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I've just signed up here and so far Im at the consultations stage of my braces journey. I went somewhere in London and the guy was very helpful but the prices seems way over the top (I think I have found somewhere more local thats about 1/3 of the price and I am having a consultation there soon). I am intending to get lingual on the top and ceramic on the bottom to correct an open bite, overbite and do a little tooth straightening too.
One of the things the orthodontist mentioned was that, as an adult, following treatment with braces you are required to wear a retainer (either a thin wire glued to the back of the teeth, or something that looks like an invisalign brace worn overnight and as much in day as possible too). He told me I would have to wear this retainer FOREVER because once you reach adulthood the teeth will always try to move back to their original position as moving the teeth with braces is, in effect, going against nature. Is this correct?
My other question (sorry for the adult theme) relates to whether my man might have to miss out on certain luxouries in the bedroom during my time wearing braces?
I was told I would wear a retainer 24/7 for 6 months, then at night for as long as I want to keep my teeth straight. It was a strange thought when I first heard it..."what, I am going to wear these things forever?", but you get used to the idea and it makes sense...teeth move throughout your life and if you want to keep that 'just out of braces' look, then you have to wear retainers. Alright, some people don't wear them and their teeth stay ruler straight...but would you want to risk being one of the ones whose teeth move? Not me.
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe
Upper ceramics: 3 Oct 2005, Lower metals: 1 Nov 2005
Estimated treatment time: 18-24 months
Braces remove: April 4, 2007!
The more you read these forums, the more you find out that very many of the adults on here are people who had braces in their younger days, but their teeth have moved since.
i was told i'd wear mine 24/7 for a time period then at night forever. that said, if you remove it for a short time, your teeth won't just shoot back to their old spot as long as you are diligent otherwise.
four bicuspids removed 1/3/06
clear uppers and metal lowers placed 1/5/06
timeframe for braces: 24-30 months
I knew a girl in high school whose teeth refused to stay put. If she stopped wearing her retainer for longer than a few hours her teeth would start moving and she would get a gap in between her two front teeth, so she had to get a bonded retainer. Other people it seems don't have that problem. I think it just depends on the person and the orthodontist's preference/experience.
Braced on 17 Feb. 2006.
Five teeth extracted on March 9, 2006.
Canine exposure: February 7, 2007
lefort 3 March 7, 2008
TPA April 22, 2008
2 years 7 months in braces
braces off September 17, 2008
Speaking from experience, I would first heed the advice your ortho gives you about how often to wear the retainer. I would also, wear it at a minimum, every night forever once you get through the "full time" stage. Your teeth will try to move 10 -20 years later, if you "forget" to wear the retainer and once they start moving out of place it's a slippery slope. Better to wear the retainer EVERY night.
user wrote:Hello all,
He told me I would have to wear this retainer FOREVER because once you reach adulthood the teeth will always try to move back to their original position as moving the teeth with braces is, in effect, going against nature. Is this correct?
My ortho said no. There will be a day where I will be appliance free completely. But even if this turns out to be wrong and I will have to wear something at night for the rest of my life I wouldn't care.
My other question (sorry for the adult theme) relates to whether my man might have to miss out on certain luxouries in the bedroom during my time wearing braces?
If you have linguals that sounds very dangerous since the metal will be on the inside of your mouth. With regular braces there is no problem because the sharp parts are only on the outside and you can just cover them with the lips.
My other question (sorry for the adult theme) relates to whether my man might have to miss out on certain luxouries in the bedroom during my time wearing braces?
It's all in the technique - - - experiment - - try something new!! Don't let the braces get in the way of ANYTHING!!
~Lyn
16 months in BRACES!
Ceramic Braces on top 7/3/05
Metal Braces on bottom 10/25/05
OFF 11/8/06 - Now in Essix Retainers 24/7
My ortho has told me that as well as wearing a fixed brace he would like me also to wear a removable retainer to acheive the desired result in the least possible time, after this he says i have to use one for a year and then I can have porcelain veneers fitted.
I expect to wear my retainer at night basically forever. I paid a lot of money for my teeth to look good and I don't want to mess them up again.
You can skip some nights here and there, but if you go for long periods without wearing your retainer, your teeth will start to shift.
I've been out of braces a little more than a year. In November I had a bad cold/cough and for a few nights I just couldn't wear my retainer because it made my cough worse. When I put it back in, it was much tighter than usual, which means that something had moved a bit.
Is it cumbersome? Only at first. After the first month you get used to it. Some mornings I forget that it's still in before I eat breakfast!
I'm the owner/admin of this site. Had ceramic uppers, metal lowers ~3 years in my early 40's. Now in Hawley retainers at night!
user wrote:
My other question (sorry for the adult theme) relates to whether my man might have to miss out on certain luxouries in the bedroom during my time wearing braces?
