Retainers after aligner treatment

When aligner treatment finishes, the bone and ligaments around your teeth haven't yet settled into their new positions. Left alone, teeth drift back towards where they started — sometimes within weeks. Retainers hold them while everything firms up, and long term they're the only reliable way to keep the result.

• A metal retainer — a fine wire bonded behind the front teeth, which stays in place and works without you having to remember it.
• Two sets of clear plastic retainers, worn over the teeth, one set in use and one spare.

Both are included in the treatment fee.

• Wear the plastic retainers as instructed — usually full time at first, then every night, for as long as you want the teeth to stay put.
• Take them out to eat and to drink anything other than water, and clean them with a soft brush and cool water. Keep them in their case when they're out, and away from heat and pets.
• Clean carefully around the metal retainer — plaque and tartar build up behind the wire and need removing at your check-ups.
• Tell us straight away if a plastic retainer cracks or is lost, or if the wire comes loose or breaks.

• In the first year after treatment, we fix any problem with your retainers free of charge, whatever the cause.
• After that, worn-down metal or plastic retainers are repaired or replaced free of charge as long as you've been attending your 6-monthly maintenance appointments.
• If the 6-monthly appointments haven't been kept up, a replacement fee applies after the first year. We'll quote it before any work is done.

• Relapse. Teeth that aren't retained move. A retainer that no longer fits because the teeth have already shifted can't be forced on, and getting the teeth back may mean further aligners at a separate cost.
• The wire coming loose or breaking, sometimes without you noticing — the teeth can start to move before it's found.
• Plaque and tartar around the wire if cleaning is difficult, leading to gum inflammation.
• Plastic retainers wearing, cracking or being lost.
• Irritation of the tongue or gums from the wire or the edge of a plastic retainer — usually adjustable.

• Wear the retainers as instructed, indefinitely.
• Come in for examinations and cleans every 6 months. There's a fee for these visits, and keeping them up is what keeps repairs and replacements free.
• Bring your retainers to every appointment so they can be checked.

If you don't wear the retainers or keep up the maintenance, the teeth can move to the point where further treatment is needed, and you would be liable for the full cost of it.