Metal Mouth Message Board

I am heading down the home stretch, finally. I hate the thought of wearing retainers though. I just want a nice clean looking mouth w/o any visible metal in it! So, I'm hoping and wondering if this is a possibility (I will ask my ortho next time I go in, but just wanted your input for now).... can I get a permanent retainer put in, that I obviously wear 24 hours, and then have a removable retainer that I would only wear at night? I don't know a whole lot about permanent retainers and my hope is that in theory that is all I would need, and the removable is only as insurance to wear at night. Or, would I have to wear both of them for a certain number of months, 24 hours a day?

I know everybody is different but it seems that retainer use in adults is fairly consistent amongst a lot of braced adults.

As you say, all cases are different, but I've never heard of anyone having to wear both a permanent and removable retainer full-time. Some people with bonded retainers get removable retainers for nightly wear as a supplement, and some (myself included) use a permanent retainer as the only form of retention.

I'm sure there are probably exceptions to this, but in general, it seems like removable retainers are at most used for nightly wear in conjunction with bonded.

Congrats for being almost done with treatment!

MyLittleTeeth wrote:As you say, all cases are different, but I've never heard of anyone having to wear both a permanent and removable retainer full-time. Some people with bonded retainers get removable retainers for nightly wear as a supplement, and some (myself included) use a permanent retainer as the only form of retention.

I'm sure there are probably exceptions to this, but in general, it seems like removable retainers are at most used for nightly wear in conjunction with bonded.

Congrats for being almost done with treatment!

Thanks for your response!

So, what was/is your experience w/the permanent bonded retainer? Does it work well? Is it really permanent or will you have ot change it somewhere down the road?

I really like it - it's a dream compared to the removable spring retainer I have on my bottom teeth! So far, I've had no issues with relapse (knock on wood).

As far as I know, it's in my mouth forever - I think I read somewhere that it doesn't offer the same type of retentive qualities as a removable, so if I were to ever take it out, I'd have to get a removable retainer for that arch, even if I'd been wearing the bonded one for a while. I could be wrong on that, but that's what I recall.

MyLittleTeeth wrote: I think I read somewhere that it doesn't offer the same type of retentive qualities as a removable, so if I were to ever take it out, I'd have to get a removable retainer for that arch, even if I'd been wearing the bonded one for a while. I could be wrong on that, but that's what I recall.

I actually pressed my ortho on this a couple times before deciding. He assured me that they offer the same retention. He said in fact that the bonded offers a little better simply due to the patient not being able to remove it.

How difficult is it to floss with the bonded retainers?

MyLittleTeeth wrote:I really like it - it's a dream compared to the removable spring retainer I have on my bottom teeth! So far, I've had no issues with relapse (knock on wood).

As far as I know, it's in my mouth forever - I think I read somewhere that it doesn't offer the same type of retentive qualities as a removable, so if I were to ever take it out, I'd have to get a removable retainer for that arch, even if I'd been wearing the bonded one for a while. I could be wrong on that, but that's what I recall.

So on your bottom do you have something like a hawley?

Also, did they put the bonded retainer in right after they took your braces out?

I had permanent retainers top and bottom bonded in immediately after removing the braces. I’m waiting to get my Hawley retainers that I will wear only at night. I had a choice of Hawley or Essix type but was advised that the Hawley would probably be a better option in my case.

To floss under the fixed retainer you need to use Super Floss that has a stiff end to thread through the gaps. I don’t have a problem with the retainer or the floss.

SlimZippy wrote:I had permanent retainers top and bottom bonded in immediately after removing the braces. I’m waiting to get my Hawley retainers that I will wear only at night. I had a choice of Hawley or Essix type but was advised that the Hawley would probably be a better option in my case.

To floss under the fixed retainer you need to use Super Floss that has a stiff end to thread through the gaps. I don’t have a problem with the retainer or the floss.

I already use superfloss so I don't have any problems with using that! i'm sure it'll be much easier to floss w/the retainer than these braces.. Thanks!

The permanent retainer wire is much finer than any arch wire I had in the braces so flossing is not a problem. The wire is coated with adhesive so it feels really smooth behind the teeth.

My orthodontist keeps the final molds so that they can quickly make a replacement permanent retainer should they get damaged.

VA5 wrote: So on your bottom do you have something like a hawley?

Yeah, I think it's called a spring retainer. It's like a hawley, but more bulky and restrictive (uses a lot more acrylic material).

VA5 wrote:Also, did they put the bonded retainer in right after they took your braces out?

Yep, immediately after. Braces came off, bonded retainer went in, same appointment. I didn't even have to get impressions taken on my top arch (another nice perk of permanent retainers), my ortho just placed the wire on the back of my teeth and bonded it.