I have worn braces as a kid and still now my teeth are crooked again. I can’t understand why. I was under the treatment, it was all looking good. And still in some years my teeth look ugly again.

This is the story of some orthodontic treatment patients who just can’t understand how their teeth are not looking good anymore. Others are scared to even try the braces since they know their teeth will get crooked again. Will my teeth get crooked again?

Well, it’s POSSIBLE.

How does this happen? How did others have this issue?

Simple: the teeth move to a new position once the braces are on. These braces “tell” your teeth how to be placed now and they move the teeth from the “right” position (the one they were used to, the natural one for them). Sure, the new position is the CORRECT one and the healthy one, but the teeth don’t “see” it like this.

There is something called “tissue memory” that makes teeth tend to move back to their previous position once the treatment is over. Sure, this would make the entire ordeal of wearing braces not worth it, since we’d straighten the teeth, they’d get crooked again, we’d straighten them and so on.

Don’t worry, in reality the problem is not like this. In order for the teeth to remain in their new position and get “used” to it, our orthodontic specialists came with something called “retainer”. This is a small device that looks like an Invisalign aligner, or a small wire device or even a “wire” that’s bonded in the lingual side of the teeth. In all cases your orthodontist will help you make the best decision.

Some patients require the retainer for some months, others for 1-2 years, while the most complex cases might require a longer time (lifetime even). If the retainer is worn properly and without too many “pauses” the chances to have crooked teeth go very very low. Most people who have respected their orthodontics treatment have absolutely no problems and have that superb smile for a lifetime.

So, if your teeth will get crooked again DEPENDS ON YOU. Just do as your doctor advises you and, after 1-2 years of braces, you’ll have the most amazing smile ever. Perfect teeth, aligned properly that will remain in that new great position for as long as you exist. Millions of people straighten their teeth and they have that great smile for a lifetime.