Quick answer
After active treatment, teeth are held with retainers: removable clear retainers (at Guildford Orthodontic Centre, Vivera retainers are the standard), sometimes a bonded wire behind the lower front teeth as well. Retention is indefinite, in some form. The schedule depends on the case: some patients wear retainers full-time for a period and then move to night-time wear, and some go straight to night-time wear. From there the frequency is gradually reduced over the years, but never stopped. Retainers are cleaned daily with a soft brush and cool water, replaced when worn or lost, and worn for as long as you want the teeth to stay where they are, which is to say for good.
Why teeth move back
Three things push teeth toward their old positions. The bone around a moved tooth is immature for about a year and offers little resistance. The gum fibres attached to the tooth are stretched by treatment and take many months to reorganize, and some (the fibres around rotated teeth especially) pull for longer. And the lips, cheeks and tongue keep exerting the forces that shaped the original bite. On top of all that, lower front teeth crowd slowly with age in everyone, treated or not; long-term studies of former patients show continued change decades after treatment. Retention is not a sign the treatment failed. It is the treatment continuing.
The types of retainer
| Feature | Clear removable (Vivera and similar) | Hawley removable (wire and acrylic) | Bonded (fixed) wire |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A thin clear tray made from a scan of the finished teeth | An acrylic plate with a wire across the front teeth | A thin wire glued behind the front teeth, usually the lower six |
| Visibility | Nearly invisible | Wire visible across the teeth | Invisible |
| Wear | As prescribed, reducing over the years but never stopping | As prescribed, reducing over the years but never stopping | Permanent; no compliance needed |
| Strengths | Comfortable, discreet, holds every tooth, comes in sets so a lost one is replaced from the drawer | Durable, adjustable, allows teeth to settle together | Cannot be forgotten or lost; best defence against lower incisor crowding and reopened gaps |
| Weaknesses | Wears out in a few years, warps with heat, can crack; teeth cannot settle vertically while it is in full-time | Bulky, affects speech at first, less common now | Traps plaque and calculus; needs flossing under with a threader; can debond unnoticed; needs checking at dental visits |
| Typical use | Standard at the recommended clinic | Some cases, some clinics | Case by case, often alongside a removable retainer |
The wear schedule
- Debond to first checkWear as prescribed, out only for eating and brushing. Speech is thick for a day or two. At the recommended clinic, Vivera retainers are the standard; ask when yours will be fitted.
- The early phaseSome cases start with a period of full-time wear; others go straight to night-time wear. Which applies depends on what was corrected — closed gaps, corrected rotations and open bites are usually held hardest at first.
- Night-time wearEvery night. Teeth feel tight in the retainer after a missed night; that is the retainer doing its job and a sign not to skip two.
- Years laterThe frequency is gradually reduced over the years, on your orthodontist’s advice — but never stopped altogether, because age-related drift never stops.
- ReplacementRetainers are consumables, like eyeglasses: they need replacing every few years, depending on how they are looked after and on habits such as grinding and clenching. Vivera comes as a set, so a spare is ready; ask what a replacement set costs. Bonded wires last years but need checking.
Looking after retainers
- Brush with a soft toothbrush and cool water every day. No toothpaste (it scratches and clouds the plastic) and no hot water (it warps it).
- Soak weekly in a retainer-cleaning solution or a mild vinegar-and-water mix if it clouds; rinse well.
- Case, always. Retainers wrapped in napkins go in the bin; retainers left out go to dogs.
- Out for eating and for anything but water. Sugary drinks under a retainer bathe the teeth in sugar.
- Bonded wire: floss under it daily with a threader or a water flosser, and have it checked at each dental cleaning.
- Bring retainers to every orthodontic and dental visit.
Relapse: what to do if teeth have moved
A retainer that feels very tight but still goes fully in can usually be worn full-time for a couple of weeks to nudge teeth back; tell the clinic you are doing this. A retainer that no longer seats needs a visit; forcing it can crack it or damage a tooth. Movement that is visible in the mirror generally needs a short course of retreatment, often aligners, followed by a new retention plan. Relapse after braces and adult retreatment cover the options.
Why this matters clinically
The Cochrane review of retention procedures found that the evidence does not favour any single retainer type or schedule for every case, which is why protocols vary between orthodontists and why the recommended clinic decides on a bonded wire case by case rather than routinely. What the evidence does support is that some retention is needed for the long term, because untreated and treated teeth alike continue to change with age.
Questions people ask
How long do I have to wear a retainer?
Indefinitely, in some form, if you want the result to last. Any full-time phase is short and case-dependent; after that the frequency is gradually reduced over the years, but never dropped altogether.
Is a bonded retainer better than a removable one?
Neither is better for everyone. A bonded wire cannot be forgotten and is very good at stopping lower front teeth crowding, but it traps plaque and can fail unnoticed. Many people have both.
Do I still need a retainer after wisdom teeth are removed?
Yes. Wisdom teeth are not the main cause of late crowding, and removing them does not stop the drift. The belief is common because lower front teeth often begin to crowd in the late teens and early twenties, which is exactly when wisdom teeth are coming through — but the same crowding happens in people who never had them. Retainer wear continues regardless.
What is Vivera?
A clear retainer made by the manufacturer of Invisalign from a digital scan, supplied as a set of several identical retainers. It is the standard retainer at Guildford Orthodontic Centre. Vivera retainers.
References
- Littlewood SJ, Millett DT, Doubleday B, Bearn DR, Worthington HV. Retention procedures for stabilising tooth position after treatment with orthodontic braces. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2016;(1):CD002283. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD002283.pub4
- Little RM, Riedel RA, Artun J. An evaluation of changes in mandibular anterior alignment from 10 to 20 years postretention. American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics 1988;93(5):423-428. https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-5406(88)90102-3
- Proffit WR, Fields HW, Larson BE, Sarver DM. Contemporary Orthodontics, 6th edition. Elsevier, 2019.
Where Surrey families get this treatment
Guildford Orthodontic Centre
A specialist orthodontic practice in Guildford where Dr. Aly Kanani and Dr. Aida Mesbahi, both Certified Specialists in Orthodontics, provide braces, Invisalign and growth-appliance treatment for children, teens and adults.
The complimentary first visit includes an examination, photographs and a digital scan, with radiographs when indicated, and ends with a written plan and quote. Braces adjustments, aligner checks, emergency visits and retainer follow-up all happen at the same Guildford office.
- Address
- Suite 200 – 10203 152A Street, Surrey, BC V3R 4H6 (Guildford)
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 5 pm
- Website
- guildfordorthodontics.com
Disclosure: SurreyBraces.com is a treatment guide published by the myORTHODONTIST network, which operates Guildford Orthodontic Centre. The guidance above applies whoever provides your care. Full disclosure.
About this guide
- Published by
- The myORTHODONTIST network
- Written by
- SurreyBraces.com editorial team
- Clinical reviewer
- Dr. Aly Kanani, Certified Specialist in Orthodontics (profile). Clinically reviewed on 21 September 2026.
- Originally published
- 9 May 2021
- Revised
- 20 September 2026. Incorrect statements about fixed retainers being worn for a year after wisdom-tooth removal and about how clear retainers are made were removed; "perfect" outcome language removed; long-term retention, relapse and the recommended clinic's Vivera protocol added.