5 Invaluable Oral Health Benefits of Twice-Yearly Dental Visits
Seeing your dentist twice a year improves your oral (and overall) health. Click here to learn about five significant benefits.
Keeping Your Teeth Straight After Invisalign: All About Orthodontic Retention
When you’ve invested time, effort, and funds into straightening your teeth with Invisalign, maintaining your results is a top priority. While your teeth can shift after treatment, orthodontic retention helps prevent it.
Our expert team at Swinney Dental in Tyler, Texas, provides Invisalign, orthodontic retention, and anything else needed to continue benefiting from straighter teeth.
Take a few moments to learn how to keep your teeth straight after Invisalign.
How Invisalign straightens your teeth
Invisalign uses a series of clear trays to gradually shift your teeth into better alignment. The devices are custom-made, using a mold we take of your teeth.
You wear each aligner set for about 22 hours a day for two weeks, removing the trays for eating, drinking (besides water), brushing, and flossing.
Usually, standard Invisalign treatment takes 12-22 months to reach optimal results.
How orthodontic retention works
Orthodontic retention follows successful orthodontic treatment, such as Invisalign. In the months after your treatment ends, your teeth are especially vulnerable to returning to their original positions.
Orthodontic retention prevents this relapse by supporting the updated positions of your teeth while your surrounding jawbone strengthens, usually with a retainer.
Some retainers are designed to be worn daily or nightly indefinitely. Others are used temporarily.
Orthodontic retainers may take the form of clear aligners or traditional metal and plastic retainers.
How Invisalign treatment ends
Once you’ve completed your primary Invisalign treatment, you’ll receive a retainer to keep your teeth in place. Our team typically suggests wearing your retainer daily for six months and then for six additional months at night.
If you weren’t diligent about wearing your Invisalign trays as directed, you may need to wear your last trays for longer before orthodontic retention begins.
What to do if your teeth shift later
While you may not need to continue wearing a retainer after a year post-Invisalign, several factors may shift your teeth out of alignment later, such as:
- Age-related structural changes
- Bruxism (teeth grinding)
- Low jawbone density
- Poor dental hygiene
- Unaddressed tooth loss
- Uncontrolled gum disease
If your teeth move a bit after orthodontic retention, we may recommend Invisalign touchup treatment. You’ll again wear custom-fitted trays, but for a shorter time, such as six months. From there, you may benefit from wearing a night retainer long term.
To get personalized support for keeping your teeth straight after Invisalign, call Swinney Dental to schedule one today. You can also use our convenient online booking feature. Contact our office if you have any questions.
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