Aftercare & Retention

In practical terms, yes, and we would rather say that plainly than let you find out the hard way.

Teeth do not settle permanently. They drift slowly throughout life whether or not you ever had braces, which is why lower front teeth crowd in people in their thirties who never had treatment. A retainer is what holds your result against that.

It is not onerous. Most people end up wearing a clear retainer at night, indefinitely, which takes seconds.

Full time for the first few months, then nights only from there on.

The first year is when teeth are most likely to move, because the bone and fibres around them are still settling. After that the risk drops but never disappears, so night-time wear continues long term.

Your retainer checks are included for a year after the braces come off, so we see how things are holding before you are on your own with it.

Brush it gently with a soft toothbrush and cool water every time you take it out. That is most of the job.

Never use hot water, which warps the plastic and ruins the fit. Avoid abrasive toothpaste, which scratches the surface and makes it cloudy. A retainer soak once or twice a week keeps it fresh.

For a bonded retainer behind the front teeth, use a floss threader or interdental brush to clean under the wire, and keep up your normal dental check-ups.

No. Take removable retainers out to eat, every time. Chewing with them in cracks and distorts the plastic, and food trapped underneath sits against the enamel.

Put them in their case rather than a napkin, which is how most retainers end up in a bin.

Bonded retainers are different. That fine wire behind your front teeth stays put permanently and you eat normally with it.

There is no need, and it is not a good habit. Standing water grows bacteria, and a retainer left soaking overnight can pick up a film and a smell.

Clean it, dry it, and store it in its case. If you want to soak it, use a proper retainer solution for the time stated on the packet rather than leaving it in overnight. Never hot water.

A clear removable retainer looked after well generally lasts a few years before the plastic dulls, thins or cracks. Grinding at night shortens that considerably.

Bonded retainers can last many years, though the wire occasionally detaches from a tooth. That is worth getting seen quickly rather than waiting, because a partly detached retainer lets some teeth move while holding others.

When the one you have stops doing its job. The signs are cracks, a piece missing, a retainer that no longer clicks firmly into place, or plastic gone cloudy and thin.

There is no set schedule. Some people go years on one set, others wear through them faster because they grind.

Do not wait until it breaks completely. Ring us while the old one still fits, because then a new one can be made to your current position rather than having to move teeth back first.

Probably a little, and probably not enough to matter. Teeth start moving within days, but three nights will usually mean nothing worse than a retainer that feels tight going back in.

Put it back in as soon as you can and wear it consistently for a few nights. If it will not seat at all, do not force it. Ring us on 01 296 3638 and we will look.

The pattern to watch for is not the odd missed night, it is the missed week that becomes a missed month.

Try it, gently. If it seats fully and just feels tight, wear it and it will usually settle over a few nights.

If it will not go on properly, stop. Forcing a retainer that no longer fits puts uncontrolled pressure on individual teeth, which is not what it is designed to do.

Either way, ring us. A retainer that has stopped fitting is telling you the teeth have moved, and the sooner that is looked at the smaller the problem is.

Mild tightness for a night or two after a gap is normal and worth persevering with. That is the retainer holding teeth that had begun to drift.

Actual pain is not normal. Nor is a retainer that digs into the gum, rubs a sore spot, or only seats on one side. Stop wearing it and ring us on 01 296 3638.

An ill-fitting retainer is worse than no retainer, because it can move teeth in directions nobody planned.

A well-fitting one will not. It is designed to hold teeth where they are, not to move them, and the forces involved are tiny.

A retainer that no longer fits is a different matter. If teeth have drifted and you force the old one on, you are applying unplanned pressure to whichever teeth it happens to contact, and that can tip teeth or irritate the gum.

Tight for a night or two is fine. Painful, or only seating on one side, means get it checked.

If you have had treatment before and your teeth are still where you want them, yes. We can scan and make a fresh retainer to hold your current position.

If your teeth have already drifted, a retainer will only hold them where they are now, crooked included. It cannot move them back. Straightening them again means a short course of treatment first, then retention.

So the honest answer is that it depends on whether you want to hold or to correct. Come in and we will tell you which is realistic.