retainers: how many kinds; what do they look like; etc

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#1 Post by **ishasha** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 11:32 am

I can't imagin I'm getting close to the debanding day too! After about a year and half with braces.

My ortho and I discussed about retains briefly during last visits. She said I will get a permanent on my top front teeth because one of them was rotated prior to braces and rotation is the easiest to go back. She said then I can have a invisalign style retain on top of that, then one for the bottom. But she hinted that I may choose.

My question is since I don't have no idea about these different retainers. I'd like to have more information before finalizing it. I did some research but couldn't really find these I thought of as the basic information. Specifically I'm looking for answers to the following questions:

1. How many kinds of retainers are there?

2. What do they look like? (where can I find pictures)

3. What's the difference among these retainers. Why would one choose one from the other.

4. What's the other impact of using these different retainers. Such as, convenience, easy to pop on/out, easy to clean, affect on the look, speaking, gum, adjustable, etc.

#2 Post by **TigerLily** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 3:03 pm

There's another recent thread you might find useful.

On the first page, I made a post about a conversation I had with my ortho about this recently (she went into braces in the last couple of years after 20+ years of being an orthodontist, she's been out about 6 months)
viewtopic.php?t=26441&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

#3 Post by **SDFD TSchott** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:37 pm

The second hawley looking retainer Meryaten posted is called a wrap around hawley just for some info there...

#4 Post by **ishasha** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 10:24 am

Meryaten, TigerLily, and SDFD TSchott, thank you so much for your information, especially Meryaten, thanks for taking your time to post these pictures. They are helpful!

Yes, I later found some pictures and explanations from google. I was apparently not using the correct key words.

I'm a gagger too so I'm not sure a hawley would be a good choice for me. But from what I read, it seems like Essix is not as good for biting.

So I wonder how inconvenient is hawley going to be? Apart from possible gagging, is the wire going to show? i.e. can people see your wire? I'm supposed to wear the retainers 24/7 for a long time before switching to night time only .

I'm also curious if one can switch from hawley to Essix once the biting is corrected and everything settled down...

I had concerns about cleaning bonded retains. But the posts here eased me a lot. Guess I'm going to buy a lot of superfloss!

Thanks again! I'm looking forward to showing my diff pictures here soon!

#5 Post by **purpleteeth** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 3:12 pm

Can you request what type of retainer you want in the office or does each office have their preference? I know that I will have additional splinting done following braces to help with my TMJ... so I am not totally sure what I will get. I know my office does work with bonded retainers and I have seen others with the Hawley. Personally, I don't want the Essix... except maybe for daytime wear only or if I have a job where my smile will constantly be visible or something.

#6 Post by **ishasha** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:52 am

Meryaten, thanks for your picture again!

Now I'm more for a Hawley now. I'll talk to my ortho today~

#7 Post by **ishasha** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 3:03 pm

Just an update. I talked with my ortho today about the retainer education I got from here, and my preference of a hawley. She agreed with the disadvantage of the clear ones not being able to help adjusting biting. But she said my biting is pretty good already and she wouldn't worry about it.

She said that hawleys are really not comfortable and she wouldn't recommend it unless need to. But she also offered both (hawley and essix) if I'd like. That way I can wear essix during the day and hawley at night. I feel kind of relieved about hearing that I don't really need a hawley. But now I'm curious if it's good to switch back and forth between these two. Maybe I'll ask her this next time.