I know it won't be another year and a half or more but I was just woundering does anyone know if I would be able to request that I have Hawley retainers instead of a permanent retainer?
I rather prefer to have hawley's instead of bonded retainers!
SDFD TSchott
Retainers
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SDFD TSchott
- Posts: 1680
- Joined: Sun Aug 20, 2006 11:36 pm
- Location: Tucson, AZ
Retainers
Adjustment Sept 14th, 2018
Braces back on August 06, 2018
Braces off April 02, 2008
HI Tim. A couple of months before I was to get debanded I started talking to my orthodontist about retainers - letting him know I wanted Hawleys. When the actualy time came, he said that he would not use the lower Hawley because it was too bulky. He put me in a lower, bonded retainer, but moved it up away from my gums - because I make a lot of tartar. I have found that it is ok. It is not a proble to clean or floss - you thread the floss around three teeth and then pull it until the end pops up in back of the teeth, then you grab it and proceed to clean around those teeth and the wire...
I do have a Hawley for the top teeth.
I do have a Hawley for the top teeth.
Had Damon 3 / Smart Clips for almost 2 years
Now in Hawley upper 10 hours/day, permanent lower retainers
Now in Hawley upper 10 hours/day, permanent lower retainers
I was going to ask for a bottom hawley instead of the bonded, but the Ortho really stressed to me that they use the bonded because no one ever wears their bottom hawley. It's bulky and it hurts, and apparently the top hawley is "a thousand times easier to wear". I'm not really a fan of how the top hawley feels so I can't even imagine how much I would have hated the bottom one! The fixed retainer is a piece of cake, I barely ever notice it and it certainly doesn't bother me. When they first put it on my tongue was like "OMG WHAT IS THIS!?!?!?" for about half an hour and then I sort of didn't notice it anymore - only every once in a while for a couple of days (and the first time I ate with it on I kept checking with my tongue (is it still on? is there food there? omg!) but nothing stuck to it and it was fine.
Brushing it is easy - just brush small little circles over the back of your bottom teeth for a couple seconds and voila. I use SuperFloss from oralb to floss between my bottom teeth (it's only like 6 teeth that are wired together anyway, and the wire is smoothed over with ceramic glaze) - it's stiff at the tip so you just slip it in right between the teeth under the wire - takes like 5 seconds for me to floss between the teeth - I don't "floss the retainer", just the space between the teeth at the gums under where the wire is. I had my first dentist appointment and they said the perm retainer looks fantastic and clean... and to wear it for as many years as I can - the best would be forever because your teeth move the older you get.
My only regret is that I couldn't get an upper permanent retainer because I feel the Hawley isn't holding my teeth in place as well as the permanent one has been doing for my lower teeth even though I wear the stupid Hawley 24 hours a day.
Brushing it is easy - just brush small little circles over the back of your bottom teeth for a couple seconds and voila. I use SuperFloss from oralb to floss between my bottom teeth (it's only like 6 teeth that are wired together anyway, and the wire is smoothed over with ceramic glaze) - it's stiff at the tip so you just slip it in right between the teeth under the wire - takes like 5 seconds for me to floss between the teeth - I don't "floss the retainer", just the space between the teeth at the gums under where the wire is. I had my first dentist appointment and they said the perm retainer looks fantastic and clean... and to wear it for as many years as I can - the best would be forever because your teeth move the older you get.
My only regret is that I couldn't get an upper permanent retainer because I feel the Hawley isn't holding my teeth in place as well as the permanent one has been doing for my lower teeth even though I wear the stupid Hawley 24 hours a day.
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BracesAt42
- Posts: 96
- Joined: Thu May 19, 2005 3:37 pm
Play an active role in this decision!
I guess I will be the lone dissenter in the thread (so far).
I too was supposed to have bonded retainers on both arches, I found out (accidentally) a short time before my debanding.
