Invisalign® Aftercare: Your Complete Guide to Post-Orthodontic Retainer Wear

After Invisalign treatment, you have a newly straight smile. Feels great, doesn’t it? There’s no doubt that Invisalign is a fantastic smile-enhancer and confidence-booster. Naturally, you want to keep your smile looking like this forever — and that’s where your Vivera™ retainers  come in. 

Made by the same company that produces Invisalign, these retainers are specially crafted for your mouth, just like your aligners were. 

Your teeth are prone to movement immediately after teeth straightening with Invisalign or metal braces. Retainers, though, are uniquely designed to stop that from happening. They keep your teeth in place and give you a permanently straight smile. 

At Tenth Street Family Dental, our goal here in our Indianapolis, Indiana, office is creating and maintaining gorgeous and healthy smiles. Our team of elite dentistry specialists recommends retainers after Invisalign to help you do exactly that.  

Keep reading to see your complete guide to post-orthodontic retainer wear. 

How to wear your retainers

Vivera retainers are similar to your Invisalign aligners in many ways. They’re clear, flexible, and comfortable. They’re also durable: Some studies show that Vivera aligners are 30% stronger and last twice as long as other brands of clear retainers.

All of this means that wearing your retainers is a breeze. They fit snugly over your teeth, just like your aligners did. Your dentist at Tenth Street Family Dental trims the retainers to fit your gum line perfectly, making them easy to pop into and out of your mouth.  

Caring for your retainers

We give you specific retainer care recommendations based on your needs. You need to clean your retainer at least once a day. 

Invisalign makes a high-quality Invisalign Cleaning System that you can also use for both aligners and retainers. We might also recommend simply using a soft toothbrush with a different retainer cleaning product or even a denture-cleaning solution. 

Regardless of cleaning method, be sure to rinse your retainers thoroughly in water before putting them back in your mouth. 

Your new retainer schedule

We recommend starting to wear your retainers from the time you complete Invisalign treatment. In general, most patients usually start out with full-time (day and night) wear. Every patient is different, but generally, most people wear their retainers full-time for six months. 

After that, we might recommend switching to nighttime use only. At each of your visits to Tenth Street Family Dental, we check on your tooth alignment. If you experience any tooth movement, we may recommend changing up your retainer schedule to get your teeth back on track. 

If you’re nearly finished with your Invisalign treatment, or are thinking ahead to retainer wear, we hope this guide has helped you know what to expect. Have questions or due for a checkup? We’re here when you need us. Call our office at 317-358-8885, or reach out through the online contact feature to connect with us today.