Metal Mouth Message Board

I've noticed a lot of treatments involving tooth rotation. If a tooth is successfully rotated, what keeps it from rotating back to its old position? Are special retainers needed? I have two premolars that were unsuccessfully rotated in an earlier treatment and partially rotated this time. They are in a position now that is ok if they don't move back.

Anterior teeth are best held with a fixed retainer. Posterior teeth rotations are best held with a removable retainer. My personal preference is to use something with full coverage such as Vivera, Invisalign, or essix retainer, since it wraps around the entire tooth.

There are schools of though that the way the top teeth and bottom teeth fit together will also hold the teeth in place, but if your correction was only partial, there likely isn't a "socked in" occlusion where the jaws fit together perfectly. This also brings up the question about why the rotation correction is not going to be completed.

I have Essix retainers so I should be ok. Only wearing them at night now.

The to premolars failed to rotate properly for two ortho treatments. The previous try was with regular braces when I was in my mid-30s and this time was with Invisalign. Some of the problem could be jaw structure as my jaws curve upward where these teeth are located. I also have age (61) as a factor as well as pre-existing conditions from braces when I was a teenager.

I'm partially the culprit for not doing more. My doc was suggesting working on rotating a slightly twisted lower incisor as well, but I wasn't up for a second set of refinements.

For me, the big thing has been correcting a severe deep bite enough that I no longer have pain from my lower teeth hitting my upper gums. This part has been a success! I'm delighted to have made to where I only need retainers at night as long as I can avoid more relapses. I'm also very glad I didn't have to pursue other options my regular dentist may have suggested if my problem hadn't been corrected with Invisallign.

The first time I had braces, I wish I would have worn my retainer more consistently. It's possible that I would not have had to get them again. However, I don't think they had fixed retainers back then. I am going to opt for the fixed retainer as it is apparent that my teeth will shift back to position pre-braces if I don't!

I wear an Essix on my upper teeth at the moment, bottom teeth are still going. I think they actually look better than when I finished treatment, only in that the retainer actually pinched the two front teeth together more than they were in my last aligner. I think if you have an essix though, it is all about compliance. I have never missed a night in mine and I'm sure that helps.

Although I have upper and lower retainers for night only now, I do have one tooth that is moving - intentionally. A rear molar is at an angle where it cannot easily grow out, even when we tried elastics and buttons. I've been in retainers for over a year now - first partial ones that covered only my front 8 teeth. The ones I have now are full. The problem tooth is slowly coming into place where it should.

I've been told night only now, but when I have only 8 hours wear, my retainers hurt when I put them in and are hard to get out in the morning. I've been trying for 10 to 11 hours, which seems to work better. It looks like the problem molar is now almost where it should be.