How many hours to wear wire retainer in a day.

[teacher61]

I just got my retainer Monday and was told to wear it 22 hours a day to begin with. I teach high school so I am not wearing it during school hours because it makes me look weird and talk weird. Am I doing much harm by doing this? As soon as I get home I put it on and wear it continuously until the next morning. I don't understand why you have to wear the retainers for so many hours right after finishing with your Invisalign treatment. I can understand wearing them at night but 22 hours a day. I might as well just kept wearing my last tray.

[pompompadom]

I didn't know you could have a removable wire retainer. When I've finished my treatment i'm having a fixed one that gets glued behind the major front teeth. Its going to be there for 2 years!!!!

I don't know whats worse to be honest.

[teacher61]

The ortho told me I could get the wire retainer or have the bonded retainer. I asked him what he would do and he said the wire retainer. He said that the bonded retainer collect food and are not easy to keep your teeth clean as with the wire retainer you can take them out to eat. I just didn't know I would have to wear them 22 hours a day. I look like a freak with the retainer on at 48 years old. I wished I had gotten the bonded retainer now.

[Wireless]

I would like to know how this turns out for you. There are clear retainers similar to an Invisalign tray, but I'm not sure how this will work in your case.

As for image and weird, I'm a 59 year old male consulting engineer who has police and fire officials for clients. My first ortho assessment was that I would need braces for 18 months and a bite plate to correct my severe overbite. I could see myself giving presentations to this group with a mouth full of plastic and wire. Needless to say, I bailed out for a couple of weeks until I realized my dental problems would only get worse.

When I finally got the nerve to go back, my ortho ended up recommending Invisalign due to a resorbed tooth root. I still have to explain why I don't want coffee and snacks during meetings, and will have to wear retainers when finished.

Since I've worn braces twice before, I really don't want fixed retainers or anything else glued in my mouth, but the wire retainer issue and speaking during presentations is definitely a concern.

Also,I still feel weird parking my pickup truck in front of my ortho's office for appointments!

Good luck with this! If you come up with any winning ideas, please share!!

[teacher61]

I am going to call my orthro and ask about the clear aligner like the Invisalign trays. I noticed one of my students had just gotten a clear tray to use as an retainer. The first day I walked into class with that wire retainer on one of my students said "Ew, gross". I immediately took it out. My son also said "Mom, that is ugly". That is the reason I did not go with the metal braces to begin with. I notice one tooth moves from the morning when I take the retainer out until I get home at about 5:00 p.m. When I sleep in the wire retainer and get up in the morning and take it out the tooth is moved back where it belongs. I just can't believe teeth move that quickly.

[bbsadmin]

Sometimes an "invisalign" (Essix) retainer will not properly hold the teeth in position the way the orthodontist intends. That is why many orthodontists do not use those types of retainers, despite their popularity with patients due to the "invisible" factor.

Perhaps a good middle ground for you would be to wear a clear Essix retainer during school hours and your regular wire Hawley retainer when you are not at school.

Yes, teeth CAN move quickly, as you have witnessed. You went through all that orthodontic treatment. Please do what is right for your teeth. Most orthodontists ask you to wear the retainer 24/7 for the first few months, then you wear it only at night. Ask your orthodontist how long it might be before you are wearing it only at night.

[Wireless]

This sounds like an option worth checking out. High school kids are definitely a tougher audience than public safety officials! Post if you get any good feedback!!

I've got several months in my case before worrying about retainers and will get to find out before then if Invisalign can really correct a deep overbite. My ortho has cautioned that I may need regular braces if he can't get the results he wants.

[MetalMouthProf]

Please be at peace. I am also a teacher and after the full braces business (top and bottom, with rubber bands) chose removable retainers.

I just wanted to be able to have nothing welded to my teeth, and to floss without all the drama. I was expecting to wear the retainers 24/7.

But when debonding day came the ortho said to wear them only at night(!).

I was delighted and surprised. Doing a little google work came up with this medical study
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17902334
which showed NO MEASURABLE DIFFERENCE between people who wore their retainers 24/7 for the first six months and those who wore them at night only.

Don't know if my ortho is smart or just merciful, but after 2 months, so far so good. And I'm soooo glad I don't have to wear those little devils while teaching because they make me lisp.

P.S. I keep them in my pocket and pop them in my mouth now and then when I'm alone, like when I'm driving, just to be extra safe.

[teacher61]

I consulted with my ortho and I asked if I could wear my last invisalign tray in the day instead of the wire retainer and he said that would be good for right now. They are going to make the clear retainer for me to wear instead of the wire retainers. I will have bonded retainer on my bottom teeth. I am relieved.

[Wireless]

Thanks for sharing a successful recommendation!! I hope some orthos are reading this thread to understand the impact of appliances on adults, particularly in professional or other awkward circumstances. While everything may be "clinically correct", it is not going to work if it causes the patient speech problems or embarrisment. To avoid reworks and patient dissatisfaction, be sure new appliances sare discussed well in advance!!

Even Invisalign can result in awkward situations where food or lack of facilities for rinsing or brushing are involved!! Its important for the ortho and the patient both be open and work out the best compromises. It looks like Teacher61 has been successful with this!!