I've had lower braces for about 14 months and in 2 weeks (fingers crossed) they're coming off. So my question is what type of retainer should I get
1- Fixed
2- Removeable
Does one effect speech more than the other? What are the pros and teh cons of each. Thanks
Lower braces coming off...retainer choices
Moderator: bbsadmin
I think you should go with your ortho's recommendation because there may be certain circumstances where one type works more effectively than another.
If he gives you a choice - that would be a hard one. I would probably go with fixed because I would not have to think about removing it to eat, etc., etc.,
If he gives you a choice - that would be a hard one. I would probably go with fixed because I would not have to think about removing it to eat, etc., etc.,
Braced on 8/05 - Braces off 12/06
Mid Forties!
Mid Forties!
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Dark_angel
- Posts: 406
- Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2006 1:49 pm
- Location: Newcastle, UK
Normally the retainer will be chosen by your ortho and sometimes a combination of fixed and removable is used. Fixed is the fact that it cant be seen when you smile although it stays in place for a long time (although not always forever) but with removable such as hawleys your more likely to get a lisp.
Ask your ortho which is more suited to you.
Ask your ortho which is more suited to you.
Re: Lower braces coming off...retainer choices
Hi joeb1,joeb1 wrote:I've had lower braces for about 14 months and in 2 weeks (fingers crossed) they're coming off. So my question is what type of retainer should I get
1- Fixed
2- Removeable
Does one effect speech more than the other? What are the pros and teh cons of each. Thanks
Congratulations on getting your lower braces removed soon!!!
If you have a choice, I like the removable retainer because it can be removed - it feels great to sometimes not have any orthodontic appliance in your mouth (even if it is for a short while). One of the important things is you need to discipline yourself to wear the retainer as prescribed by your orthodontist because not wearing it can shift your teeth. If you don't think you can discipline yourself to wear it then the fixed retainer may be the choice for you. But all of this depends on what your orthodontist recommends. You may have a slight problem with speech when you first get your retainer but you will adjust to it and your speech will be back to normal.
Are you one of the lucky people that don't need braces on your upper teeth? How long did you have to wear your lower braces and what type of correction did you need done?
Good luck and keep us posted.
ssfw
Quad-Helix expander: 1/20/06 - 1/16/07
Upper braces: 5/19/06; lower braces: 9/7/06
Braces removed: 8/19/08
Received retainer: 8/26/08 - wearing retainer 24 hours/day
Next appt.: 11/18/08
Upper braces: 5/19/06; lower braces: 9/7/06
Braces removed: 8/19/08
Received retainer: 8/26/08 - wearing retainer 24 hours/day
Next appt.: 11/18/08
At my last visit the ortho said the choice was up to me.
I had braces when I was in high school but in the 15 years since, my bottom teeth started crowding pretty bad. My top teeth are not perfect but look fine to me and I wanted to avoid top braces at all cost.
They choose to use "self-ligating brackets" instead of the typical brackets. They offer several benefits over the tyipcal. First they only need to be adjusted every 8 - 12 weeks. The wire they use never looses its shape and therefor never needs to be THIS IS SPAM. Instead of tighening they just put in a bigger wire. Only once did I have any pain, and that was the first few weeks I had the braces and the pain was caused by the spacers. If I had to do it again, I would have asked that they put in the spacers for a few weeks and then add the baraces once the spacers came out.
In order to make room for all my teeth and relieve the crowding the ortho used a process IPR (inner proximal reduction?) Which simply means that she sanded down my front teeth (between the teeth) in order to make more room. The "sanding" took place over 4 -5 visits.
So, afer about a year I will getting the braces off in a few weeks. I will finally be able to eat food without having the meal stuck between me teeth. Better yet, I will be able to talk normal. The braces have really effected my speech.
Joe
I had braces when I was in high school but in the 15 years since, my bottom teeth started crowding pretty bad. My top teeth are not perfect but look fine to me and I wanted to avoid top braces at all cost.
They choose to use "self-ligating brackets" instead of the typical brackets. They offer several benefits over the tyipcal. First they only need to be adjusted every 8 - 12 weeks. The wire they use never looses its shape and therefor never needs to be THIS IS SPAM. Instead of tighening they just put in a bigger wire. Only once did I have any pain, and that was the first few weeks I had the braces and the pain was caused by the spacers. If I had to do it again, I would have asked that they put in the spacers for a few weeks and then add the baraces once the spacers came out.
In order to make room for all my teeth and relieve the crowding the ortho used a process IPR (inner proximal reduction?) Which simply means that she sanded down my front teeth (between the teeth) in order to make more room. The "sanding" took place over 4 -5 visits.
So, afer about a year I will getting the braces off in a few weeks. I will finally be able to eat food without having the meal stuck between me teeth. Better yet, I will be able to talk normal. The braces have really effected my speech.
Joe
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Chocoholic
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 9:11 pm
Hello!
I had my lower braces removed this morning. And my ortho was always going to use a permanent retainer - he doesn't use removable ones as he doesn't think they work too well on adult teeth.
All I can say is - woooowwwwweeeeeeee!
The retainer is a really thin piece of wire which was shaped to the back of my teeth and fitted before my braces came off. The wire is cemented in place, and I honestly don't know it's even there! There are no speech problems nor is there anything to get used too. The only slight downside is I still have to be careful what I eat and have to clean like mad to make sure nothing gets stuck in the little gaps.
But I'm really happy with this!
I had my lower braces removed this morning. And my ortho was always going to use a permanent retainer - he doesn't use removable ones as he doesn't think they work too well on adult teeth.
All I can say is - woooowwwwweeeeeeee!
The retainer is a really thin piece of wire which was shaped to the back of my teeth and fitted before my braces came off. The wire is cemented in place, and I honestly don't know it's even there! There are no speech problems nor is there anything to get used too. The only slight downside is I still have to be careful what I eat and have to clean like mad to make sure nothing gets stuck in the little gaps.
But I'm really happy with this!
