My son just had his braces removed. He has removable retainers, but I do not think he is wearing them as much as he was instructed to wear them. What should I do?

Your concern is justified. A recent study found that the average patient wears his or her retainers an average of just 7 hours per day, not the 12 to 24 hours recommended. Often, patients do not wear retainers for days. To help prevent relapse of teeth, I provide all of my patients with glued-on wire retainers on the backs of their front teeth in addition to the removable retainers. This means that my patients get double retainers for both upper and lower teeth. These glued-on wire retainers are an extra benefit that I provide my patients in the Four Corners area.