Following your braces you will have a retainer to make sure your teeth stay in the new position. After you have worn a brace for so long, you will probably be really fed up with having a retainer. You will be tempted not to wear it. It is really important you do wear it otherwise the teeth will start to go back to what they were like before and all that orthodontic treatment will have been a waste.

You will still need to be careful with what you eat – in exactly the same way as when you had the braces. Take your retainer out to brush your teeth and give it a bit of a gentle brush too.

Your orthodontist will tell you how long you will need to wear it for.

If you break it, go back to the orthodontist as soon as possible - they can repair or remake it if necessary.