You may have had braces previously and wondering, will I ever need Invisalign afterwards? It depends! Unfortunately, sometimes this is common. After you complete your braces or Invisalign treatment, you will be asked to wear a retainer. Typically, retainers are only worn at night time, to keep your teeth in position and prevent any shifting or moving from happening after completing your orthodontic treatment. By wearing your retainer, you can keep your teeth from shifting back to their original positions or “relapsing.” If you do not commit to wearing your retainer, there is the possibility for your teeth to shift or move back to how they were before braces or Invisalign.
If you don’t keep up with wearing your retainers after having braces, there is a possibility for the teeth to “relapse” or move back. The way you can tell if your teeth have relapsed is if your retainer no longer fits well. This can mean either not going all the way down on your teeth, or feeling extremely tight and painful when you put the retainers in. The longer you haven’t worn a retainer, the more likely it is that your teeth have relapsed. Depending on how long it has been since you last had braces and how much your teeth have shifted, you may need orthodontic correction such as Invisalign again to fix or straighten the teeth.
However, when this happens it usually includes minor adjustments which are quick to fix with just a few aligners. Sometimes we call this an “express” case in which you only require 10 or less trays of Invisalign. This means just a few months of wearing Invisalign for the second time after braces. Even with an express case, you still need to make sure you’re wearing your trays for 20-22 hours a day and changing them at the weekly or biweekly pace that your orthodontist recommends. Afterwards, you definitely want to make sure you keep up with wearing your retainers! Remember, the longer you don’t wear retainers, the more likely you are to have your teeth relapse.
If you are in the Pensacola area and are interested in getting Invisalign, please contact us at Sims Orthodontics! Dr. Sims and our lovely team would be happy to serve your orthodontic needs!
