Tips to Make Sure Your Teenager Wears Their Retainer

Orthodontic treatment isn’t cheap, and it can take months or years for braces or Invisalign® to align your teenager’s bite. As long as your teenager wears their retainer as often as your orthodontist specifies, the results should hold. 

Hendricks Dental Specialists is a family dental and orthodontics practice in Brentwood, Tennessee. Our team of leading dental specialists continues to support your teen’s oral health after orthodontic treatment, and we encourage you to do the same at home. 

Teenagers can be forgetful, so it’s important to help your teen use their retainer consistently. Here are five helpful tips to ensure a teenager wears their retainer and doesn’t lose it. 

1. Set your phone alarm to remind your teen to wear their retainer

We will tell your teen when to wear their retainer and when it’s okay to remove it. After 4-6 months of wearing their retainers all day, teens are advised to wear their removable retainers only at night. 

Your teen may need a reminder of when to put their retainer back in. Setting a daily alarm can help both of you remember when it’s time to put the retainer in for the evening. 

2. Keep the retainer in its case

Whenever your teenager removes their retainer, remind them to put it in its case for safekeeping. Retainers can be lost easily and may be discarded by accident. 

Making sure the retainer goes into its case when it isn’t in use can help prevent your teen from losing their retainer. When a retainer gets lost, it can take weeks to get a new one. During that time, their teeth may start to shift.

Preventing the retainer from getting lost is an important step in ensuring your child wears the retainer consistently. 

3. Remind  your teen of their progress

Ensuring your teen knows the value of their orthodontic treatment can help motivate them to stay on track with retainer wear. Orthodontic treatment is a financial and time investment. 

Complimenting their newly aligned teeth and reminding them of the time investment can inspire them to wear the retainer consistently, especially because consistent retainer use can prevent them from going backwards in their treatment and needing braces again. 

4. Listen to their concerns

Some teens may neglect wearing their retainer if they feel it’s too uncomfortable or doesn’t fit right. If your teen tells you they don’t like how the retainer feels, it may be because the retainer needs adjustment from the orthodontist. 

It’s always a good idea to let your teen’s orthodontist know if they have concerns so that the orthodontist can promptly address any defects. We can make sure the retainer feels as comfortable as possible while continuing to do its job. 

5. Share the possible consequences of avoiding the retainer

When people don’t use their retainers after orthodontic treatment, their teeth can shift back to where they were before treatment. Many teens are visual learners, so showing before and after pictures may help motivate your teen to wear their retainer more often. 

You can find pictures online of people whose teeth shifted back, or you can show your teen their own “before braces” picture to show what their teeth might look like in a few years if they stop wearing their retainer. 

Get in touch

Our Hendricks Dental Specialists team is here to support your teen in every part of their orthodontic journey, including on retainer use. Call Hendricks Dental Specialists or request an appointment online today.