In my case, I did not want any objects attached to my teeth - given I already have some fillings and several crowns on molars, and after having braces for almost 2 years, I wanted to run truly naked after debanding.
I did a lot of research, spoke with my dentist and his hygeniests, and then approached my ortho and requested Hawleys on top and bottom. (In my case I believe my ortho's "standard" solution is Hawley on top, bonded on bottom, so if you don't voice any objections, that it what you get -- that was my impression of the process)
My ortho's only comment was that I had to be diligent in wearing the Hawleys, and based on his demeanor during those comments, he was a bit skeptical, even though I had been an exemplary patient during my entire journey.
Well, I got my Hawleys top and bottom 1 week after debanding, and faithfully wore them as instructed. My experience is that the top is very bulky and affects my speech - but I don't notice it at all after a few minutes. The bottom is a breeze...I could wear it 24 x 7 if need be, and never feel it. The bottom is a bit harder to remove, but no big deal.
At each of my checkpionts after debanding, the ortho said my teeth had remained exactly as they should. I had my 1 year (and final) appointment a few months ago, and the same result - my teeth had stayed exactly as they should after debanding.
So, I believe you can acheive the same retention results with Hawleys as with bonded (bonded have just become more common in the last 10 years), if you are diligent in wearing them.
For me, not having some item glued to my teeth, and not having to brush a certain way or use floss threaders or be concerned with food getting stuck or the reatiner coming loose over time are HUGE advantages of going with Hawleys.
So, my advice would be to do your research, discuss this with your ortho and dentist (and hygeniests), and then get the type of retainers you want - it is your mouth! Do NOT be rushed through this part of treatment to simply conform to your particular ortho's "standard" solution!
And, side note - once you go with a bonded retainer, it is a pain to get rid of it if you change your mind.
Best Wishes on your Journey!
I too was supposed to have bonded retainers on both arches, I found out (accidentally) a short time before my debanding.
In my case, I did not want any objects attached to my teeth - given I already have some fillings and several crowns on molars, and after having braces for almost 2 years, I wanted to run truly naked after debanding.
I did a lot of research, spoke with my dentist and his hygeniests, and then approached my ortho and requested Hawleys on top and bottom. (In my case I believe my ortho's "standard" solution is Hawley on top, bonded on bottom, so if you don't voice any objections, that it what you get -- that was my impression of the process)
My ortho's only comment was that I had to be diligent in wearing the Hawleys, and based on his demeanor during those comments, he was a bit skeptical, even though I had been an exemplary patient during my entire journey.
Well, I got my Hawleys top and bottom 1 week after debanding, and faithfully wore them as instructed. My experience is that the top is very bulky and affects my speech - but I don't notice it at all after a few minutes. The bottom is a breeze...I could wear it 24 x 7 if need be, and never feel it. The bottom is a bit harder to remove, but no big deal.
At each of my checkpionts after debanding, the ortho said my teeth had remained exactly as they should. I had my 1 year (and final) appointment a few months ago, and the same result - my teeth had stayed exactly as they should after debanding.
So, I believe you can acheive the same retention results with Hawleys as with bonded (bonded have just become more common in the last 10 years), if you are diligent in wearing them.
For me, not having some item glued to my teeth, and not having to brush a certain way or use floss threaders or be concerned with food getting stuck or the reatiner coming loose over time are HUGE advantages of going with Hawleys.
So, my advice would be to do your research, discuss this with your ortho and dentist (and hygeniests), and then get the type of retainers you want - it is your mouth! Do NOT be rushed through this part of treatment to simply conform to your particular ortho's "standard" solution!
And, side note - once you go with a bonded retainer, it is a pain to get rid of it if you change your mind.
Best Wishes on your Journey!
Yep, Braces at Age 42!
Damon 2's
Braces On: 9-18-2003
Braces Off: 7-13-2005
Damon 2's
Braces On: 9-18-2003
Braces Off: 7-13-2005
!