Learn about the retention phase that comes after your Invisalign treatment.
Once you are finished your Invisalign treatment you will go through a retention phase that lasts for 15 months.
On the day of your debond (removing attachments and completing your active treatment) you will receive 2 types of retainers, one is fixed to your teeth, one is removable. The fixed retainer is a metal wire that gets bonded behind your front 6 teeth on both top and bottom arches. The removable retainer is a plastic shell that you will be able to take in an out, similar to the Invisalign aligners.
For the first portion of your retention phase, it is very important to wear the removable retainer full time to prevent shifting of the teeth. We will have to follow up appointments 3 months, 9 months and 15 months after your debond to ensure teeth stability and check the integrity of your retainers.
Usually, at the 9 month follow up we will instruct you to start wearing your removable retainer at night time only, however it is important to follow the advice of the doctor, which is sometimes different for every unique case. Once completing the retention phase you will slowly phase yourself out of the removable retainer, wearing only a few nights a week, then a few nights a month over the course of that next year.
Note: If removable retainers are ever feeling tight this is an indication that the teeth are trying to shift. In this case, it is important to then wear your removable retainers more often to prevent teeth from shifting.