Teeth still moving?

[ejverx]

Anyone with retainers... How long did it take for your teeth to stop moving? I've made my braces off for 3 months now, and my ortho has said I can now switch to just night time wear of my retainer, but every night when I go to put my essix in, in feels quite tight where my teeth have obviously moved during the day. I really don't want to go back to 24/7 wear as it's so annoying when I'm at work. What I'm asking is how long did it take for your guys teeth to stop moving every damn day?!

[Jethro]

You ask a very interesting question, and I think the answer is that it varies by individual.

I've been in retainers 3 years now (I can't believe it's been that long) and wear them only at night. I also have bonded retainers top and bottom. Even now, my teeth shift a little during the day. I can tell because my retainers feel tight when I put them on at night, but feel fine each morning. If I miss a night, my retainers are very tight when I put them on. I find this frustrating because I feel that my teeth are always in a state of flux, albeit minor.

I discussed this with my ortho at my last retainer check and he suggested wearing them full time again for several months. I did, however, once back to nighttime wear the same thing occurred.

I discussed this issue with my regular dentist a few weeks ago and he concurred that I have a high propensity for relapse, knew of no other solution, and said to expect to wear retainers nightly for life.

[sirwired]

Depending on your case, possibly never. My wife has been out of braces nearly forty years, and her retainer is still tight when she puts it in two or three times a week.

[jaime]

On the other end of the spectrum, my fiancé had very messed up teeth as a kid. He had an RPE and braces. He has only ever had a retainer for his bottom teeth, not his top. His top teeth still look perfect, I don't think they moved at all. I told him to be glad he's a freak, since that doesn't seem normal!