This is a great question and an important one to understand before starting orthodontic treatment.
When creating a beautiful smile, teeth are moved to new positions in your mouth and must be given time to stabilize. This is what orthodontists refer to as “retention.” Because teeth tend to shift naturally as we get older, this retention phase lasts the rest of your lifetime. Typically, we ask our patients to wear retainers all the time for the first 6 months after completing their treatment. After 6 months, most only need to wear them while they are sleeping at night. The design of our retainers covers the entire tooth surface so if you are one that grinds your teeth together at night, retainers will help prevent further wear.
Retention is so important to us at Parks, Schmit & Fuller Orthodontics that when you have fully completed your orthodontic care, we will make you two sets of retainers. Always having a backup set assures us that your teeth will stay straight if you wear them as instructed. With our 3D printing technology, we can always provide you with future replacement retainers if needed.