Dental experts have now advised that retainers must be worn for life to prevent teeth getting crooked. The British Orthodontic Society (BOS) has kick-started a new campaign to encourage patients to keep wearing wires at night even after having their teeth fixed. The advice comes after research found that 70 per cent of people who had braces need treatment again after 10 years.

A consultant orthodontist at St Luke’s Hospital, Bradford, and the BOS spokesman on retention, Simon Littlewood said, “If you don’t wear your retainers, we now know the teeth will go crooked again and all that hard work will be lost. There is potential for teeth to keep moving throughout life – it’s almost like a normal ageing phenomenon.”

Braces are either removable or fixed and most patients are given retainers at the end of treatment and are told to continue using them at night. However a lot of people discontinue wearing them.