Braces & Plates
Metal and ceramic braces, plates and expanders, planned and fitted by our own specialist orthodontists.
Life after braces
The braces come off. The retainers do not.
Teeth drift for the whole of your life, treated or not. Retainers are the part of treatment that holds the result, which makes them the difference between straight teeth now and straight teeth at forty. Here is the schedule, the care, and what to do when something goes wrong.
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Why it matters
Teeth do not settle, they drift
The fibres and bone around a tooth take months to reorganise after it has been moved, and for a while the tooth is genuinely trying to return to where it came from. That is the first year. After that the risk changes but never disappears, because teeth keep moving slowly throughout life whether they have had braces or not. Lower front teeth crowd with age in people who never had treatment at all.
So retention is not the tail end of treatment, it is the thing that protects everything the treatment bought. A retainer holds the result while it is worn. That is the honest version of the claim, and it is why the schedule below never quite reaches zero.
The first year is the risky one
Most relapse happens in the twelve months after the braces come off, which is exactly when a new result feels most permanent and wearing a retainer feels least necessary.
A night missed is not a disaster
Missing the occasional night will not undo anything. Missing most nights for a few months will, and it happens gradually enough that people do not notice until the retainer stops fitting.
Relapse is cheaper to prevent than to fix
A replacement retainer costs a fraction of a second course of treatment. The adults on our early and adult treatment pages who are back for a second time are almost all here because of a retainer that was lost and never replaced.
The three kinds
Most people end up with two of these
These are not competing options so much as parts of one system. The usual arrangement is a fixed wire behind the lower front teeth doing the quiet work permanently, and a removable retainer worn at night over the top of it.
Fixed retainer
A thin wire bonded behind the front teeth
A fine wire glued to the inside surfaces of the front teeth, usually the lower six. It is invisible from outside, and because it is not going anywhere it does not depend on you remembering anything. This is the workhorse of long-term retention.
- Good at
- Works whether or not you think about it, which is why it protects the lower front teeth better than anything else.
- The catch
- Floss has to go under the wire, so cleaning takes a little longer. The bond can quietly come loose on one tooth, which is why it is checked at reviews.
Clear retainer
A thin transparent shell over the whole arch
Vacuum formed to your finished result and effectively invisible when worn. It holds every tooth in the arch rather than just the front ones, which makes it the usual choice for the upper jaw and for wearing over a fixed retainer at night.
- Good at
- Holds the whole arch, is barely noticeable, and is quick and inexpensive to remake.
- The catch
- It is plastic. Hot water warps it, it wears through over a couple of years, and if it is left out of its case it gets sat on, thrown out or eaten by the dog.
Removable plate
An acrylic plate with a wire across the front
The traditional retainer, with an acrylic body against the palate and a wire bow across the front teeth. More robust than a clear retainer and adjustable, so it is used where the result needs a little active holding rather than pure retention.
- Good at
- Lasts for years, can be adjusted, and survives being sat on rather better than clear plastic.
- The catch
- The wire is visible across the front teeth, so it is a night-time appliance for most people.
The schedule
It tapers, but it never reaches zero
Retainer wear steps down over the first couple of years and then stays where it is for good. The chart is hours per week, and the last step is the one people are surprised by.
- First 3 months
Full time
Day and night, out only for meals and brushing. The teeth are at their most mobile in this window and this is where the result is locked in.
- Months 4 to 12
Every night
Nights only, but every night. The bone around the teeth is still reorganising and this is the phase where quietly skipping nights causes the trouble.
- Year 2
Most nights
Still nights, with a little more room for a night missed here and there. Your orthodontist will confirm when you are ready to ease off.
- For life
A few nights a week
Two or three nights a week, indefinitely, alongside the fixed wire. It is a small habit and it is the entire reason the result is still there in twenty years.
This is the usual protocol rather than a rule. Your own schedule depends on what was moved and how far, and we will give you yours in writing when the braces come off.
When it goes wrong
Something has happened to your retainer
Teeth start moving within days of retention stopping, so none of these should wait for a convenient moment. None of them are emergencies either. Find yours and ring us.
“I found it in a drawer and it does not fit”
Do this now- Stop. Do not force it, and do not wear it a bit at a time to see if it loosens up.
- Ring us and tell reception how long it has been since you wore it.
- Bring the old retainer with you, because it tells us how far the teeth have moved.
Do notForcing a retainer that no longer fits. It is a rigid appliance made for a different set of positions, and pushing it on applies unplanned force to whichever teeth it hits first.
How soon: This is the most common thing that happens and it is very fixable. Depending on how far things have drifted you may need a new retainer, or a short course of realignment first.
“I have lost it”
Do this now- Ring us as soon as you notice, rather than waiting to see whether it turns up.
- If you have an older retainer that still fits comfortably, wear that in the meantime.
- Keep to your normal wear hours with whatever you do have.
