Wearing a retainer after braces

Is it true that if you don't wear your retainer after using conventional braces for a required period of  6-8 months, your teeth will move back to their initial state? Is it also true that you may need to wear it for as long as forever?

1 answer to “Wearing a retainer after braces”

A: Whether you've had braces or not...teeth are continually moving or shifting

Matt Walton, DMD

It is true that teeth will move if retainers are not worn. The teeth will have a tendency to move back to their original positon. "Tendency" is the key word here meaning that  teeth will shift but not necessarily all the back to their initial state.  This tendency to shift is called... more

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