Permanent Retainer

[JillD]

My ortho will laugh if she finds out I am asking about this kind of subject because I still have ways to go, but....

I get the impression that permanent retainers have a bad reputation on this board. Why is that? Does anyone like their permanent retainer or like to have it when they finish braces?

[CoryDaniels]

This is also a question of mine...I think some people would like to be able to remove their retainer and have that "naked" feel...I am too curious on this subject as I feel I need to decide which route I want to go...I like the idea of having a wire just on the backs of the teeth to keep everything in place and not have to worry about forgetting to wear my retainer...but i dunno...still need to go through all the pros and cons of both.

[bmueller]

I guess the permanent retainer being glued onto the back of the teeth makes it hard to clean the back of the teeth and floss therefore higher risk of damage/decay to the teeth.

To some extent I think people just don't want something permanent in their mouth.

I had a permanent retainer on the bottom for years (before my second round of braces) and loved it. I never had to think about putting it in or losing it. I wish my new ortho did permanent retainers but she doesnt. It will be tough for me to keep up with wearing my removable ones once I'm done with treatment.

[MrsCharisma]

I've gotten that sense too...that people in general are against the bonded retainers.

I will have a bonded retainer on top from 3-to-3 I think and will still have my normal removable retainers. Why? I have no real bite issues and a diastema that is quite happy at 5-6 mm. I had finished braces about 12 years ago with straight teeth and yeah...it was back at about 5 mm when I got braced in January. So, I'm not chancing it and will deal with the bonded retainer if it means not wanting to repeat braces in a decade.

[jem]

I too am expecting to get my brace off some time this Summer and am also starting to think about retainers. When I had my initial consultation with my ortho, she said I would either have a bonded retainer or a clear retainer, but seemed unable to say which and we have not discussed the issue since.

Bonded retainers appear to be more common in the bottom arch than the top, I think because there is potential for top ones to interfere with your bite. So perhaps my ortho is waiting to see what my final bite looks like before she decides.

For me one advantage of having a bonded retainer would be that I would be forced to wear it 24/7. I went into this exercise wanting some sort of removable brace, but I am so glad I got a fixed one which forced me to get over the ( largely imaginary) social embarrassment of having a brace and which gives me 24/7 treatment.

Related to the above is that with a bonded retainer you lose no wear time whilst eating and finding the opportunity to brush afterwards.

Another big advantage is that you have a brace- free smile from day one.

I don't think having to use stiff-ended floss with bonded retainers should be too much hassle when it will only be for 6 front teeth on each arch

One of my concerns about a bonded retainer is the risk of it coming unstuck without me being aware of it until my teeth have moved so much that I end up back in braces. One of the things I have missed most whilst being braced is the ability to bite into an apple. I do still eat them chopped up but it is not the same. I think that bonded retainer wearers are warned off biting into apples and carrots. I will have to check this with my ortho.

I think if I got a bonded retainer, I would ask my ortho for a removable one also to wear at night and if I had concerns about the bonded one coming loose. For wear at night,I would not mind too much whether it is a clear retainer, as seems likely, or a hawley one which I think might be more durable and last longer. My treatment has only been on my front teeth, but if I had had full treatment, I would also want a removable retainer in addition to a bonded one to ensure my back teeth were kept in place and any expansion maintained.

If my ortho decides I will have a clear retainer, then I will be quite happy to wear it as close to 24/7 as possible for as long as she says. But I will be worried about how much wear time I might lose eg if I am dining out or having lunch with clients. Also will I be able to keep a clear retainer in if I go to the pub for a couple of pints of beer ( and no crisps or nuts)? Perhaps invisalign wearers can answer these questions? They will surely settle more easily into clear retainers.

If I do get a clear retainer, I will pay for a spare one so I am not without a retainer for any time if I lose or break the first one. I may also ask what will happen to the final model of my teeth. I may ask to keep it so that I can be sure to have future retainers made to my original "prescription", rather than have new impressions taken of teeth which may have drifted.

