“How long do you have to wear braces after your teeth are straight?”
I am a 23 year old female and I want to get braces. How long do you have to wear braces after your teeth are straight?
4 Answers
Treatment usually takes 2 years. Then, when the braces come off, you will need to wear retainers indefinitely to keep the new position of your teeth.
Being 23, you are an adult. Before your braces and placed on your teeth. you should have your teeth cleaned. Ask for instructions how to floss and brush correctly. You should be flossing and brushing correctly while your brace appliance is on your teeth. When the brace appliance is removed, you will be flossing and brushing your teeth daily. Plaque forms on our teeth every day and will crystallize in 24 to 48 hours. Plaque is a mass of bacteria that forms around our teeth and must be removed every day. Patients who do not floss and brush correctly eventually will lose their teeth.
Hello,
What a good question to be asking. When you get braces, your teeth become straight but that does not mean they will stay that way. It is helpful to first take a look at why teeth get crooked in the first place. Teeth balance the forces of lips and tongue. So once your teeth are straight, they will still have forces pushing them in different directions every day. This usually means that retention (wearing a retainer) is for life. The retainer would only have to be worn part of the time (at night mostly) to help keep the teeth in position from the forces they endure each day but the retainer will usually be needed for as long as you want your teeth to be straight. Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
What a good question to be asking. When you get braces, your teeth become straight but that does not mean they will stay that way. It is helpful to first take a look at why teeth get crooked in the first place. Teeth balance the forces of lips and tongue. So once your teeth are straight, they will still have forces pushing them in different directions every day. This usually means that retention (wearing a retainer) is for life. The retainer would only have to be worn part of the time (at night mostly) to help keep the teeth in position from the forces they endure each day but the retainer will usually be needed for as long as you want your teeth to be straight. Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
Once your your teeth are in their desired position and your bite is stable, many orthodontists leave the braces on for an additional month to help the bite settle in. Then they are removed and retainers are worn. 24 hrs/day for one month. Followed by 12 hrs/day for 1-2 months. Then sleep time wear forever.
