Retainers & Aftercare
Keep your new smile exactly where it belongs with custom retainers and long-term follow-up.
Duration
The fixed wire stays in as long as it holds up structurally, often years. The removable retainer schedule usually steps down from nightly to a few nights a week over the first year.
Visits
A check at 3 months, then annually, to confirm the fixed wire is intact and the removable retainer still fits.
Retainers hold your teeth in the position braces or aligners just moved them to. Teeth drift for the rest of your life, not just in the months right after treatment, which is why retainer wear doesn't have a real end date the way active treatment does.
We fit two kinds: a fixed wire bonded behind the front teeth, which you don't have to remember to wear, and a clear removable retainer for nighttime, which needs to actually go in every night to work. Most patients get both: the fixed wire as a permanent backstop, the removable one for the front teeth it doesn't cover.
Suits you if
Everyone who finishes braces or aligner treatment. Retention isn't optional if you want the result to last.
Probably not for you if
There isn't a case retainers don't suit: the only real question is fixed, removable, or both, which we'll settle based on what your specific bite needs held in place.
Real prices from our clinic system, with what each plan includes.
Permanent wire, per arch
Clear, removable, per arch
Adjustable acrylic and wire
“My braces journey so far with Dr. Manjeet has been really smooth and comforting. Getting braces was honestly scary at first, but choosing my dentist was the best decision.”
The honest answer: indefinitely, at some reduced schedule. Teeth drift for life. Stop wearing your retainer entirely and most people see some relapse within a year or two.
Replacement cost is listed up front on our plans page, not quoted on the spot when you call in a panic. Get a replacement made as soon as you can: the longer teeth go unretained, the more they can shift.
Occasionally, yes, usually from biting something hard. If it feels loose or you notice a change in how your teeth sit, call us rather than waiting for the next scheduled check.
Ready to talk to Dr. Manjeet Singh?
An examination, your options with the price of each, no pressure to decide on the day.