The half of orthodontics nobody photographs. Teeth do not stay where they are put, and the only thing that keeps them there is a retainer you keep wearing.
Bonded wire, reviewed twice in the first two years, then nightly wear. Holds at zero.
Same treatment, no retainer. Settles back at about 28% of the original crowding.
Why it happens
Bone remodels around a moved tooth in weeks. The supracrestal gingival fibres do not — they stay stretched for months and pull the tooth back toward where it came from. On top of that, arches keep changing across a whole lifetime: lower incisor crowding increases in people who never had orthodontic treatment at all. Retention is not us correcting our own work. It is us holding a position against a process that does not stop.
What the program is
| Bonded retainer, lower arch | Fitted on the day the appliance comes off |
|---|---|
| Removable retainer, upper arch | Full-time for 12 weeks, then nights |
| Reviews | Six months and two years, both included |
| After two years | Nightly wear, indefinitely. We will keep saying it. |
| Replacement, per arch | £145 |
If it breaks
Ring the same day. A bonded wire that has come away at one tooth is a ten-minute repair; the same wire left for three months is a relapse and a new set of aligners. There is no charge for a re-bond inside the first two years, and the phone is answered by someone who can put you in the book rather than take a message.
