Just finished my orthodontic treatment. Why are my teeth still moving?
So, you endured months/years of braces, finished your orthodontic treatment and now are ready to face the world with your brand new Hollywood smile.
Does this really happen?
Or will your teeth shift back and forth, even after all that you endured?
Unfortunately the answer is YES. Yes, your teeth will not remain fixed in the wonderful positions your orthodontist made them move in the first place.
Why do my teeth still move after I finished my orthodontic treatment?
There are several reasons why this happens, let’s list some of them:
Your gums are finally getting healthy again
All those orthodontic appliances you wore in your mouth have affected your gums, not only your teeth. As soon as the hardware is off, your gums have now time to properly heal and your possible swelling to go down.
Your teeth are settling to their natural position
We all know that your orthodontic braces has pushed and pulled your teeth into the ‘proper’ position, but now, after you finished wearing your braces, teeth will slowly move to a more natural position.
This slight movement doesn’t affect you, on the side and back teeth, but in the front it can be noticeable.
If you are still growing, so does your mouth change
If you are a teenager and finished treatment, your entire mouth is still going through a lot of transformations, because of your growth. Your DNA predisposition is still there and will affect how you look at the end.
Oral habits have a serious influence
How do you clench your teeth affects how your teeth will settle. How you rest your tongue. The way you bite and chew, everything has an influence.
Your orthodontist can do a lot of ‘magic’ on your teeth alignment, but nature runs its course and how your mouth functions will affect the end result.
As you grow older, so does your mouth
Your body changes over the time. As you grow older, sagging and wrinkling happens. Muscles tend to lose firmness, bones are not as strong as before, check change appearance.
If your entire body goes through various transformations, as you age, it’s impossible for your mouth to remain unchanged, so here is another reason why your teeth still move, even after you successfully ‘graduated’ your orthodontic treatment.
Is there nothing I can do about my teeth shifting?
Fortunately all this shifting can be kept under control by wearing your retainer. Your orthodontist will prescribe and prepare the appropriate retention device and you can start wearing it as soon as braces are off.
By wearing your retainer each night you can help your teeth remain beautifully aligned for as long as you’d want.
