Teeth that have moved since you had braces

Why teeth move back

Teeth are not fixed in bone like fence posts. They are held by a web of fibres that stretch when teeth are moved and take many months to reorganise, and which keep a memory of where the teeth used to be. On top of that, all teeth drift slowly through adult life, particularly the lower front teeth, which crowd up with age whether or not you have ever had braces. Retainers hold both forces at bay. If the retainer was lost, broke, was worn for a year or two and then forgotten, or was never provided, the teeth gradually go back towards where they started.

The most common pattern we see is crowding of the lower front teeth, often with one incisor rotating or slipping behind the others, and a small gap reopening between the upper front teeth. Usually the back teeth are still where the braces left them, which is good news: there is less to move.

Is it worth treating?

That is your decision, and a little crowding is not a health problem. People come to us because the drift has become noticeable in photographs, because a rotated tooth has started to catch food or chip, or because they want back the result they had. Where teeth have moved a lot, cleaning becomes harder and wear becomes uneven, and then there is a practical case as well as a cosmetic one.

A shorter route back

Relapse cases are often the quickest treatment we do. The teeth have been in the right positions before, the bite is usually settled, and the movements are small. A minor relapse of the front teeth is typically an Express case: up to seven aligners, three to four months. A little more movement, or both arches, is a Lite case over six to seven months. Only where the teeth have moved a long way, or the bite has changed since, does a relapse become a Moderate plan.

The process is the same as any Invisalign course: a consultation and iTero scan, a 3D preview of the result, a written price, then aligners changed every one to two weeks and worn twenty to twenty-two hours a day, with progress checked through phone scans on Dental Monitoring. Attachments are often not needed for small movements.

What we check first

Before planning, Louise looks at why the teeth moved. If there is a fixed retainer wire still bonded behind the teeth, it may have come loose on one side and be holding some teeth while others drift; it will be removed or replaced. Gum health and bone levels are checked, because drifting teeth in adults can occasionally be a sign of gum disease rather than ordinary relapse, and that needs treating first. The X-ray included in your package shows the roots and bone.

This time, for keeps

The lesson of a relapse is that retention is for life, so we take it seriously. Your Vivera retainers are included and fitted the day treatment ends. For lower front teeth that have crowded once, Louise often recommends a fine fixed wire behind them as well as the removable retainer, so there is a safeguard that does not depend on remembering. Nightly wear for the first year, then a few nights a week indefinitely, keeps the result. Replacement retainers after the first year are chargeable, and you receive two sets of Vivera retainers, so you have a spare.

At Clear Braces Solihull every Invisalign package includes your consultation, iTero scan, X-ray, Dental Monitoring, Vivera retainers, professional whitening and twelve months of aftercare, in one written price. Interest-free monthly payments are available.

Questions people ask

How long does it take to fix teeth that have moved after braces?

Often three to seven months. Because the teeth have been straight before, the movements are small and the bite is usually already settled.

Will I need attachments again?

For small movements, often not. If a tooth has rotated, one or two attachments may be used to turn it precisely.

My old fixed retainer is still there. Does it need to come out?

If it is intact it may stay for part of treatment; if it has come loose it is removed or replaced. Louise checks it at the consultation.

Why did my teeth move if I wore my retainer?

Retainers worn for a few years and then stopped protect against early relapse but not against the slow drift of adult life. That is why we advise a few nights a week for good.

Can I just get a new retainer instead of treatment?

A retainer holds teeth where they are; it does not move them back. If you are happy with where they are now, a new retainer is a sensible choice and we can make one.