Teeth Stability After Treatment

[osamawad]

Hi All,

I was reading some old posts in this forum, when i found that some members mentioned that they were using retainers after treatment completion in order to prevent teeth from returning back to their original position.

My questions are:
Do all cases need to use retainers after finishing treatment?
and
How long the period must patient use them?

All the best,,,,,

[Sunny]

Osamawad I'm not totally sure what you're referring to, but after treatment is completed, you are required to wear retainers for life ... or for as long as you want your teeth to remain in their best positions ... which should be for life.

Most ortho's recommend a period of full time retainer where, then reducing this to nights only and eventually the recommended two or three nights a week for life.

Hope this helps!

[Stephanie]

gotta wear retainers ... you'll see on this site many that don't get braces on for a 2nd,3rd or 4th time!

[osamawad]

thats horribles, for life ??????????????

[coconut]

Trust me, it's not that bad.

[Sunny]

Osamawad ... for as long as you want your teeth to stay where they are after orthodontic treatment, you'll need to have some retainer wear. For most people it's a couple of nights a week ... although I know of many who wear them every night ... as it's habit and doesn't affect anything they do while they're asleep.

What I reckon would be horrible, would be realising I'd spent a load of money and time to have my jaw problem sorted and in 5, 10, 15 or so years ... finding that my jaw problems have returned because I didn't have the discipline to wear my retainers a few nights a week. Then there's the possibility of needing orthodontic treatment again ... more money, more issues ... and still a lifetime of retainer wear needed to make sure there's no relapse.

Most of our patients who've been in retainers for 12+ months, report that once it's a habit it's easy. The younger patients often say they wear their retainers every night they're at home ... which for most is between five and seven days.

[osamawad]

Thanks Sunny,
I really appretiate your efforts to help us.
But one more question has raised up now :
why do teeth tends to relapse?
Has bone around teeth already built up strong enough to prevent that ?
THANX again

[Sunny]

Teeth continue to move as long as we're alive ... so most of this movement is the result of pressures from within our mouths and this includes our tongue, cheeks, bite chew. Other things that can affect our teeth continuing to move are the things we bite into and chew. The hard foods will have more affect on our teeth, but all chewing does. When this happens during orthdontic treatment, it's a good thing, as the teeth are being moved with the archwire in place. Once the archwire is removed, they don't have anything to keep them in one place, so they in response to whatever has started the loosening again ... and on and on and on ... this process continues for our forever!

[osamawad]

dear sunny,

Questions will keep raising up,,,
i have one more :
Will teeth movement be into their old places direction they were before treetment???
or just random movement ?

thanx a lot

[Denise]

Osamawad, I've had lots of friends who had braces as teenagers, and their teeth have all moved in different ways than they were before they had braces because they stopped wearing their retainers. They just kind of seem to move wherever they feel the desire to, in a manner of speaking. So they could revert to how they were, but most likely they'll move differently.

[Sunny]

Where teeth move to depends on many things. You may notice that as people get older, often the gums shrink, so this will also have an affect on your teeth. Gum health affects where teeth go, as will any gaps from teeth that are removed.

Often it does appear that teeth move forward. I'm not really sure about why ... but I've been told this is partly due to the way we bite.

[Zebstriped]

I'm headed into braces for the second time, after 24 years, and wanted to share my experience with you. I mentioned to my new doctor that I still had the impressions taken prior to my 1st round of braces. She told me to look at them to see if the teeth are in the same position.

Wouldn't you know that the problem I have with my lower teeth is exactly what it was when I was 16? I was never given a lower retainer, and of course as a thoughtless-teenager was not good about wearing the top one either.

So here I am again and when this is over, I will do whatever my doctor tells me to!

[osamawad]

My ortho told me that i should wear retainer for only eight months.
is he lying to me??

[osamawad]

Zebstriped , Thank you for sharing your experience.
I believe reverting to pre-braces position will be really annoying.
But what about your upper teeth?, you was given retainer for them .
But you didn't wear it,
Did your upper teeth hang on there?

I'm headed into braces for the second time, after 24 years, and wanted to share my experience with you. I mentioned to my new doctor that I still had the impressions taken prior to my 1st round of braces. She told me to look at them to see if the teeth are in the same position.

Wouldn't you know that the problem I have with my lower teeth is exactly what it was when I was 16? I was never given a lower retainer, and of course as a thoughtless-teenager was not good about wearing the top one either.

So here I am again and when this is over, I will do whatever my doctor tells me to!

[Sunny]

Osamawad your ortho may be referring to your full time wear. After full time wear their is a period of part day wear ... usually every night, then most people can became 'a few nights a week only' wearers.

I'm hoping there's not ortho's still out there, who believe that teeth will stay where they are after ortho treatment. If there were, that would be really sad!

[osamawad]

Sunny
I just hate to have something that I will be obliged to do my all life time

Osamawad your ortho may be referring to your full time wear. After full time wear their is a period of part day wear ... usually every night, then most people can became 'a few nights a week only' wearers.

I'm hoping there's not ortho's still out there, who believe that teeth will stay where they are after ortho treatment. If there were, that would be really sad!

[Sunny]

Then why did you have ortho treatment?

There's no such thing as a quick fix ... even with the many cosmetic surgeries etc, there's always follow up surgeries ... once something is changed ... it doesn't stay changed.

[coconut]

As you're not in the retention phase yet, Osamawad, your fear may be a bit premature. Once you get used to retainers, putting them in and taking them out becomes almost mechanical. Just like brushing teeth.

[Sunny]

Thanks for that Coconut!

My clients tell me regularly that nightly retainer wear is a breeze compared with full time braces. Best of all, there teeth stay were they're supposed to be and all the issues that the orthodontic treatment fixed, stay fixed!

[osamawad]

Just like brushing teeth.

That why i hate brushing teeth

HAHAHAHAHAHA

[osamawad]

THAT REALLY MAKES ME FEEL BETTER

Thanks for that Coconut!

My clients tell me regularly that nightly retainer wear is a breeze compared with full time braces. Best of all, there teeth stay were they're supposed to be and all the issues that the orthodontic treatment fixed, stay fixed!

SUNNY ,,,

[Zebstriped]

But what about your upper teeth?, you was given retainer for them .
But you didn't wear it,
Did your upper teeth hang on there?

Hi Osamawad,
I wore the retainer religiously for a few years, but then not at all. I also had my wisdom teeth come in in my 20s, which is what I feel moved my upper teeth the most. So wearing the retainer may not have made a huge difference due to the teeth moving to make room for the wisdoms.