Did you have braces as a teenager? If so, your teeth may be crooked again and there’s only one reason why – you didn’t wear your retainer.
An orthodontist has revealed how long you actually need to wear your retainer for, and the answer will probably shock you.
How long you need to wear your retainer
In a viral TikTok video, Dr. Ben Winters said you need to wear your retainer “for life” after having any orthodontic procedures. Yes, forever! You can’t stop wearing the piece of plastic until you’re dead.
He recalled a crazy story from his orthodontics training when a 70-year-old woman came in who had just stopped wearing her retainer after 45 years because she got a crown so it no longer fit – and her teeth had shifted.
The orthodontist explained that you need to keep wearing your retainer because realignment procedures are not a “permanent solution”. As soon as you stop wearing it, your teeth will begin shifting due to the way each tooth fits into the bone.
“All these little bungee cords are attaching your tooth to the bone, so if your teeth are crooked and we turn it sideways, all those bungee cords stretch along with it,” he explained.
When you get your braces off, those “bungee cords” try to pull your teeth back to where they came from. If you have mild crowding, meaning your teeth don’t have much room, those cords will lose their elasticity.
“So for most people, yes you’re probably going to have to wear it for the rest of your life. For others, you could probably get away with once a week after five years,” he said.
How retainers actually work
Wearing a retainer helps hold the teeth in position after any method of realignment, stopping them from shifting back to their original position, Cleveland Clinic explains. There are two types: fixed retainers that stay in your mouth and removable retainers that you take out.
Fixed retainers are small pieces of metal that are stuck on your teeth using a glue-like bonding agent. They are often put on the front, lower or upper teeth to keep them from moving. Removable retainers are custom-made to fit your teeth perfectly and made of plastic.
After first getting braces removed, most people are advised wear a retainer all day and night, except for while eating, for at least four to six months. After that, you’ll need to wear the retainer at night for the rest of your life.
It’s a small price to pay for straight teeth!
Dr. Ben Winters, better known online as The Bentist is a qualified Orthodontist at Wincrest Orthodontics in Plano, Texas. He is a member of the American Association of Orthodontists and specializes in providing braces for children, teens, and adults.
