What are retainers for?
Firstly, our teeth are not set in concrete, unfortunately… if they were, we would not be able to move them. On the other hand, throughout life, the teeth are movable, and indeed do move position in response to wear, to tooth loss, to clenching habits, to gum disease, and other factors. For that reason, after braces are removed, it is necessary to fit patients with Retainers. Initially, the retainers hold the teeth in their treated positions, while the bone firms around the roots. This can take a good 12 months. However, the teeth are still quite inclined to move back towards where they came from, so most patients of mine are asked to wear their retainers as follows: Fulltime for first 2 months… then 12 hours per day (includes sleeping ) for next 6 months… then bed only for next 6 months… then wear most nights, but leave out occasionally as a test. * It is critical that the retainers be worn enough to keep them fitting… for some patients, this will mean several times a week fo
