The first 3-6 months after orthodontic treatment
Your retainers for the first three months after your orthodontic treatment has been completed should be worn day and night. You can only remove them to brush and eat. After three months can wear your retainer only at nights. For as long as your smile remains the same, you will need to wear your retainer every night. You will find your teeth shifting and retainers not working if you don’t wear the trays every night.
Retainers can be for up to 2 years. Some people may extend their retainers sooner than they should. Grinding/clenching is a common cause. This is something that over 85% do, and most people don’t know or care about. Because you’ll be using your retainer for 22 hours per day for the first three months of orthodontic treatment, it is possible to have it stretch. Retainers can also stretch sooner for other reasons. For example, if you don’t use your retainer every day. All of these factors can cause teeth shifting, even if your retainer is being used as directed.
Every 6 Months
You should change your retainer every six months. Your current retainers may feel tighter than the new ones. You should switch to a new set immediately before your teeth begin to shift irreversibly.
You can't tell if your teeth are shifting unless you have one set of retainers. It is then too late and your smile is already changed. A new scan/impression to order new retainers will stop any further shifting, but it will not move your teeth back to the place you are most happy with.
We recommend Vivera as a retainer package. This includes four sets of retainers with your scan.
If you need more retainers
Call us if you're ready to upgrade from the single retainer to a more secure method of protecting your smile, which you have worked so hard for. We will scan your mouth for Vivera.
We can also be notified when you use your last Vivera set. It is important to always have a backup. You won't need to have a new scan/impression if you haven't had any major dental work done and you have followed the instructions correctly.
Cleaning Retainers
Feel free to bring in your retainers whenever you visit our office for a professional cleaning.
Contact Sunnyvale dentist Dr. Bhawna Gupta DDS - 408-720-0900