For how long to do you have to wear retainers?!
Question:
For how long to do you have to wear retainers?
Answers:
I had really messed up teeth, and wore braces for several years when I was a teenager. I wore my retainers for a year after my braces came off, and then just at night for another few years. Then I lost my retainers in a move, and figured I didn't need them after all that time. Wrong! My teeth started sliding back.
Bottom line is, your teeth want to be where they want to be. You can move them to a new position, but if you don't reinforce the new position on a regular basis, they WILL slide back to their starting place.
FWIW My teeth are a little loose from having had such aggressive orthodonture, so they try to slide to their old postion even more. I went to an orthodontist who glued a thin little wire to the back of my four front bottom teeth. I've had it in for 8 years. It works great, and hasn't ever come out.