Do You Have to Wear Retainers Forever?

Great news! You’ve completed your Toothfairy™ aligner treatment and now have a perfectly straight smile. Although you’ve now finished treatment, you still need to wear retainers! But don’t worry, retainers won’t impact your life as much as wearing aligners daily, and plus they are necessary to keep the teeth in place and maintain your dream smile. Here are some of the reason why wearing retainers is so important, and how long you’ll need to wear them for.

Why Do I Need a Retainer?

When Toothfairy™ patients complete all their aligners, it is important to create a retainer plan. Your teeth are in their new positions now, but teeth have memory and they won’t stay that way unless you’re proactive.

The gum and bone holding the newly corrected teeth in place aren’t strong enough to stay straight on their own – at least not yet – so retainers serve as added support for the time being. Daily tasks like eating and speaking will gradually strengthen the supportive tissue around your teeth, ensuring that they don’t shift back to the original position.

Failing to wear your retainer will lead to your teeth gradually shifting back, and though the process will become slower and slower, your teeth will eventually move back to their starting point.

How Often Do I Need To Wear My Retainer?

For most patients, wearing retainers to bed and in between meals is ideal for the first few months while the supportive tissue regains its strength.

As your teeth gradually settle into the corrected position, you can wear your retainer less often – though keeping them in for longer can only do good. After a few months, it is advised to wear your retainer only at nighttime, every single night.

Once you’ve been wearing your Toothfairy™ retainer every night for 1-2 years, you can wear your retainers a little bit less, skipping some nights or wearing them every other night while you sleep.

How Long Do I Need to Wear my Retainer for?

To maintain a straight smile for a lifetime, it is ideal to need to wear your retainers nightly for the rest of your life. The good news is, after some time it won’t be necessary to wear them as often. If you find that your teeth constantly shift even when you only have your retainer off for short periods, you’ll want to see a dentist to have your retainer re-evaluated.

After the first year, try to wear your retainer for at least a few nights each week to ensure that your teeth retain their current position. While it’s not as effective as keeping your retainers on through the whole week, it’s certainly better than not wearing them at all.

Lastly, it’s important to note that the severity of the correction plays a factor here. If your teeth were very crooked prior to getting your braces in, they may be more prone to shifting and thus you should wear your retainer for longer after getting your braces off.

What is Toothfairy™ Retainer Club?

Toothfairy™️ straightening patients are now exclusively able to sign up to our special annual plan – ‘Retainer Club’. Every year, you’ll get a fresh, new retainer sent directly to your door. This means; reducing the risk of teeth movement; no more wear, tear or cracks; and most importantly more hygienic retainers for you! This can be set as one annual payment or broken down into small amounts paid each month.

As you can imagine, by wearing retainers every night, it is very common for them to become worn or cracked in the space of one year, so joining the Retainer Club is the perfect way to replace your old retainer with a clean, shiny new one when needed. Find out more information and how to join by clicking here: https://www.toothfairyapp.co.uk/retainer/

In Conclusion…

We understand that wearing retainers isn’t fun, but it will be worth it in the end when you achieve the confident smile that you’ve always wanted. Straight teeth also provide several health benefits beyond the aesthetic level, so it is important to put in that extra effort, even if you only wear your retainers every other night or a few nights per week in the long run.

Talk to Toothfairy™

If you’re feeling self-conscious about your smile, book a free video consultation with Toothfairy™ and start your teeth aligning transformation today. Find out more here: https://www.toothfairyapp.co.uk/

Click this link to sign up to the Retainer Club to keep your perfect smile in place by preventing relapse (movement) of teeth: https://www.toothfairyapp.co.uk/retainer/