CASE WORKFLOW
Finishing and Retention
The active phase moves the teeth. Finishing and retention are what make that movement last. This guide covers the three tools you use to hold the final result, overcorrection built into the aligners, the retention protocol your patient follows once treatment is complete, and the custom fixed-wire retainer for cases where you want a permanent hold, so you can close a case knowing it will not quietly drift back.
OVERCORRECTION
Overcorrection
Overcorrection is tooth movement planned slightly beyond the ideal final position, built into the aligners to compensate for the lag in tooth movement and ensure the tooth reaches its desired final position. In practice, teeth rarely track the full distance an aligner asks of them, so aiming a fraction past the target leaves the tooth sitting where you actually want it once that lag is accounted for. Because Active Aligners are dentist-led and the low refinement rate keeps most cases moving as planned, overcorrection trays are not often provided. When a movement is prone to rebound, though, they may be prescribed for the following situations.
Rotations
Rotated teeth, especially round-rooted teeth such as canines and premolars, tend to unwind toward their original angle once pressure comes off. Building in a little extra rotation lets the tooth settle back to the position you actually planned.
Labial and lingual movement
Teeth moved forward or back sit against the lips, cheeks and tongue, and that soft-tissue pressure pushes them to relapse. This includes forward movement from tongue thrusting, where a persistent habit works against the correction, so a margin of overcorrection helps the result hold.
Expansion or gapping
Arch expansion and newly closed spaces are among the least stable movements, with the arch tending to narrow again and spaces trying to reopen. Planning slightly beyond the target gives these movements room to settle without drifting back.
Extrusion
Extrusion, pulling a tooth down into the arch, is one of the hardest movements to achieve with aligners and one of the quickest to rebound. A degree of overcorrection compensates for the movement that is lost as the tooth relapses toward the gingiva.
RETENTION
Retention
Retention holds the final result and prevents relapse once active treatment is complete. Teeth have a memory, the fibres and bone around them keep trying to return to where they started, and that pull is strongest in the first few months after the last aligner. Retention is not an optional extra at the end of a case, it is the part of the plan that protects the work the patient has just invested months into. Setting expectations early, that retainers are for life and that consistent wear is what keeps the smile stable, is the single most effective thing you can do to prevent relapse. For guidance on keeping tabs on a case through this settling period, see the patient monitoring guidelines.
- Retention prevents orthodontic relapse by holding the final position
- One set of 1mm clear retainers is supplied with the patient’s Active Aligner treatment
- The patient wears retainers 22 hours a day for 3 months, then switches to night-time wear
- Fixed retention (lingual wire) is at the doctor’s discretion, based on the patient’s bite and whether fixed retention will last
FIXED WIRE RETAINERS
Fixed wire retainers
Custom fixed-wire retainers are custom-contoured to each patient’s individually printed arch using 3D technology, for cases where the treating dentist judges fixed retention appropriate. A bonded wire takes patient compliance out of the equation, it holds the anterior teeth around the clock without the patient having to remember to wear anything, which makes it a strong choice for the lower anterior segment or for any patient you expect to be inconsistent with a removable retainer. Because the wire is contoured to a printed model of the finished arch, the records you submit have to reflect the result exactly, so scan quality and timing matter as much here as they did at the start of the case. The case submission requirements set out what a usable set of records looks like, and the guide to the case creation platform walks through logging the request.
How it is made
- Custom-contoured to each patient’s individually printed arch using 3D technology
- Standard 0.7mm wire (0.5mm available on request)
- A stent (placement guide) is included
- Upper and lower scan/bite are required to manufacture
When to use it
- Use only after the 3-month retention period has lapsed and the outcome is satisfactory
- Submit only current scans/impressions, outdated or last-stage records cannot be used
- Upper lingual wire may be used, overbite and overjet permitting
- An optional custom removable retainer (formed over the wire) can be made to use alongside the fixed retainer
Fitting a fixed wire chairside
The stent supplied with every fixed-wire retainer is what makes placement quick and predictable, it holds the wire in the correct position against the finished arch while you bond, so there is no freehand guesswork at the chair. Work through it in three steps:
- Seat the wire in the mouth using the stent and bond it onto the canines first, so the segment is anchored at both ends before anything else moves.
- Remove the stent/guide once the canines are held, leaving the rest of the wire resting in place.
- Apply composite to the remaining teeth along the wire for permanent application, then check the bond and floss-through before dismissing the patient.
Hold the result with confidence
Fixed retention is at the treating dentist’s discretion. Explore the full clinical workflow or see what it takes to offer Active Aligners in your practice.