How Long Do I have To Wear Retainer?

When you get your braces taken off, you want your teeth to stay put, however in most cases without a retainer, the teeth will shift. This is why an exact mold of your teeth is made a couple weeks prior to taking off your braces and a retainer is made. The Hawley retainer is one of the more traditional types of retainers that allow your orthodontist to adjust the retainer as needed for your post braces treatment. The first couple months are the most crucial and you will need to wear the retainers at all times except when eating of course. Soon you will be wearing your retainers only at night, but you can expect this to go on for quite some time. Many users who feel they spent a lot of money on their teeth and appreciate the good work, will want to wear their retainers for several years and maybe even decades! We have known adults that still wear their retainers from when they were teenagers! Why not, it won't hurt and will only help make your teeth stay put.