Quick question: in your experience, when are patients most likely to lose alignment if retention slips — first 3 weeks, 3 months, or after a year? I keep noticing the earliest crowding popping up around weeks 2–6 when night-only wear gets inconsistent, especially on the lower incisors, and I’m curious if your chair time says the same.
I see the same ‘weeks 2–6’ hiccup on lowers, so I coach them to start wearing the retainer right after dinner and keep it in through breakfast that first month — night-only becomes about 12–14 hours and drift calms down. Small caveat: if we did any IPR and contacts feel tight, there’s sometimes a minor blip again around 3 months — do you get fewer early touch-ups if you require a 4-week full-time phase before switching to nights?
Love this — your 8:15 T‑Rex made my day. I give nervous kiddos a tiny sand timer we call the “dino egg” to flip before Mr. Thirsty slurps, then let the “cave explorer” mirror do one fast check — gives them control and cuts the -suction freak‑outs.