Metal Mouth Message Board

hi everybody,

I finished my treatment few months ago and my ortho gave me 3 sets of retainers /identical/. I have to wear them every night for the next 6 months and after that 2-3nights a week.
What I want to know - is it for life? Didn't even think of asking that question as I was so excited about finishing my treatment.
I would guess I will need to wear them whole my life as teeth move constantly don't they.
Sorry if it's a silly question and I hope there is someone out there with some answers.

RFL. I think that acronym should be coined. Retainers for life :).

You're right that your teeth will constantly want to move. We tell our patients things never tend to get better without some course of action, they generally tend to get worse. Therefore, you'll want to keep wearing your retainers indefinitely, at least on a periodic basis, in order to keep your beautiful straight smile. Congrats!

So it's recommend to wear your retainers for life. I'm not quite sure what would happen 10-20 years down the line if you need a new one! your Ortho might not be around anymore . But I guess, you'd just see a new Ortho who would have to take molds of your teeth at the time?

That's exactly what I was thinking..I am only 27, I 've got 3 sets of retainers for the many years ahead of me. Surely in 20 years time I will not be able to call my ortho up and ask for a new set of retainers
I definately do not want my teeth to move back so I will wear my retainers regularly at night-time.
Thank you for your replies.

andrea26 wrote:That's exactly what I was thinking..I am only 27, I 've got 3 sets of retainers for the many years ahead of me. Surely in 20 years time I will not be able to call my ortho up and ask for a new set of retainers
I definately do not want my teeth to move back so I will wear my retainers regularly at night-time.
Thank you for your replies.

Did you get 3 retainers included in your treatment? or was that at an extra cost? What types of retainers are they? (Hawley or Essix).

Sorry for all the questions, it's just it reminds me of more things to ask at my next consultation ... I can never think of what to ask!

I wonder if an Ortho only includes one retainer in the price, you can request another as long as you pay

My retainers are called Vivera retainers. All 3 sets were included in the treatment. They should definately provide at least 2 retainers as they can get lost or damaged.
Good luck with the rest of your treatment

You can order extra Viveras from Invisalign. They have a copy of your last tray. In fact, you can get a subscription where they send you a certain number a year.

I don't know how long they keep the records though- will we be able to order them in 20 years?!

You will always be able to go to an orthodontist, anywhere at any time, have impressions taken and get a new retainer of some type, so don't worry about 20 years time!

My dentist told me that I would have to wear a retainer full time for 3 months, then every night for 2-3 years, and then I could gradually reduce it to 2 nights per week.

I think I only get 1 retainer included in my original price. I must remember to order an extra one in case of breakage - I DO NOT want my teeth to move after I've finished this!

It's a good idea to keep your regular dentist informed of your ortho treatments to help check on problems and also to give an ortho referral at a future date if you need a replacement retainer. I would definitely not quit wearing retainers because one broke.

A relapse can take many years to happen in some cases, and may not be that obvious if a bite problem is involved. I wish I had given my dentist more details of my ortho history when I started going to him a number of years ago. In my case, a severe deep bite slowly returned over 20 years. The problem wasn't that visible as my teeth appeared to remain straight, but my bite closed to the point my lower teeth contacted my upper gums and became very painful requiring correction. As a result, I've ended up with 2 years in aligners to put everything back. My dentist didn't notice the slow changes, but may have if I had provided more info.

I also found out the hard way about the importance of retainer wear. My previous treatment was by a regular dentist who didn't recommend long term retainers. If my dentist had known more of my history, he may have recommended having one fitted early on, avoiding some major problems.

If you are trying to cut back on wear time, pay attention to any tooth movement. Pictures when finishing treatment are a good idea to compare and see if changes are happening.