New Essix's on front teeth only

[TMJJill]

So my braces came off today. My dentist has fitted me with Essix retainers for both my upper and lowers. They are only on my front 6 teeth from canine to canine. He wants my bite to settle for the rest of the teeth.

I found this interesting. I assumed from everything I've read that they would be fitted over all my teeth. I'm not complaining though.

I'll be getting some kind of sleep splint down the line that will take place of one of my Essix's at night. I'm not sure what style that splint will be yet.

Does anyone else have partial Essix's? How have you found that experience?

[TMJJill]

I had a 'fix it' appointment today. I kept sneezing my upper retainer out.

I was talking to the assistant while my retainer was being adapted. She said it was pretty rare for the dentist to fit retainers on just the fronts. She said he must be expecting some changes of some sort in my back teeth. He did tell me he wanted them to 'settle'.

She was very worried about the possibility of my aspirating my retainers while I sleep if they come loose because they are so small. I was told to wear them 24/7 for the first month though.

[TMJJill]

I'm now 2 weeks into wearing my Essix retainers.

This week I developed sores in my mouth. They are high on my gums away from the retainers. Other than a few times when I had my braces, I've never had issues with sores. I'm trying to figure out if the sores developed in reaction to some aspect of wearing the retainers or adjusting to them.

Also, I have one spot of gum between 2 teeth that has been a bit swollen. I didn't have that problem before. I'm very diligent about cleaning the retainer and it appears to fit well. Any ideas? Is this something I should be scheduling a visit with my Orthodontist for? I have a visit with him on the 17th. Should I see about going in sooner? It usually takes me a few hours off work for a visit so I don't like going more often than necessary.

[ortholabowner]

the term ''settle'' makes my skin crawl. when the brackets came off, did your all your teeth contact evenly when you you gently bit down? the teeth are relapsing toward their former positions, while super erupted or submerged teeth are either depressed into the bone or allowed to super erupt into a neutral contact with their opposing teeth. ask to see your models or photos of your teeth made at the debanding appointment. put them together and look for anything abnormal. overly rotated teeth, uneven crown length of adjacent teeth, symmetrical long axis tooth alignment, and the even contact of all teeth throughout the arch. your models should not rock around like a seesaw on high teeth. the night splint is something i never heard of. what is it's function? what are the consequences of not doing this treatment phase. if you have jaw pain, clicking, or you grind at night, a splint is a good idea. but as i said, to get a splint for no medically necessary reason......?

[TMJJill]

Hi,

Thank you for your input.

I'd bruxed for years and flattened my back molars without realizing what I was doing until I changed dentists about 10 years ago. It was one of the first things that dentist pointed out to me. I wore a flat plane occlusal guard when I slept for a long time to protect my teeth when sleeping. Unfortunately over time, I developed some health issues that ended up being tracked back to TMJD.

My dics had slipped and resulted in my jaw being positioned back into my ear. I lost a lot of hearing and had other ear problems. I entered Phase I of my treatment with dual splints. During the day, I wore a lower mandibular repositioning splint. At night, I wore a splint that held my lower jaw in a forward position when I slept and kept me from being able to brux. Over time, my muscles came out of spasm and a more forward position with my jaw away from my ear by 3 mm was established. Phase II, I needed to bring my bite into position permanently (my choice). I had braces with my lower repositioning splint for 11 months before transitioning to lower braces as well. I didn't have a lot of movement done with my lower teeth other than eruption of some of the teeth that had been ground down and a bit of arch development. I had a couple molars on one side that just wouldn't erupt. My Orthodontist ended up building them up when the braces came off so I could finish establishing my bite on that side. On the other side, I have a crown that needs to be replaced with one a bit taller to finalize my bite. I just can't afford it yet. My Orthodontist is monitoring my teeth and bite and I've had a couple follow-up visits in the 6 weeks since the braces came off so he could watch what is happening. From what his staff have said, the front retainers are unusual, even for his practice, but he really does want me to give it several months to see how those back molars settle.

I actually asked for discussion on the night splint when I was nearing the end of my braces treatment. I had a sleep study reviewed by my Orthodontist and Pulmonologist who I coordinated with over the course of my orthodontic treatment. I've been wearing my upper sleep retainer for about 5 weeks now. It is a basic Essix retainer with a customized acrylic build on the front. I'm not sure if my description will do it justice, but it has a 'wedge' that comes down in the front. It is angled back some so that I can bite down and close my lips, but my bite doesn't touch so I can't brux. When I lay down, my lower jaw can no longer fall back. The wedge kind of acts like a stopper. This serves 2 purposes. It keeps my jaw forward from my ear. It also keeps my airway open. I had an appointment with my Pulmonologist after the splint was made so he could assess whether or not is met my needs in that regard. He was pleased with it.

Thanks for the info you shared. It give me more to discuss at my next follow-up appointment.

[ortholabowner]

great explanation. your case is much more complex than most. you clearly understand what your treatment protocol is. the anterior repositioning splint you now wear is very commonly prescribed - and quite effective for symptoms such as yours. in this case, ''settle'' is not a term often thrown around that suggests unfinished treatments. very good luck to you and your team of doctors!