It's normal for a retainer to be uncomfortable, tight, or a bit painful for the first few days of wearing it. Even if the discomfort extends to a full week, it's still usually not a cause for alarm. However, if you experience retainer pain for more than a full week, it's time to call your orthodontist.
The easiest solution for this problem is to go back to wearing your retainer full-time for a few days to a few weeks (depending on how much time you have missed wearing it) to get back on track. The teeth will generally mold back to the shape of the retainer and the soreness and tightness will go away.
Your retainer may become loose or feel like it fits too tight after a while. Retainers naturally start to loosen up over time, as they wear down. It's important to fix a loose retainer, because your teeth are no longer being supported by your retainer, which means they're likely to shift out of place!
It's natural for your retainer to hurt for at least the first day after being fitted, as your mouth adjusts to the novel sensation. Discomfort typically only lasts for four to five days – a week at most. If your retainer is causing you discomfort beyond this, it's best to book a consult with your orthodontist.
Retainers should be a little tight as they are meant to keep your teeth in the same place without them shifting. This tightness will only be a problem if it is causing severe pain, prevents you from sleeping, or causes other issues.
It's natural for your retainer to hurt for at least the first day after being fitted, as your mouth adjusts to the novel sensation. Discomfort typically only lasts for four to five days – a week at most. If your retainer is causing you discomfort beyond this, it's best to book a consult with your orthodontist.
If you accidentally forget to wear your removable retainer for a day or two, don't worry too much. Resume your retainer regimen as instructed, and you should be fine. If it's been longer than that, such as weeks, or even months, try it on to see if it still fits.
Ultimately, your retainers are made to keep your teeth in place, not to move them, but they may be able to slightly shift your teeth back in the right circumstances.
Some people may experience a shift after as little as a week of not wearing their braces, so if you neglect to put your retainer in for a year, you may notice a significant difference between when you first had your braces removed and now.
Ideally, retainers start showing results within 3-4 months, and you can see a slight difference in your smile.
To test if your retainer still fits, you can place it gently in your mouth and see if it slips into place. If your retainer fits correctly, it will feel somewhat snug and gradually loosen up to eliminate any discomfort. If it doesn't fit easily, make an appointment with your orthodontist to ask for help.
Because the clear retainers cover your teeth, when you bite down on something you will be biting the clear material of your retainer. This biting may cause damage to the retainer over time.
The new bone around the teeth may not be completely solidified after your braces come off, and you might notice a small amount of looseness. This isn't a cause for concern–it's normal. It's what your retainer is for.
Generally, a few days or even a week will not allow for severe teeth shifting. Most people will be able to get their retainer in easily and resume their retention period uninterrupted. After a month of not wearing a retainer, teeth may have shifted significantly.
If you miss a day here and there, it's not a big deal. However, if you continually skip wearing your retainer, especially in the three years post-treatment, it can cause issues. If you skip or lose your retainer for a week, it's possible to have some small amount of relapse.
Numerous people think that adult teeth won't change or move over their lifetime because they're permanent. This is false: adult teeth do and can shift over time, whether or not you had braces as a teenager or child. So yes, teeth move overnight, though the change might be imperceptible at first.
A too-tight retainer can damage your teeth and the surrounding gums. The retainer also could become stuck, which would constitute a dental emergency for which you would need immediate care. A retainer that is too loose won't damage the teeth like forcing in a tight retainer can.
Retainers keep your smile in place when active treatment is complete. Adults need to wear their retainers for life, but adolescents may be able to stop wearing them after about 10 years.
The first three months after you've completed your orthodontic treatment you need to wear your retainers full-time, which means approximately 22 hours a day. That does mean you will need to sleep with them. However, you can remove them when you eat or brush your teeth.
Can I wear my retainer only at night? After you've been wearing your retainer consistently for a period of time, yes you'll be able to reduce your wear to nights only! It's important that when you first begin your retention phase, you're wearing your retainer 24 hours a day (or as instructed by your orthodontist).
It's OK to drink water while wearing the retainers, but remove them if you drink other beverages. If you forget to wear your retainer, wear the retainer full-time for few days to re-align your teeth. Your teeth may be sore while they re-align.
Newly freed from the confinement of braces, your teeth are unsettled and don't yet have the new bone tissue needed to keep them in place. Your retainer keeps your teeth from moving right back to where they came from. That takes some pressure, and pressure causes pain.
So long as your mold and retainer are done correctly, a clear retainer should be practically invisible on your teeth. There could be a slight gap between the bottom of your teeth and the retainer, but it won't be too noticeable. Because of their almost invisible nature, most people wear clear retainers.
Teeth are secured not directly into the bone, but with a tough but flexible ligament. This ligament allows the tooth to wiggle just a little bit. About a hundredth of an inch is normal, just enough that you might feel it move under significant pressure, but you shouldn't actually be able to see the movement.
The results of the first studies, based on the movement of 30 teeth in 15 subjects over 84 days, have been summarized in a recent publication. 1 These results showed that the overall mean velocity of tooth movement was 3.8 mm/day, or about 1.1 mm/month.