Retainers after orthodontics: why, for how long and how to care for them
Finishing orthodontics without retention is like stopping watering a plant the day it blooms. The retainer is the part of the treatment that makes the result last.
Why teeth drift back
Each tooth is held by fibres that stretch during treatment and take months to reorganise. In the meantime they pull towards the original position. Add the normal changes of the mouth with age, which move teeth with or without previous orthodontics.
For how long
The general recommendation in orthodontics is long-term retention: extended wear in the first months and then nights only, indefinitely. It is a small routine — putting it in at bedtime — that protects a large investment.
Vivera®
They are made from the iTero™ scan at the end of treatment, so they fit without adjustments. They are clear, removable and, according to Align Technology, stronger than a conventional thermoformed retainer. If one is lost, it is replicated from the same scan.
Care
Cold water and a soft brush, never hot water or alcohol-based rinses. Always in the case when not in the mouth — the pocket and the restaurant napkin are where they get lost. Yearly check at the office.
- — American Association of Orthodontists — retention after treatment.
- — Align Technology — Vivera® retainers.
