A retainer is a custom-made orthodontic appliance worn after the completion of active treatment with braces or clear aligners. This device is precisely molded to fit the newly aligned position of the teeth and jaw. The question of whether retainers can alter the shape of the face is a common concern. Retainers do not typically change the shape of your face; their function is to maintain the new facial and dental harmony achieved by the preceding treatment.
The Link Between Orthodontic Movement and Facial Aesthetics
Active orthodontic treatment (braces or aligners) causes noticeable changes in the lower third of the face. Moving the teeth, especially the front teeth, directly influences the position of the lips and underlying bone structure. Correcting an overbite or an underbite repositions the dental arches, which subsequently affects the patient’s profile.
For instance, correcting a severe overbite often requires moving the upper front teeth backward, which allows the lips to rest in a more balanced position. This subtle adjustment can enhance the chin’s prominence and refine the jawline, creating a more balanced profile. Conversely, addressing a significant underbite may involve moving the lower jaw and teeth, which can soften a previously harsh or protruding chin appearance.
These alterations result from the sustained, directional force applied during treatment, which triggers bone remodeling around the teeth. The goal is dentofacial balance, ensuring the teeth, jaws, and soft tissues are in harmonious proportion. These structural changes are accomplished during the active phase of treatment, not the retention phase that follows.
The Primary Goal of Retention
The specific function of a retainer is to stabilize the corrected dental position and prevent a process known as orthodontic relapse. Relapse is the natural tendency for teeth to shift back toward their original, misaligned positions once active forces are removed. This movement is driven by the memory of the periodontal ligaments, the fibers connecting the tooth root to the jawbone.
These ligaments, which have been stretched or compressed during active treatment, hold a biological memory of the pre-treatment tooth positions and exert a gentle, continuous pull. Retainers counteract this biological force by acting as a passive barrier, holding the teeth firmly in their new locations. The retention phase allows the surrounding bone tissue, which was actively remodeled during treatment, to fully harden and stabilize around the new tooth positions.
While some custom-made appliances may be designed to perform minor post-treatment adjustments, standard retainers are entirely passive. Their design is focused solely on stabilization, not on applying the force required to move teeth or reshape bone. They are a necessary phase to secure the aesthetic and functional results of the initial orthodontic work.
Why Retainers Do Not Cause New Structural Changes
Retainers are fundamentally passive devices, meaning they are engineered to maintain a static position rather than create movement. The forces they exert on the teeth are minimal, designed only to counteract the slight pressures from the periodontal ligament and facial muscles that would otherwise cause relapse. Bone remodeling and subsequent facial change require a sustained, directional force significantly greater than the passive stabilization force provided by a retainer.
The bone surrounding the teeth, known as the alveolar bone, undergoes resorption and deposition in response to the constant pressure applied by braces. Since retainers do not apply this sustained pressure, they cannot initiate the biological cascade necessary to remodel the jaw or facial structure. They preserve the shape created by the active treatment, rather than generating a new one.
Any facial changes perceived while wearing a retainer are typically the subtle settling of the soft tissues around the teeth in their final position, or simply the preservation of the post-treatment profile. Only if a retainer is lost or consistently neglected can the teeth shift back, and that relapse movement can eventually lead to a change in lip support or jawline definition. This resulting change, however, is a return toward the original facial structure, not a new change caused by the retainer itself.