The Braces Are Off: How Long Will My Teen Need to Wear a Retainer?

Teens celebrate the day they can say goodbye to their braces and show off their incredible new smile. Then they realize they’re not free of dental appliances. The next phase of their orthodontic treatment means wearing a retainer.

Retainers are essential, but they’re not a one-size-fits-all treatment. Variables such as how much we moved your teen’s teeth and if they wear their retainer as prescribed affect how long they need to wear it.

Our caring team at Dentistry With a Smile in Livingston, New Jersey, can better answer the question of how long to wear retainers based on your teen’s personal dental needs. Here, we explain why retainers are so important and offer general guidelines about how long to wear them.

Why retainers are crucial

Helping your teen understand the role of a retainer may motivate them to wear it for as long as needed to protect their new smile. 

Braces work by placing precise pressure on teeth. We carefully adjust the pressure to gradually move your teen’s teeth in the direction needed to straighten and realign them.

As each tooth slowly moves, the jawbone changes. The bone in the path of tooth movement breaks down, and the gap created in your teen’s jawbone from moving the tooth grows new bone.

New bone takes a long time to grow, making retainers essential. Until their bone grows and forms a secure anchor, your teen’s teeth can quickly return to their original, pre-braces position. A retainer is the only way to hold their teeth in place while their bone heals.

How long to wear a retainer

After their braces come off, your teen must wear their retainer full-time, day and night, for at least 4-6 months and possibly a year or longer. When we determine their teeth have stabilized, they can skip days but will keep wearing their retainer at night.

Eventually, your teen may only need to wear their retainer a few nights a week instead of every night. After a few years, some can stop altogether. 

However, the best way to maintain the results accomplished with braces is to keep using a retainer at night for the rest of their life. 

Jawbones and facial shape change as your teen ages, allowing their teeth to move. Consistently using a retainer stops those natural changes from affecting their smile.

Removable vs. fixed retainers

Most teens have removable retainers, which can be invisible or made of a wire and acrylic device that snaps over their teeth. The advantages of a removable retainer are that it can be removed when eating, and it’s easier to clean. 

If your teen doesn’t wear their retainer as much as needed to maintain their new tooth alignment, you may want to consider fixed retainers.

We attach fixed retainers using a bonding agent that holds a single wire firmly to your teen’s teeth. The wire isn’t visible because we put it on the back side of their teeth. Your teen can wear a fixed retainer as long as needed.

Don’t hesitate to contact Dentistry With a Smile if you have questions about your teen’s dental care or retainer wear. Call our office or book an appointment online today.