Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello Everyone. My best friend and I both have braces. We got into talking about retainers and it lead to a slighty heated debate. She said you won't have to wear your retainer for life but for maybe a few months to a year and depending on who your ortho is and how good they are that they will never shift again. She seriously doubts that hers will ever shift again once she wears her retainer the prescribed amount of time. I on the other hand oppose that. I was told personally by an orthodontist that it is recommended to wear them a few times a week at night for life to maintain your perfect smile. My friend says she's known several people who have had braces and worn there retainers the recommended amount of time and there teeth have stayed straight for years. I believe that but have many friends who have also had braces and worn there retainers for the prescribed amount of time and had there teeth shift 5 to 7 years down the road. So what I want to know is which one of us is correct? Me? Her? Or Both?

Newbie question...but why wouldn't one just have braces for one more year instead of 24/7 retainer wear? Those retainers don't look comfortable at all with that plate in the middle, can you even talk with it in? I don't see the logic?

A retainer can be a pain in the whatever. I know, I had one when I was twenty some twenty five years ago. Wore it for the six months my ortho prescribed.

Wait a second, why am I on this list? Oh yeah, my teeth moved.

A retainer for life may not be needed, but after suffering treatment for a couple of years is sleeping in it really that bad?

I've adjusted to top and bottom bite splints and now a bite plate. I look forward to adjusting to retainers.

Mike

When I get retainers I'm going to make myself a lifer I don't care what the ortho or dentists say! I'm also going to ask my ortho if I could go Hawleys I don't like the thought of having a permenet retainer glued onto the back of my teeth!

SDFD TSchott

I am going through braces for the second time in my life because when I had them 12 years ago I was only told to wear my retainer for 6 months, which I did, but as the years went on my teeth shifted back to their original position, which was a pain after the oral surgery and a year of braces. So after this is all over i will deffo be wearing my retainer for the rest of my life as I dont want to have had to go through all this again and pay out a hefty amount of money for it to all shift back again.

Lau xx

The plan is for me to get permanent retainers for both upper and lower, but I'd wear a retainer 24/7 if it was going to keep these teeth in their new position!

Speaking of "settling", I read that the Essix Retainers do not allow for the best settling like the hawleys because your teeth don't meet..exactly.

Then I've also heard that Essix retainers can prevent the teeth from dropping vertically but the hawleys can't.

Anybody else want to comment on any research about this?

I will have permanent fixed retainers on my tops and bottoms------there was no choice and I am fine with that if it keeps them where they are supposed to be.

My friend has fixed retainers and you don't even notice them as they are really small.

I have another friend whose removable night only retainer DOESN'T FIT ANYMORE. Movement has begun....she is in the process of getting things back on track.

WEAR YOU RETAINER FOREVER!!! I am in braces for the second time *only* because I wore my retainer for about a year and then never again. BE WARNED!!