Do I Still Need to Wear a Retainer After Invisalign?

Whether with wires or Invisalign, once the teeth are moved to the desired place, they won't want to stay there. After active orthodontics, wearing a retainer is the only way to keep them there. Over time, the bone will become more dense and retainer wear can be moved to night-time only. It is as if you were given a gift of pajamas/nightgown that if worn every night would keep you skinny. Would you wear it? Even if it wasn't your favorite color? The aligner materials are not strong... more

After tooth movement with either traditional braces or invisalign there is a tendency for the teeth to want to migrate to their original position. Teeth are held in the jaw with a periodontal ligament that is very elastic and has a propensity to retreat to its previous position. This is why wearing some type of retainer is necessary. With invisalign the last aligner can be worn as a retainer and it is only necessary to wear it at night when sleeping. Other types of retainers can be worn to... more

The quick answer to your question is yes. If you don't wear the retainer after your treatment the teeth will begin to shift and all of the effort and money you put into straight teeth will be gone. Over a period of time you may be able to decrease the time you wear the retainer, but check with your doctor to discuss the time frame they feel is appropriate for you.

Absolutely !!  Whenever we move the teeth, we need to "hold" our result.  Moving teeth causes remodeling of the supporting bone and tooth socket.  Time is needed to allowing healing and stabilization of the tooth in the "new" position.  If retainers are not worn, the teeth can drift back toward their initial position.  Regardless, we know that the teeth are not static.  They continue to move throughout one's lifetime, therefore... more

It is advisable to wear retainers night and day for at least 3 months after you finish. After that try to wear retainers at night every night for another 3 months and then 1-2 times a week at night forever!! You will notice that after 1 year you can wear the retainer once a week. Its not too much trouble to do that Dr R Kumar BDSLDSRCS

Hi there, It is a commonly asked question by our pateints, Retainers is must after invisalign treatment as teeth have a tendency to move back to their original position . All time and money can go wasted if you do not wear the retainers.

It is imperitive that you wear your retainers as your Doctor recommends.  Studies have shown that without proper retention, the teeth will likely relapse.  It would be a shame to invest time and money in a beautiful smile only to let it loose some of it's beauty due to relapse.

If you desire to maintain your teeth in their new positions, a retainer of some sort is a must. To slow down teeth movement, teeth need to be held in their new positions for a length of time. The roots need to be parallel and all rotations actually need to be overrotated or overcorrected. Retainer types include: Invisalign retainer, permanent retainer, or Hawley retainer. In my experience with Invisalign, I actually recommend longer wear of a retainer (vs. braces) to prevent minor tooth... more

Please wear your retainer as prescribed by your Orthodontist, to maintain the beautiful results you have achieved. In my experience, patients will eventually wean down to wearing the retainer every other night. We educate our patients to understand that this is the only way to ensure that the teeth will not relapse over the long term. Dr. Sal

Please do not wear your LAST aligner as a retainer for very long. Max three months. Please spend the money and get the Vivera retainers which are made from the last 3-D image of your teeth that Invisalign has on record. They can sometimes even continue to straighten teeth and they are much more rigid. Dont switch to a new type of retainer because then it won't feel familiar or comfortable and you wont wear them.