I look forward to hearing other peoples' perspectives on these issues.

Jem

[Kipepeo]

If I do get a clear retainer, I will pay for a spare one so I am not without a retainer for any time if I lose or break the first one.

Jem, I'm getting Vivera (US) made by the Invisalign company. You pay a little more, and you get 4 clear retainers. They're different than the regular Invisalign retainers, more durable or something.

Anyway, with these I won't need the bonded retainer. Yay! As I don't want anything permanent left behind if I can avoid it.

[BracesChick]

I'm still very early into my treatment, but I've also wondered about this. I'm supposed to have a permeant retainer bonded to my front teeth in addition to a clear invisline like retainer for night wear. One of the ortho assistants said she used to have the bonded one but had it removed a few years back and regrets it. So she is doing invisline and then getting the bonded retainer again. With having to spend 2 years having to floss a special way, I don't think I will mind having to floss that way in-between just a few teeth for the rest of my life to have a perfect smile. When my brother was little they didnt have bonded retainers and he had one that you take in and out. He ended up loosing it and now his teeth is starting to shift back to their original place, which could have been prevented if he had a permeant retainer.

[Tobilei]

I'm supposed to have a bonded retainer top and bottom also.

I'm kind of nervous about it as I've hated having braces so much I'm worried it will drive me crazy, although my ortho did say they're happy to remove them at any time so I guess there's no harm in giving it a go.

The only other worry I have is what I've read about them coming unstuck and teeth moving. I'd hate not to notice. I can't afford another round in braces.

[BracesChick]

Wouldn't your dentist notice your permanent retainer not properly attached during cleanings? As long as you keep going every 6 months I would think that if this were to happen it could be fixed before any real damage occurred.

[Tobilei]

I don't know.....teeth on the move (of their own accord) can move pretty quickly (much more quickly than when they're strapped into braces). I think too that our teeth tend to want to move back to their original positions which is why they put the retainer on.

[agrace90]

I would also like more information about the permanent retainer on bottom and people's opinion/experience of them.

[AdultGettingBraces]

I was told I would require top and bottom permanent retainers, basically forever, because of my tongue. Braces have not bothered me at all so I dont think I will have much of a problem with that. Im hoping I also get an other retainer as like a back up? because it can take quite a while to get an appointment with my orthodontist due to him only visiting my town once every month or so.

[MelissaMUA]

This is just my input....

I had braces from when I was 13 til I was 19, six years! Not fun. I got an invisalign type retainer, but as soon as I had some dental work done it didn't fit, so I decided to get permanent retainers. They were on my front six teeth, top and bottom, pretty sure they don't ever do your full mouth but I could be wrong. I regret it though! Sure, it will keep those front teeth straight....but all of your other teeth have nothing on them...therefore they can move, especially if you have any sort of crowding. Mine moved, a lot. That's why I am in braces a second time around. And, this might just be me, but when I had them removed last month to get my braces on.....it was one of the most painful things I've experienced....but that could just be my sensitive teeth. Plus when you have them on I felt like it was harder to floss than when the braces are on your teeth. I just don't think it's worth the hassle. I'd rather deal with a retainer every night than have permanent retainers glued on.


...Hope that helped.

[Clairebear1993]

I was also wondering about permanent retainers... My ortho will only give me perminent retainers as I have a lot of spacing... I will be getting them top and bottom as I still have an overbite due to the different sizes on my jaw bones and my other ortho not doing anything earlier

Is it possible to get the plastic on as a back up since like 2 posts up my ortho only comes to town every 2 to 4 weeks depending on pre made appointments

[altesse7]

I am only weeks into treatment. At my initial consult, my orth said I will definitely have a permanent retainer on my top front teeth, and probably lower bottom front, also. He does this with just about all his patients, to make sure their teeth don't fell back to where they where. I am fine with it.