After you got your braces removed, you likely got a retainer. Your orthodontist probably told you to continue to wear it to bed, but after a while your dog ate it, or you threw it away or lost it, or maybe it just stopped fitting. Many people think it’s their wisdom teeth that caused the shift, but it’s actually a little more complicated than that, I won’t get into that today. These days orthodontists actually recommend you wear your retainers to bed forever! This is because we have seen teeth shift over the years. For many different reasons, the teeth tend to want to go back to their old position. And while some people can get away with never wearing retainers and their teeth stay perfectly straight, some can wear their retainers for 10 years and then stop and still see shift like I did.
Previously the only option to fix this was to go back into braces. In the past 10 years or so we have seen a huge influx in clear aligner options, the main one being Invisalign. These can be pricey because they involve a third party. For something as simple as a slight change in your lower front teeth we can actually provide in house clear aligners. Meaning we will make you a clear aligner tray in our office and in some instances can get it back to you the same day or the next! If you read my last blog on digital work flow you can see how easy it is!
For more severe shift, it is sometimes necessary to go back into full treatment. In these cases we will utilize a clear aligner system like Invisalign or spark, or if you prefer, traditional braces. I always say there are pros and cons to both braces and clear aligners. At the end of the day usually it is your choice on which would be better for you. In my next blog I will go over the major pros and cons of braces or aligners.