How long do you wear a retainer for?

Once you are done with your Invisalign treatment, the next step is to wear the retainers. It is vital to wear retainers, so your teeth do not move back to their previous position. Patients’ most common question regarding their retainers is how long they must wear them. The answer to this is subjective and depends on your teeth condition and the type of retainer you use.

In general, it is important to wear your retainers full-time for 5-6 months to ensure that you avoid any dental relapse. If you are wearing a permanent retainer, you may have to wear it for 12-14 months continuously. And if you are wearing a permanent retainer, you have to replace it after 3-5 months; after that, it might not be necessary for you to wear them all the time.

Various other factors play a role in how fast your retainers work and hold your teeth in place. After you are done with your Invisalign process, your teeth leave the gaps behind surrounding the tissues and bone. If you have severe dental issues, those gaps can be more prominent and take time to restore new bones; hence, you might have to wear your retainers for longer.

Stages of wearing a retainer

There are different types of retainers, and all of them have a different time frame; therefore, it is vital to wear your retainers on the proper schedule:

• For the first 3-6 months, you must wear your retainers for 22 hours.
• After 3-6 months of regularly wearing your retainers, you can now only wear them at night.
• After 1-2 years, you can skip wearing your retainers for 1 or 2 nights or wear them every alternate day as it will not harm your teeth.

Lastly, if you experience any issues with your retainers, you must visit your dentist for reliable treatment.