Retainers after Invisalign

Why do teeth move after Invisalign?

Teeth are held in place by fibers in the gum and by the bone around their roots. When a tooth is moved, those have to settle around its new position, and until they do, the tooth tends to pull back toward where it started.

Teeth also keep shifting slowly throughout life, whether or not they have ever been straightened. That is a common story among adults who ask about aligners: braces as a teenager, then a retainer that ended up in a drawer, and teeth that slowly moved again. Invisalign for adults covers putting that right.

How often should you wear your retainer?

As often as we tell you to, and for the long term. How often depends on your teeth and how far they moved, so it is set at the end of treatment and reviewed at your check-ups as things settle.

The pattern that causes trouble is a few nights off that turn into a few weeks off. Teeth rarely move back all at once. They drift a little at a time, which makes it easy to miss until a tooth has clearly moved. Treat the retainer as a habit, like brushing your teeth, rather than something you do when you remember.

Caring for your retainer

A retainer is small, easy to lose and easy to damage, and most of looking after it is simple:

• Brush your teeth before it goes in. Food trapped under a retainer sits against the teeth for hours, and that is how decay starts.
• Take it out to eat, and drink only plain water with it in.
• Rinse it when it comes out, and brush it gently with a soft toothbrush and cool water.
• Keep it away from heat. Hot water, the dishwasher and a car dashboard in summer can all warp it.
• Put it in its case every time, not in a pocket or wrapped in a napkin, and keep the case where the dog cannot reach it.
• Bring it to your cleanings and exams, so we can check the fit along with the rest of your mouth.

What if your retainer is lost or broken?

Call us. Do not wait for your next check-up, because the longer you go without it, the more time your teeth have to move.

If you still have your last aligner, ask whether to wear it while a replacement is sorted out. That is a good reason to keep it in a case until we tell you it can go.

A cracked or bent retainer is not worth wearing in the hope it will do. It may no longer hold the teeth where they should be, and a sharp edge can rub the gum or cheek. Do not try to glue it or bend it back yourself. Bring it in, and ask what a replacement costs.

If your retainer feels tight or will not fit

A retainer that feels tight after a few nights out is telling you the teeth have started to move. If it still goes in without forcing, wear it as directed and let us know. If it will not go in, or it hurts, do not force it. Call, and we will look at where your teeth are.

If your teeth have moved enough that the retainer no longer fits, aligners can often move them back, and this time the retainer afterward is the part to keep up. How Invisalign works walks through what that involves.

Plan for the retainer from the start

The retainer is part of the treatment, not an extra. Whether you are weighing up Invisalign here in Pearisburg or anywhere else, ask whether the first retainer is included in the fee and what a replacement costs, because retainers get lost and wear out. What Invisalign costs explains how the fee is put together.

Teenagers need the same habit as adults, and it can be harder to keep. A parent who knows where the case lives, and notices when the retainer stops going in, is often what keeps the result. Invisalign for teens has more on the parent's part.

Questions patients ask