• Maintaining teeth in their corrected positions following orthodontic treatment can be extremely challenging.• Relapse is also unpredictable, and so it should be presumed that every patient has the potential for longterm changes.• As part of the informed consent process for orthodontic treatment, patients need to be fully aware of their commitment to wear retainers for as long as they want to keep their teeth in their corrected positions.• It is the clinician's responsibility to ensure that patients are appropriately instructed regarding the care of their retainers and provided advice about the timing of retainer review and by whom.• There is currently insufficient high quality evidence on the best type of retention or retention regimen, so each clinician's approach to retention will be affected by personal clinical experience and expertise with different retainers, and also the patients' expectations and circumstances.• Patients who are unable or unwilling to wear their retainers as prescribed must be prepared to accept that there will be relapse following orthodontic treatment. The extent of the relapse is unpredictable.