If you’ve been having any orthodontic treatment, your orthodontist will probably have talked to you about retainers. How much they’ve discussed them will likely depend on how close you are to the end of your treatment.

As the NHS explains, retainers are used as you come to the end of an orthodontic treatment. They are primarily for the period after your braces are removed and are designed to prevent your teeth from shifting back to their original positions after your braces have come off.

Essentially, they are a way of holding your teeth in place while the surrounding gums and bones in your jaw adjust to their new positions.

To be effective after orthodontic treatment, you’ll obviously need to invest in custom retainers in the UK that are made specifically for your teeth. In most cases, you wear these overnight, although there are also fixed retainers that you wear all the time. Your orthodontist will tell you which you require based on the work you’ve had on your smile.

An article for Web MD noted that how long you have to wear a retainer for after your orthodontic treatment will vary from person to person, as our teeth tend to shift naturally in our mouths over time anyway.

So, when you are given a minimum time period for wearing your retainer overnight, it won’t only be in relation to the specific work you’ve had done, but also how quickly your orthodontist believes the muscles, bones and gums adjust to the new position of your teeth.