Will wearing braces for a longer time reduce the shifting after removal?

[hihihihi]

If I choose to continue wearing my braces for some time even after my dentist says I can remove them, will it reduce the chance of shifting after removal? Like will it act like a permanent retainer and make the teeth positions more permanent than if I remove it straight away?

Thx

[mikeg]

i am a strong believer that leaving the braces on for several months after the teeth are where you want them to be is a good thing. Stability comes into play.

Of course your retainer is part of your treatment and wearing it 24/7 is the key.... however a good ortho should be able to tell if your retainer came out good or not..if it is too tight it can cause issue.. or too loose...

Sometimes the person that make the molds for your retainers doesnt do the best job, so it is key to have an ortho that you can communicate all this with to keep your teeth in their position.

As you can see it is not uncommon to have braces on 2 or 3 times due to the shifting post braces.

[Sunny]

hihihihi ... the short answer is NO!

The bone area around the tooth will not become stable until the archwire is replaced. Then comes the important retainer wear, while this area stabilises.

Good luck with having your braces removed and your retainers becoming a part of your life forever!

[Zoso]

The bone area around the tooth will not become stable until the archwire is replaced.

I'm not sure I follow any logic for this part of your response, Sunny. As long as teeh are not being moved (be they being held in place by brackets and an archwire, or by a retainer) the bone should consolidate.

However, I do agree that no matter how long the braces are left in place at the end of treatment, the teeth can - and do -still move throughout our lives - the tendency of the teeth to drift mesially is something to which we are all susceptible, and that is true whether we've had orthodontic treatment or not.

My advice would be to get those braces off just as soon as your orthodontist feels that active treatment is complete (assuming you agree that it is!) and that the braces can come off - after all, dental hygiene is easier in retainers than in fixed braces, so it will be easier to keep your nicely straightened teeth clean and healthy.