Invisalign orthodontic treatment is a one-of-a-kind braces experience. Namely because there are no “braces” at all. The translucent, removable system is one of the most discrete ways you’ll ever straighten your teeth. So once your Invisalign treatment is completed, is the retention process any different than wearing traditional orthodontic appliances?
Yes and no.
Orthodontic Retention
When we talk about “retention”, what we mean is that we need to retain the position of your teeth after they’ve been moved with aligners or braces. Including Invisalign. Otherwise our teeth tend to have this sort of natural “memory” that causes them to drift back to where they came from. If you’re not retaining your straighter tooth alignment, you’ll experience relapse.
Without a retainer, you can’t keep your teeth straight. Even the way we swallow and natural aging processes can cause our teeth to move out of alignment if there’s nothing there to retain their placement.
Invisalign Retainers
The retainer you’ll wear after Invisalign treatment doesn’t look much like a retainer at all. In fact, it almost looks identical to an Invisalign tray. It’s called a Vivera retainer and it’s a bit more rigid, because it’s meant for long-term use. But like Invisalign, it’s practically invisible and scalloped to the shape of each individual tooth.
How Long to Wear a Retainer
You’ll want to wear your Vivera retainer every night. But as time goes by, you can get by with just wearing it a night or two a week.
Did you lose or misplace a retainer? Call East Cobb Orthodontics as soon as possible to have a replacement made before your teeth drift out of place.