What can happen to your teeth if you forget to wear your retainer?

Orthodontic treatment can straighten your teeth! Your orthodontist can move your teeth gently by exerting light force on the tooth which travels to the correct portion of the root and ligament, causing remodel of the bone around your tooth, to straighten your teeth.

Lifestyle and bone levels are always changing, this means that teeth can move throughout life!

Retainers are fitted onto patients whom have had orthodontic treatment to maintain their optimum tooth positions. The first three months are critical to wear your retainers as instructed because your bone around your teeth are hardening to the new positions and can move easily without retainers.

Ideally you should wear your retainers at night for life.  The amount of movement by your teeth can vary from person to person. So after a week it’s possible to have some small amount of relapse, small spaces or rotations are most common. After a month your bite may start to changeoverbite and overjet tend to increase and rotations worsen. Over years and with age teeth tend to crowd and collapse towards your tongue.

Make sure your visit your orthodontist if you lose or distort your retainer.