Metal Mouth Message Board

I had them on originally as a teenager. It's not 10 years later and I've been using my retainer (the plastic mouthpiece one, as I lost the regular retainer many years back) nightly ever since I had them removed.

I finally lost this mouthpiece retainer about 3-4 months ago and my teeth upper front teeth have been shifting back to a mild overbite, with the teeth slightly tilting inwards, and it's creating gaps in between the two front incisors and the other two incisors. A|AA|A -> The | is the gaps are not visible if looking at me directly, but at an angle they are noticeable.

I also feel soreness in my teeth, obviously due to the shifting.

Now I know that I should go to the orthodontist but I don't like doing anything blindly so I want to know what the thoughts are here from some of the experts.

Will I likely need to have braces again? If so, what range would lingual braces run for the top set of teeth only, or invisalign for that matter even?

Would a new retainer possibly work?

Oh, FYI, I called my original orthodontist from when I was a teenager, and one of the nurses simply said that he wouldn't have my impressions from that long ago to create a new one.

This stinks.

go to a orthodontist before it gets too bad, many people have gotten braces multiple times on this board from what i read. try get new prints for a retainer or what ever the ortho recommends

I would definitely go to an orthodontist before it gets too bad. I had to do the same thing when I was 24, and am glad I did. I am one of those "multiple times in braces" folks, so if you need to ask any questions, etc feel free to ask away! Good luck, and hope it works out for you soon!

~Becky

I'd find an ortho quick smart because it's possible you could still avoid braces. The sooner you act the better

At this early stage it's possible that another retainer could move your teeth back to where they were. The longer you leave it, the less likely that will be, so I would advise acting soon.

The only certainty is the longer you wait, the greater the possibility that you'll need braces again. At this point even if you do need braces again, the treatment time will be much shorter than if you put this off another five to ten years.

Without seeing your teeth, all anyone can do is guess what needs to be done. Its worth the call and time to make the appointment and get a new retainer if that is all that is required. I'd make it a point to make an appointment in the next week or so and move this forward.

Mike

I would definitely recommend going to an ortho. I'm on my second round of braces, and I know if I had taken care of this sooner my treatment time would be less. From how you describe it your problem sounds like it could be solved with a retainer or a short round of invisalign. I have invisalign on top to close gaps, and I really like them. They are pretty much like essix retainers.

Good luck!

Wow, talk about a helpful forum!

Yep, I knew that the common theme would be "get into the ortho's office!" lol. I'm horrible with appointments but will try to make it a point to get into one. Which then leads me to how do you exactly "shop" for one, are there good websites? Cost is actually going to be a big concern for me even though I have metlife insurance it likely will not cover it right?

Two final main questions than based on the helpful responses I've received.

1. If I DO need braces again to correct the shift. Approximately what price range ($500 - $2000? $2000-$3000? $1000 - $5000?!) would it cost to receive the lingual braces, or invisaline on the top teeth only? Due to my job the last thing I'd want is something noticeable so I would probably even lean more towards the lingual ones as I hear the invisaline are still noticeable up close.

2. If I won't need braces to correct it, would it just be a retainer?

I guess that since I'm feeling soreness my teeth must still have some "memory" from the straightened positioned and it would be easier to fix now before they do adjust, or get worse. I really would not want to wear a retainer to work either, if a retainer can fix this I hope it could be something that I can leave out for 9 hours a day while I'm at work. I was just wearing the old mouth guard retainer while I slept only (about 7 hours) and than I felt the pain in my teeth probably the 3rd night after having lost it.

ugghhh, this really sucks. Though it's my own fault for not exercising that individual responsibility with my own property!!

Thank you guys so much for the help.

Don't wait, I waited and it is going to cost me dearly