Importance of Invisalign Retainer

Getting braces off or completing Invisalign treatment is exciting. Active orthodontic treatment requires a lot of checkups, scrupulous dental hygiene and occasional discomfort. While you might be ready to show off your new smile free of any appliances, you might be surprised to find out that there is another phase of treatment. Most patients will need to wear a retainer to keep their teeth in the new position. 

Our Orange County cosmetic dentist can explain how often and how long you will need to wear your retainer. During orthodontic treatment, your bone tissue remodels to make way for the roots of the teeth as they move. It takes time for new bone tissue to grow around the roots, and the retainer helps keep your teeth where they need to be while this happens. If you fail to wear your Invisalign retainer, your teeth could shift back to their original positions, a problem called orthodontic relapse. The risk of relapse is highest right after treatment but can continue for months until the position of your teeth has stabilized.

Invisalign retainer looks and feels much like your Invisalign aligners, but it will not put pressure on your teeth. It will simply hold them in their proper position. You might need to wear it all the time at first, but most people will be able to decrease their wear time to nighttime only or less frequently as time passes.

When is Invisalign Retainer Needed?

Invisalign is a great, and often preferred, way to straighten the teeth and fix the bite. The trays, or aligners, fit around the teeth much like a mouth guard, and apply consistent pressure to move them into healthier spots. The Invisalign Full treatment typically requires twenty to thirty aligners over the course of about twelve months. During this time, the look of your smile will improve considerably. It’s best to be sure that your smile stays this way after your main treatment is done, so all of that time and work is not wasted.

This is done with the help of a retainer. Invisalign offers retainers that look and feel much the same as their aligners. Your Los Angeles Invisalign retainer dentist will examine your orthodontic progress and decide how often you will need to wear this new appliance. Most patients will need to wear them twenty-four hours a day for one or two weeks, and then be allowed to switch to only at night. Wearing your retainer while you sleep is the best way to ensure that your teeth stay in their new positions for the rest of your life. This eliminates the possibility of having to undergo orthodontic treatment again later to correct repositioning.