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Did you have braces years ago as a teenager? Did you forget to wear the retainers at the time? Did your teeth move back towards how they originally looked? If so you may have experienced some “orthodontic relapse” and it's a query we hear quite often at Seapoint Clinic.

When teeth are moved from their original position the periodontal ligament that holds them in the jaw is stretched. This allows movement and it takes a long time for the teeth to settle in the new position. Unless retainers were worn after braces it is likely teeth moved back a bit. Nowadays the recommendation is tooth retention for life.

Typically that means wearing a comfortable clear aligner in sleep to ensure the teeth don’t move back again

Luckily for anyone who has already had braces the ligaments tend to be a bit more flexible even years after orthodontics. That means that the teeth can typically be moved back into the ideal position far easier than they originally were. Instead of metal train tracks with green or blue elastic bands you can have clear invisible aligners to straighten in weeks or months instead of years.

If you have had some relapse and would like to get your smile back why not arrange a consultation with one of our ortho team?