Broken Essix Retainer

[chichi]

I got my braces off in January, so it's been just about 11 months of retainers. I've been wearing the essix at night and, when I took it out Friday morning, a piece cracked off towards the back. I can still wear it, but my bite doesn't feel as good as it did when I had a whole retainer. My ortho can't fit me in for an appointment for another 2 weeks and they said they'll have to do impressions to order a new one. For some reason, I expected that, somewhere, there is a storage space containing everyone's impressions from the day they got their braces off for this specific purpose. Let's say I need a new retainer every year... won't my teeth just get worse since I'm not retaining them using the mold from day zero? I'm very annoyed about this and I'd like to hear your experiences so I know I'm not alone...

[newbite]

To avoid this you would have to get your teeth scanned with the 3D scanner thing and have Invisalign retainers made. My ortho offered this to me but it's $500. I would get 5 sets of retainers and they would have my 3D scan on file forever, but... It's $500, and if I ever get a crown or other major change then the scan is no longer valid.

If your retainer broke and you only wear it at night you may be grinding/clenching your teeth. You may want to get a retainer that is built up to also act as a nightguard so this won't happen again.

[dydx]

I had the same thing happen to me except much earlier on in my treatment, and had to get new impressions done and was also disappointed! However it it's a hawley won't they be able to make minor adjustments still? And thanks for that info newbite, I had always wondered that. It's still too bad that the 3D scan isn't a part of everyones treatment plan though. To think, all that hard work and one little mistake or breakage could mess up a final product and all that time.