Metal Mouth Message Board

Essix retainers are only good for about a year

Sorry to hear you have having trouble with the removable retainer, but... Just give it some time and you will get used to it. My daughter has a bonded retainer (lower only) and it has worked out well for her, but she is religious about hygiene (brushing, flossing, etc.) and that can be a big downsid...

If it moved in one place, it moved in another and could be shifting things that you don't want shifted. Take it back to your ortho immediately.

I've seen them last 15+ years, but have heard that 5-10 is the norm. Just keep brushing it and if you happen to lose it, make sure you get a new one right away. I've seen so many cases where the retainer gets lost and it is not replaced and the patient relapses.

Your teeth could be done and your ortho is just leaving the braces on while they settle. Common practice.

@reporter: Your ortho telling you that the hawley retainers sometimes allows teeth to shift means 1) it wasn't made right, 2) he doesn't know how to fit/adjust it right or 3) he's just blowing smoke up your butt because using essix retainers are a cheaper alternative to hawley retainers.

No, it is either/or for both. It depends on your doctor's preference and how they go about finishing treatment. There is no right or wrong way to go about it.

Teeth can be intruded and extruded with braces or retainers. It's simpler with braces. For retainers, a button needs to be bonded to the tooth and a wire spring attached to pull it out a bit. It's fairly common.

Lizbeth, talk to someone else. To just replace an existing hawley, with no treatment involved, the rate should be between 200-300.

Hi Huggy, Taking an impression with the braces on is just like taking one with them off, the alginate will form up around the braces and the mold will be made with the braces in place. When it comes to the lab, it makes it harder on the lab guy as we have to carve off the brackets, bands, etc, somet...

The cost for a hawley is between $200-$300. I'm hoping that an essex would be much cheaper to replace.

Hi there, I won't even get into what I think of your first orthodontist. But, to answer your question, a retainer for life is the way to go. People were being told that back in the 80's, and I'm still making new ones for people who go back to their ortho after 20-30 years. Our teeth shift as we get ...

I'm just backing up "Sirwired." Great advice there. Get your dental issues under control first. If an orthodontist says he'll start braces without getting your dental issues in line first, this is a HUGE red flag (red card since you're in England?) I don't know how it is over there, but ne...

Hi Amanda, My periodontist sees a lot of problems with extracting healthy teeth, including bone loss, root problems, etc. that will not show for years. If you search on You Tube for extractions in orthodontics, you'll find a doctor from Acutech(?) explaining some of the things in a presentation abou...

Hi Dobby, There might be a connection there, depending on the solution they use. We sterilize every retainer before it is delivered, but the solution we use is specifically made to be safe for solder joints. If your dental hygienist sterilized it, I'm guessing it was in a solution made for dentures,...