How many years after you get your braces off are you still supposed to wear a retainer?

Answer:
I'm an Orthodontic Assistant, and where I work we tell people to wear them full time for the first 3 months. That gives your roots time to stabilize. Then we move our patients to night time only wear. After awhile, some people get to where they're only wearing their retainers every other night. You can really be the judge once you get down to wearing it less. If it feels tight, that means you need to be wearing it more. Your teeth will always want to move some. I've had my braces off for 10 years now and I still pop my retainer in every now and then just to make sure my teeth aren't moving like crazy!! If it feels a little tight I'll wear it for a few nights.

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I think it's only about a year.

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Until you lose your top canines

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I believe you will probably wear them 24/7 for about 6months - a year. But taking them out when you eat. After a year the orthodontist told me to wear them when I only go to bed. The Dr may tell you when you can stop wearing the retainers. I continue to wear mine at night, don't want my teeth to start moving again.

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I had to wear it constantly for about a year. Then switched to nightly. It's been about 7 years and I still wear it at night. It might be a lifetime thing to do to keep them straight. Good luck!

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