Are retainers necessary following orthodontic treatment?
A retainer is a device that is usually removable and is worn after the braces are finished. The retainer is designed to prevent your teeth from shifting out of their final positions while the bone around your teeth stabilizes. The positions of the teeth are constantly affected by lip, tongue and chewing forces and therefore wearing retainers is the only sure way to prevent unwanted shifting of the teeth. We usually recommend full-time wear (24-hours) of the retainers for six months once the braces are removed, then one can go to just wearing the retainers while sleeping.
