Straight Teeth in Less Time
What Happens When Your Kids Don't Wear Their Invisible Retainers As Instructed
Lois Murray
Orthodontics only work when the kids do what their orthodontist tells them to do. It can be very frustrating as a parent to constantly have to remind your child to do the things the orthodontist has requested, knowing that you have paid a lot of money and invested a lot of time in straightening your child's teeth. Since a lot of kids do not like orthodontics and braces, here is what the dentist/orthodontist can do to help the situation, and what happens when kids do not wear their invisible retainers as instructed:
Invisible Retainers at Night or During the Day
Most dentists and orthodontists like using invisible retainers now. They look exactly like the pop-in, pop-out invisible braces you can get, except the retainers just hold the teeth in one position for six months or more. The dentist/orthodontist will expect and instruct your child to wear these retainers (top and/or bottom) for ten to twelve hours a day. It works best to wear them overnight, since your child should be sleeping and it will not be a problem to remember to put them in and take them out the next morning.
However, some kids do better wearing these retainers during the day. If that is the case, ask the dentist/orthodontist if your child can wear the retainers during the day and just take them out to eat. Most dentists/orthodontists are pretty flexible with this wearing program, as long as your child is wearing the retainers close to the prescribed time.
What Happens When the Retainers Are Not Worn or Not Worn Consistently
If retainers are not worn, the teeth are going to move. It is unfortunate, but it does happen. With any luck, your kid's teeth will not move too much, and his/her smile will still look pretty decent. It will not be the near-perfect outcome you were paying for, but it will be close. Of course, there is one more thing you could do, though it could be tricky given your child's propensity to avoid wearing orthodontics.
The solution is to have him/her wear the invisible braces for up to another year to correct the shifting of the teeth caused by not wearing the retainers. You would be paying for yet another set of braces, and your child may not wear them as often as they should or change them when they should. The very last option is to create a new set of retainers that just holds the teeth where they have presently shifted to, and then your child would have to wear that set of retainers for several months.
For more information, contact an orthodontics clinic in your area.
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I had braces when I was a kid. Back then, you had to wear those metal wires and rubber bands for what seemed like forever. When I saw that my child’s teeth were going to be crooked like mine, I was dreading the years of braces and orthodontist appointments and limited diets that I saw stretching ahead of us. I was pleased to find out that braces today are very different from braces when I was a kid. They don’t need to be worn for nearly as long, and they aren’t as intrusive, either. My daughter got braces that can barely be seen, and she can remove them when she eats, so she doesn’t have to give up her favorite foods. I was so impressed that I started a blog to talk about modern day tooth straightening techniques. Braces have come a long way.