Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm getting my braces off in the next month or so. My ortho wants to do bonded retainers both top and bottom, and I'm not too excited about that prospect. My fiancee had braces as adult, and had hers removed 4 years ago. She had a bonded retainer on bottom for a while, hated it, and had her ortho remove it. She wears regular retainers both top and bottom at night now.

I'm just wondering what everyone's opinion is of bonded retainers. I remember reading some horror stories about them increasing periodontal problems. After having bite turbos stuck to the backs of my upper front teeth for the first six months or so of my treatment, I'm not super thrilled about the prospect of having something else glued there permanently. I'm guessing the bonded retainers wouldn't stick out that far, and probably wouldn't poke me in the tongue constantly like the turbos, but they might still be annoying.

I find the concept of bonded retainers a little weird to begin with. I'd wondered before why if you have to wear a retainer that has a wire across the front and sticks to the roof and floor of your mouth, messing up your speech, full-time for a year after braces why it's not preferable to just leave the braces on an extra year with the last wire, then go straight to night-time retainer wear. Someone had told me something about the teeth having to be able to shift a little to re-stabilize the roots into their new permanent positions. If that's the case, wouldn't bonded retainers prevent that? It seems like you would be moving from braces on the front of your teeth to something bracket-like on the backs of your teeth.

Thoughts anyone?

I have been researching retainers a lot lately. At my last appointment, I found out that my ortho will do permanent retainers, if the patient insists, but he prefers not to and doesn’t recommend them at all.

I saw some photos from previous patients (not sure if they were his previous patients) who didn't wear their removable retainers because they also had permanents and they ended up back in braces. I guess after time, they just stopped wearing the removable ones. If permanent retainers covered all the teeth, I might be interested.

My co-worker had braces and she didn’t go the permanent route because after having braces for 2 years, she didn’t want anything stuck to her teeth and wanted to have clean teeth (meaning no reminder of braces whatsoever). I assume after you get used to them, you wouldn’t feel them anymore

Then again, there are the hygiene issues...are they safe??? Who knows.

Like everything else, I think it is all a matter of preference. Find what you are comforable with and go with it. You can always try removable and if you don't like them, go permanent.

I will not be doing permanent retainers. I don't like any part of them. Having something on the back of my teeth, still in the way of flossing, and collecting yucky stuff. I'm going Hawleys all the way. I don't like Essix either, after seeing that a lot of people talk about an open bite.

I was debanded last June and received bonded retainers top and bottom. My ortho indicated I have a high propensity for relapse and didn't want to take any chances. I also wear removable retainers at night. Like all things braces related, they took a bit of getting used to, although I barely notice them now.

I still have to use threader floss on these teeth and be extra diligent regarding hygiene. I have not had any movement of the teeth covered by the permanent retainers, but have had minor shifting of some others, which my ortho says is normal. Bonded retainers do allow for the micro movements teeth need to become anchored in their new positions whereas fixed braces do not.

Ultimately, I would defer to your ortho's recommendation on this issue since everyone's situation is different. And of course, congrats on the upcoming debanding!

I have a bonded retainer on the lower teeth and will be getting one on the uppers too once they are done. I found the permanent retainer to be much less of an issue than I imagined it would be. I barely notice that it's there to be honest. Flossing takes a few minutes extra but I don't mind this at all. I wear a removable retainer at night too but I like knowing that my front teeth have very slim chance of relapse with wearing both retainers. I am keen to have the upper bonded retainer as I do not want my diastema to come back at all!

I'd rather have this kind of retainer than the removable ones. I am not that disciplined and would prefer having something 'stuck' on my teeth, doing the business for me.

My ortho did not offer me bonded retainers. I am yet to ask why, but I am a little sceptical of them not covering all the teeth. I read stories of teeth shifting even with bonded retainers in place, so I am concerned about a false sense of security they may give, cause I know having bonded retainers on my teeth will inevitably lead to skipping on my removable retainers. I know there are people who will diligently wear both, but for me it's easier to be diligent with wearing removable ones only.

I'm glad this question has come up! My ortho told me that in a couple of visits he will be looking at confirming my d-day!!!! Yay!!!!

He said to start thinking about retainers, he prefers fixed as his experience is that people are not disciplined enough for removable. I am not keen at all on the idea....I just want 'naked' teeth again 100%!! I think I'm disciplined enough but am worried that removable isnt as effective!
Definately dont want a relapse....but also that is enough to make me disciplined as the thought of going through this again is not worth thinking about!!

Whats the difference between hawleys and essix that people have been mentioning? He hasnt mentioned anything apart from the fact that its a wire bonded behind your teeth.