Patient Question: Disease: Long-term retention method after orthodontic treatment? Hello! I am 28 years old and had orthodontic treatment in high school for my upper teeth protrusion. After the treatment, my gums swelled repeatedly causing the retainer to not fit and slowly gaps appeared in my teeth. I had a second orthodontic treatment in college, and after that, the doctor said that my case must be kept fixed for a long time, otherwise my teeth will fall apart. So I had my retainer fixed on the inside of my upper and lower teeth. Later, the incisor retainer was disconnected accidentally when I ate something, and I was too busy to fix it in time, resulting in misalignment of the incisors. I underwent periodontal scaling and orthodontic treatment for the third time. Now I have been wearing a clear retainer that can be removed. The retainer is easily damaged and discolored, and it is not very convenient, so I feel that my teeth are turning yellow. (The incisors and individual back teeth have completely resorbed. If so, what are they? What is the approximate time and cost required? Reply: Hello! Long-term maintenance of orthodontic results requires at least the following conditions: the alveolar bone is in a stable state, and the temporomandibular joint and occlusal relationship are in dynamic balance. Looking at the dental situation, there is some concern. An orthodontic treatment, carried out for more than ten years, the cost of time, money, energy is difficult to estimate, but also worried that this situation continues to last. I would like to offer a little advice for reference only. First of all, orthodontics should be ended as soon as possible to restore the stability of the alveolar bone of the teeth! From the principle of orthodontics, the teeth move and re-stabilize in the alveolar bone, and this stability is very critical! As seen in the X-ray, the height of the alveolar bone of the front teeth appears to be resorbed, only one-half of the tooth length, while the periodontal gap widens, which is a danger signal. The danger is that the tooth will loosen and may fall out if it continues to progress! This is never the original intention of orthodontics. The retainer keeps the teeth in the ideal position, but the bite force can shift the teeth, which causes a vicious cycle of teeth shifting, resetting, re-shifting, and resetting again, resulting in the continuous resorption of the alveolar bone, and when the amount of alveolar bone is not enough to hold the teeth in place, the teeth will loosen and fall out. Bite force is permanent, and retainers should not be worn for a long time. A doctor should be approached to find the right treatment according to the dental situation. Teeth should not be moved repeatedly, and tooth gaps or even crown defects can be repaired with nano-resin veneer technology in a one-time non-invasive manner.