A lot of patients think that when we take the braces off or we take the Invisalign off, that they’re done with the treatment. Actually, that’s not the case. When we take everything off, we give you retainers and you have to wear them nighttime for a lifetime.
Whenever we move teeth during orthodontic treatment, the teeth’s biology is changing. So think about it this way, the teeth are always trying to go back to their original spot. So when we take those braces and Invisalign off and you wear those retainers, it’s holding your teeth in place.
If you don’t wear your retainers, your teeth are gonna shift to their original position. I’ve seen patients have really bad relapse after just a couple months of not wearing the retainers. So teeth will shift and I always tell patients that.
Orthodontic relapse is a real thing and it really is something that can happen if you don’t wear your retainers. The biggest risk with orthodontic relapse is that your teeth are gonna shift and your bite is gonna be off again. And you basically wasted those couple years, that big investment that you made, and you basically have to start all over again.
So if you don’t wear your retainers, you’re at a risk of grinding, gingivore session, that bite being off again. So depending on how much your teeth have relapsed, if you haven’t worn your retainer in that six months to a year, sometimes a new retainer is an option. If you’re okay with a little bit of movement that went on, if you’re not though, retreatment is really the only option for you.
