncommon reasons that could lead to stretching or misshapen retainers
Proper care and consistent use will help extend the life of your retainers and keep your smile aligned.
Every 6 Months
To determine if your retainers have stretched, you should always have a new unused retainer to try every 6 months—often during your routine dental cleaning visit. If the new retainers feel tighter than your current ones, it’s a sign that your existing retainers have loosened, and it’s time to switch to a new set before any shifting occurs.
If you only have one set of retainers, there is no way to determine if your retainer has stretched until your teeth start noticeably shifting. By that point, it is already too late, and some shifting may have already happened. Getting a new scan for new retainers will stop further shifting, but it won’t move your teeth back to the position you were happiest with.
This is why we often recommend options like Vivera, which provide multiple sets of retainers along with a saved digital scan. This makes it easier to replace your retainers when needed and maintain your results over time.
When You Need More Retainers
Please call our office when you’re ready to upgrade from a single set of retainers to a more secure option for protecting the smile you’ve worked hard to achieve. We can schedule a visit to scan your teeth and provide you with Vivera retainers.
You can also let us know when you begin using your last set of Vivera retainers. You don’t ever want to be without a backup on hand. If you haven’t had any major dental work and have been following your retainer instructions consistently, you will likely not need a new scan or impression.
Cleaning Retainers
Feel free to bring your retainers with you during your regular dental cleaning appointments. We’re happy to professionally clean them and help keep them in good condition.