Question- gradually reducing amount of retainer-wear time

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Fri Sep 03, 2010 5:58 pm

I completed Invisalign in February of this year and have been wearing my retainers nightly for 10-12 hours for the past 6 months. They still feel snug when I put them in each night, so I'm sure I will have to wear them nightly for at least one year. I have read several posts about moving to 3-4 nights a week after a certain amount of time.

I'm wondering if any of you have moved away from wearing retainers every night, and if so, how long did it take until you felt comfortable doing so?

#2 Post by **KatherineJ** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 6:24 pm

Hi!
My Orth told me that he has been wearing his retainer (Essix) every night for 14 years! So.....I guess that is what we have to look forward to if we don't want our teeth to relapse.
He replaced my Hawley retainer with an Essix. The Essix makes the Hawley seem like a torture device. I don't mind wearing it at all, it's really wonderful. I plan on wearing it nightly forever. I imagine missing a night here or there wouldn't be a problem.

#3 Post by **TimSeattle** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 11:09 pm

Here are the standard wear times for retainers that I found when I was getting my braces off:

1-3 months - 24 hours/day
4-6 months - every night
7-12 months - wear every other night
13-18 months- 3 nights per week
19-24 months - 2 nights per week
>24 months - approximately 3 hours per week (30 minutes a day)

I've been out of braces for over 3 years. I still wear my retainer every night out of habit. It doesn't bother me at all, so there's no problem doing it. My teeth are the same as they were when I got my braces off. I had braces as a teenager when the advice was to wear them for a few months only. My teeth moved extensively over the years, requiring braces again in middle age.

#4 Post by **Noodle1** » Tue Sep 14, 2010 4:06 pm

My Ortho said it will totally depend on how tight the retainers feel when you put them back in but that it should be night time wearing right from the start. As someone who has had braces before and teeth have relapsed, i have no worries about wearing my retainers every night as long as it means i have nice teeth for the rest of my life!

#5 Post by **jxds** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 3:32 am

My ortho recommends nightime wear for ever, he said after one year you could be not so strict but that generally is better to wear them every night. It does not bother me at all wearing it at night, and after 9 months I still feel the tightness when I put them back, so I plan to keep wearing them on a nightly basis indefinitely.

Fri Sep 17, 2010 4:39 pm

Thanks for your responses.

I actually had my six month retainer check up today and asked my ortho this same question. His response was basically in line with all of the posters that answered my question- i.e. the best approach is to wear them every night.

I currently put them in after dinner for 10-12 hours overnight. Once I can gradually reduce this to "sleep time" wear (approx. 8 hours), I guess it won't bother me as much. My ortho told me I could do that now, but I think I will wait a few months longer just to be safe!

#7 Post by **midlifesmile** » Sat Sep 18, 2010 4:58 pm

My son forgot his retainer when we were on vacation. He has been out of braces for five years three months. His teeth shifted so much in the 12 days that his retainer didn't fit when we got home. I will be wearing mine every night!!!!

#8 Post by **ashesgap** » Sat Sep 18, 2010 6:13 pm

midlifesmile wrote:My son forgot his retainer when we were on vacation. He has been out of braces for five years three months. His teeth shifted so much in the 12 days that his retainer didn't fit when we got home. I will be wearing mine every night!!!!

WOW! Well that is a perfect example, don't stop wearing the retainer. That tells me forever night time wear is the way to go.