Why do teeth shift again?
After orthodontic correction, teeth tend to move back towards their previous position. Such a relapse can happen at any age and is a natural process. We therefore recommend retention for life.
Retention splint
Retention splints are made of transparent plastic and fit precisely over the whole arch of the upper or lower teeth. They are worn at night, and you insert and remove them yourself. Many patients appreciate that nothing is in the mouth during the day, including when cleaning their teeth.
A removable retainer does, however, require discipline – from children and teenagers as much as from adults. Only by wearing the splint reliably can you prevent a relapse. Otherwise the position of the teeth can change again within a short time. Depending on how long the position was not secured, a new retainer may have to be made or even a new treatment started.
Wire retainer
A long-term option is the fixed bonded retainer: a thin wire glued behind the front teeth, usually from canine to canine in the upper and lower jaw. Its great advantage over a splint is that it is firmly fixed in the mouth and so holds the teeth reliably in place over the long term.
