Your teeth can be straightened with Invisalign in as little as 12 to 18 months. However, using your retainer as your cosmetic dentist prescribes after treatment is essential. Your retainer keeps your teeth from returning to their original locations after removing braces. Your smile’s appearance and overall dental health will ultimately suffer if you skip using your retainer after wearing Invisalign braces.

This blog will discuss some of patients’ most frequently asked questions after their Invisalign treatment. Contact a cosmetic dentist in Shelby Township to know more about retainers. 

Does Invisalign require you to wear a retainer forever?

It is understandable that you may be hesitant to use yet another oral appliance once your Invisalign treatment is over. Your retainer must be worn as our Invisalign dentist prescribes, so do not forget that. Unless you do, your teeth will progressively revert to their existing positions.

Even though you might not spot your teeth shifting, the alterations gradually become more apparent. It could feel unpleasant and tight if you have not worn your retainer for some days. As long as you regularly wear your retainers, they will remain in place.

Your teeth may slightly shift after getting your Invisalign braces removed or once you quit using them. Your teeth wear and tear daily from biting, swallowing, chewing, and speaking. The retainer is provided to stop apparent shifts so you may keep your beautiful smile.

Do you need a retainer after the Invisalign treatment?

Yes, after receiving Invisalign treatment, you must wear a retainer. The final result is the same, despite Invisalign moving teeth differently from traditional metal braces. After receiving any form of teeth straightening, you must wear retainers.

What to expect after the Invisalign braces treatment?

Your jawbone’s support holds your teeth in place in part. Your jawbone would have weakened or disappeared throughout Invisalign treatment (a process called resorption), allowing teeth to shift into their final positions.

After a year, you must have built sufficient new bone around your teeth to keep stability. Because of this, you will not have to wear your orthodontic retainers regularly to keep your smile aesthetically straight. The dentist suggests only wearing your retainers two to five times a week.

As you age, your teeth will partially shift forward and inward, although it will be less noticeable than they would after the jawbone has developed bone tissue again. This transformation happens gradually over time rather than suddenly.