Aftercare: Maintaining your new smile

This stage of treatment is extremely important: if worn as instructed and cared for well, a retainer can ensure your new smile lasts a lifetime.

Following removal of your fixed brace or Invisalign aligner, a custom-made retainer is fitted to the treated teeth to prevent them from reverting to their original positions. The first 12 months after active treatment are particularly critical as the bone and tissue around the teeth are still reorganising and settling into their new positions.

However, the truth is that the teeth will always be subject to some degree of movement, particularly those at the front of the mouth which are under pressure from the tongue and lips. Therefore, the only way to guarantee that the teeth retain their ideal positions is to wear a retainer for at least two nights per week for the rest of your life.

We often meet adults who received orthodontic treatment in their teenage years but come to us for similar treatment years later because they haven’t worn a retainer to protect the results of their treatment.

Fortunately, developments in technology mean retainers are now made of smooth, lightweight plastic, are virtually unnoticeable and extremely comfortable to wear, not to mention far preferable to repeating treatment!

Click here to read more about when to wear your retainer and how to look after it.