You’ve finished your clear aligners or braces and finally achieved the smile you’ve been working towards. Congratulations!
Now comes one of the most important parts of your smile journey: retention.
Retainers help keep your teeth in their new positions after orthodontic treatment. Whether you’ve recently finished treatment or need a replacement retainer, understanding how retainers work can help you protect your results for years to come.
What Are Retainers?
A retainer is a custom-made appliance designed to keep your teeth in their corrected positions after orthodontic treatment.
After your teeth have been moved into alignment, they naturally have a tendency to shift over time. A retainer helps prevent this movement and protects the investment you’ve made in your smile.
At Urban Smile, retainers are custom-made for your teeth to ensure a comfortable, secure fit and effective retention.
Who Needs To Wear A Retainer?
Anyone who has completed orthodontic treatment should wear a retainer, whether they had clear aligners or braces. It doesn’t matter whether you finished treatment as a teenager or as an adult. Teeth can continue to move throughout life, which is why retention is an important long-term part of maintaining your smile.
How Long Will I Need To Wear a Retainer For?
The short answer is: as long as you want your teeth to stay straight.
Immediately after treatment, your clinician may recommend wearing your retainer full-time for a period before transitioning to nighttime wear.
Over time, most patients move to wearing their retainers while sleeping.
Because teeth naturally shift with age, ongoing retainer wear is the best way to maintain your orthodontic results long term.
Your clinician will provide personalised instructions based on your individual treatment and smile.
What Happens If You Stop Wearing Your Retainer?
Even after successful orthodontic treatment, teeth can gradually move over time.
If retainers aren’t worn as directed, you may notice:
- Crowding returning
- Small gaps reopening
- Teeth becoming slightly rotated
- Changes to your bite
In some cases, teeth can move enough to require additional orthodontic treatment to correct.
That’s why wearing your retainer consistently is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect your smile.
What Should I Do If My Retainer Breaks?
Don’t panic, but don’t wait too long either.
If your retainer cracks, breaks, becomes loose or no longer fits properly, it’s important to have it assessed as soon as possible.
Teeth can begin shifting surprisingly quickly once retention is lost.
At Urban Smile, our Oral Health Therapists can assess damaged retainers and discuss the best solution, whether that’s a repair or replacement.
Importantly, you do not need to have completed your orthodontic treatment with Urban Smile to book a retainer appointment.
We welcome patients from all orthodontic and dental practices.
How Often Should I Replace My Retainer?
Retainers experience daily wear and tear, so they won’t last forever.
While every patient is different, we generally recommend replacing retainers approximately every 18 months.
Factors that can affect retainer lifespan include:
- How often it is worn
- How well it is cleaned and maintained
- Grinding or clenching habits
- General wear and tear
If your retainer is cracked, distorted, loose, discoloured or no longer fits comfortably, it may be time for a replacement.
Need a Replacement Retainer?
Whether you’ve lost your retainer, broken it, or simply need a replacement, our team can help.
Urban Smile offers retainer appointments at our Brunswick, Hawthorn and Waurn Ponds studios. No referral is required, and you do not need to be an existing Urban Smile patient.
Book a retainer appointment today and keep your smile looking its best.