How long without wearing retainer

Maybe you went on vacation for a week and forgot your retainer. Uh oh! The first three months are critical, and the teeth are most likely to shift during this stage. During this time, a week without your retainer may cause some minor shifting. Your retainer may feel a bit tighter on your teeth when you place it back in again.

Your retainer is there to help support your teeth in their new position. If you notice your retainer is difficult to put back in your mouth, do not force it! This can damage your beautiful smile and your retainer. Never try to force an appliance back in your mouth. Many orthodontic patients ask for a permanent fixed retainer the day we remove their braces to ensure their teeth stay in position. A thin wire at the back of your teeth is the only permanent method for keeping your teeth in place.

As long as you have the wire repaired as soon as possible after any breaks, a fixed retainer is the easy option for keeping your teeth straight. You can have fixed retainers on the top and bottom arches. Some patients choose a combination of fixed and removable retainers.

Teeth on the bottom arch are more susceptible to movement, so fixed retainers on the bottom arch are more common than the top. Unfortunately not, even teeth that are held with fixed retainers may move if they are not directly attached to the teeth or the retainer wire may be bent during chewing that may move the teeth.

It depends on the type of problem you had. It's very much a personal choice. If you think you might forget to wear removable retainers, now or in years to come, a fixed retainer is a good option. After having bulky braces, the thin wire of a permanent retainer is hardly noticeable. However, in the early days it can take a little time to get used to because it sits behind the teeth and can cause you to slur words.

With some practice though your speech returns to normal. Any excess saliva you may notice in the early days will also settle down. Fixed retainers do need to be cleaned regularly with cleaning adjuncts like dental floss; otherwise you could experience an increase in plaque and tartar dental calculus and gum infections.

Occasionally we have to remove the fixed retainer and provide a removable retainer that comes with the need for excellent cooperation.

Retainers are worn full time after braces and only removed to eat, drink and clean teeth. You will need to provide a little care for your removable retainer. Bacteria, plaque and food particles can build-up on retainers without proper cleaning.

The initial months after you complete your treatment is a time when the bone and tissues are not tightly holding your teeth in position. That being said, the chances of your teeth drifting out of alignment are higher, so you need to wear a retainer as often as you can- preferably all the time, except when eating to maintain your new smile. Even after the first month, there is a risk of losing your progress. This relapse period can be as long as a year — even longer if you had a particularly difficult and complicated case.

A good rule of thumb is that you will need your retainer just a little longer than the amount of time you had your braces in. So, if you wear your braces for two years, expect to wear your retainer just a little over two years, though you will taper back from full time to nights only to just a few nights a week and this is best a lifelong strategy to protect your smile!

Your orthodontist should discuss a retention plan with you when you are nearing the end of treatment. Different people naturally have different retention plans, depending on the details of their situation. Or, you might receive a removable retainer to wear at night only. An essential part of using your retainer is maintaining and cleaning it.

Removable retainers should be cleaned regularly by soaking them in a diluted denture cleaner and periodically brushing them, as you would brush your teeth. For fixed retainers, a water pick works wonders for removing stuck particles of food, and you should also floss between the teeth which the retainer spans.

If your retainer is well maintained, it can cut down on the length of time you need it not to mention it will be more comfortable and less likely to create hygiene issues. In certain cases, your orthodontist will attach a permanent retainer to the backs of your teeth. Patients that receive this will wear the retainers all the time, even while they eat and brush. This style of retainer can only be removed by a dentist, and when this is taken out, patients will receive a removable retainer to wear during sleep.

Most patients are given a set of retainers that are removed for eating and brushing. The First Months: During this time, retainers should be worn for 22 hours a day or more. The only time they should be removed is to brush and floss or to eat.