Do notWaiting weeks in the hope it reappears. Most of the movement happens early, so the sooner a replacement is made the closer it is to your finished result.
How soon: Ring within a few days. A replacement is usually straightforward if we scan you before things have drifted.
“It has cracked or split”
Do this now- Keep wearing it if it is still comfortable and the edges are not sharp.
- Stop wearing it if it has broken in two, has a sharp edge, or no longer sits properly.
- Ring us and bring the pieces in.
Do notGluing it. Household adhesives are not safe in the mouth and a repaired retainer no longer holds the shape it was made to hold.
How soon: Ring within a week, sooner if you have had to stop wearing it.
“The fixed wire has come away from a tooth”
Do this now- Check whether the wire is loose on one tooth or has come off completely.
- If it is poking, cover the end with orthodontic wax as a temporary measure.
- Wear your removable retainer at night in the meantime if you have one.
Do notAssuming it is fine because nothing hurts. A wire loose on one tooth stops retaining that tooth while still looking perfectly normal from outside.
How soon: Ring us. It is a short appointment to re-bond, and it is worth doing promptly because the tooth it has released is the one that will move.
Looking after a removable retainer
Do
- Rinse it in cool water every time it comes out
- Brush it gently with a soft toothbrush and a little liquid soap
- Keep it in its case whenever it is not in your mouth
- Bring it to every review appointment so we can check the fit
Never
- Hot water, boiling water or the dishwasher, all of which warp it permanently
- Toothpaste, which is abrasive and turns clear plastic cloudy
- Wrapping it in a napkin, which is how most retainers end up in a bin
- Leaving it in a hot car, on a windowsill or anywhere the dog can reach
The money
What retainers cost, and what they save
Nobody publishes this either, which is unhelpful when the whole message of the page is that replacing a retainer promptly is cheaper than the alternative.
Your first retainers are part of treatment
The retainers fitted when your braces come off are included in the treatment quote you were given at the start. They are not an extra at the end, and if anyone has quoted you treatment without retention in it, ask why.
Replacements are charged per retainer
A lost or worn out retainer is remade at a set fee per arch. Reception will tell you the current figure on the phone before you come in, so there is no surprise at the desk.
Cheaper than the alternative, by a lot
A replacement retainer costs a small fraction of a second course of treatment. If cost is the reason a lost retainer has not been replaced, ring and ask, because the arithmetic almost always favours replacing it now.
Health funds usually do not cover them
Most extras policies treat retainers as part of orthodontic cover, so if your orthodontic limit is already used, a replacement generally comes out of pocket. Worth checking with your fund rather than assuming either way.
Reviews while you are in retention
Retention reviews are part of your course of treatment. Come to them. They are how a loose fixed wire gets found before it costs you a tooth position.
Lost it, broken it, or it stopped fitting?
Ring reception and describe what has happened. They will tell you how quickly you need to be seen and what a replacement involves.
FAQs
What people ask about retainers
What people ask once the braces are off. If yours is not here, call the practice and ask it.
Yes, in the sense that a few nights a week continues indefinitely. Teeth drift throughout life whether they have been treated or not, so a retainer holds the result for as long as it is worn. It tapers from full time to a couple of nights a week, which most people find is a small habit rather than a burden.
Do not force it. A retainer that no longer fits is a rigid appliance built for positions your teeth have left, and pushing it on puts unplanned force on whichever teeth it meets first. Ring us, bring the old one in, and we will tell you whether you need a new retainer or a short course of realignment before one can be made.
A clear retainer typically lasts a couple of years of nightly wear before it wears thin or clouds, and a plate lasts longer. A fixed wire can stay in place for decades, but the bond on an individual tooth can quietly fail, which is why it is checked at your reviews.
Not with your retainer. A clear retainer is not made to hold whitening gel and doing so risks irritating your gums and damaging the retainer. Talk to your dentist about whitening, and mention that you have a fixed wire behind your front teeth if you do.
It can be removed if there is a reason to, but the default is that it stays. It is doing the quiet permanent work behind your lower front teeth, which are the teeth most likely to crowd with age. If it is removed, a night-time retainer becomes considerably more important.
A little tightness that eases within a few minutes is normal and usually means the retainer is doing its job. Tightness that does not ease, or that is painful, means the teeth have moved further than they should have. Increase your wear back to what you were doing and ring us if it does not settle within a few nights.
Yes, and for anyone who travels, plays sport or has lost one before it is a sensible thing to have. Ask at your next review and we can make a second set from the same scan.
Keep wearing your retainers. If you are having a crown, a filling on a front tooth or any work that changes the shape of a tooth, tell whoever is doing it that you wear a retainer, and come and see us afterwards so we can check it still seats properly.
Retainer lost, broken or no longer fitting?
Ring the practice and describe what has happened. Reception will tell you how soon you need to be seen, and the sooner that is, the closer we can hold you to your finished result.
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