Retainers Once Invisalign Ends
Why straightened teeth try to undo the work, the wearing pattern we recommend, how to keep retainers in good condition, and what to do when one disappears.
Do I Have to Wear a Retainer Once Invisalign Is Finished?
You do. Expect to wear one at night indefinitely, otherwise your teeth will slowly work their way back out of line. Newly straightened teeth try to return to where they came from, and all teeth carry on shifting gently as adults age, so the routine is a short spell of full-time wear and then nightly wear from that point on. At our Broughty Ferry practice a set of Vivera retainers comes with every Invisalign package, and a replacement set is £530.
In a Nutshell
Aligners move teeth. Retainers hold them where they have been moved to. Skip the retainers and a fair proportion of what you paid for can quietly reverse over the months and years that follow, nearly always starting with the lower front teeth. Everyone who completes Invisalign with us leaves with Vivera retainers and a wearing schedule, both handed over on the day the final aligner comes out.
What Makes Teeth Relapse
Every tooth hangs in its socket from a web of fine fibres, with more fibres looping around the neck of the tooth just beneath the gum. When a tooth moves, those fibres are stretched, and for months afterwards they act like elastic bands, pulling it back towards where it used to sit. The fibres at the neck take longest to adapt, which is why a tooth that was rotated is the one most inclined to rotate back.
Then there is a second, slower pressure. Teeth drift throughout adult life whether or not they have ever been straightened, and the lower front teeth in particular become more crowded with age. So retainers are not just a first-year precaution. They are what stops normal ageing from undoing the result.
Have Your Teeth Drifted Since Braces?
A free consultation with Dr Sharma, scan included, will show exactly where things stand.
The Wearing Schedule
| Stage | How much wear | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Immediately after treatment | All day and all night, removed only to eat and brush | The fibres are newly stretched and pulling at their strongest |
| Next | Each night while you sleep | Keeps the result stable while bone and gum settle |
| Long term | Nightly, for good | Offsets the natural drift of ageing |
The full-time stage varies in length according to how much the teeth moved and in which direction, so we set it individually rather than hand everyone the same figure. Once you are down to nights only, missing the occasional night does no harm. Two weeks without them could.
A simple check: if your retainer feels tight as it goes in, the teeth have started to wander and it is pulling them back. That is a reason to wear it more often, not to abandon it.
Vivera, Essix or a Fixed Wire?
Vivera retainers are made by the same company as Invisalign and are manufactured to a scan of your teeth in their final position. They resemble a clear aligner, but the plastic is thicker and more robust because it has to survive years rather than a fortnight. This is the set that comes with your treatment.
Essix retainers are another clear, removable design made from a different plastic. If you lose one arch they make a sensible, lower-cost replacement, at £214 for a single arch or £270 for the pair. 1
A bonded wire is cemented behind the front teeth. Its appeal is that forgetting to wear it is impossible, but it slows down flossing and can detach without you realising. Most people coming off aligners find removable retainers more straightforward, and a few have both.
Keeping Them in Good Shape
- Brush before your retainer goes in for the night, or plaque is held against your teeth for eight hours
- Rinse it every morning and give it a gentle clean with a soft brush under cool water
- Skip the toothpaste, which is abrasive enough to scratch the plastic and turn it cloudy
- Hot water, sunny windowsills and car dashboards all distort it, so keep it well clear of heat
- Always use the case. A retainer wrapped in tissue is a retainer headed for the bin
- Keep it well away from dogs, which seem irresistibly drawn to chewing them
- Bring it along to your examinations so we can check the fit and look for splits
Treated this way, a set will give good service. In time the plastic clouds, thins or cracks, and we will tell you when it is time for a replacement.
Lost, Damaged or No Longer Fitting
Get in touch within the week. Teeth can start to shift within days, and the quicker we make a replacement, the less there is to put right. If you have kept your final aligner, wear that at night until the new retainer arrives. We take a fresh iTero scan for the replacement, with no putty involved.
If the habit has lapsed and the retainer now needs a bit of pressure to seat, steady nightly wear may ease the teeth back into place. If it will not go in at all, do not force it, since you risk cracking it or straining the teeth. The remedy at that point is normally a brief course of aligners: Invisalign Express, priced at £2,500, exists for precisely this kind of relapse and includes a new set of Vivera retainers.
A Retainer Is Not a Shield
Retainers hold teeth in position and nothing more. They offer no protection against decay or gum disease, which means straightened teeth need interdental cleaning as much as ever, routine examinations and regular hygiene visits. If you grind or clench in your sleep, tell us. A thin retainer is not designed to withstand that kind of load, so a night guard may be the more sensible thing to wear in bed, with a separate plan for keeping the teeth straight.
Should your bite feel different, or should a retainer that once slipped in effortlessly now feel tight or loose, make an appointment instead of waiting for your next scheduled examination. A small shift spotted early is much simpler to correct.
Where Retainers Fit in the Package
Retainers are one part of a bigger bundle. Every Invisalign package with us takes in the scan, the simulation and X-rays, all of your aligners, any refinements, your Vivera retainers, whitening at home and one hygiene appointment. Fees range from £2,500 up to £5,000, and which package suits which teeth is set out in the Invisalign cost guide. 1
The whitening is deliberately saved for the end. Once the teeth are straight it is the ideal moment to brighten the shade, and whitening ahead of any bonding or veneers means those can be matched to the new colour.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.