Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello all,

I'm 50, , and I got my braces off today. (top only) The Ortho filed my teeth here and there and my bite was close to perfect. Then he left and the assistant helpped me with my retainer. By dinner my bite was really off. I couldn't eat. My front teeth scraped and the back ones didn't meet. Is this normal? The retainer is tight and my teeth really hurt. I have a Monday appointment with the dentist to fill in a chipped tooth and I'm praying the Ortho will be there. Will this be okay all weekend? I'm worried.

Thank you

Any thoughts? Anyone?

My teeth hurt so badly today. I don't know what to do. My Ortho will be in another town 70 miles away next week. He won't get a message about my retainer until Monday. Until then I'm living off ibuprophen. Is this going to ruin a whole year of braces?

Hey there,

Sorry to hear about your pain. I'm in a similar situation as you are now. My braces were removed last week (Jul 13) after 8 years of wear. I was given a clear retainer and was told to wear it night and day for the next 6 months. The first day of wearing it was horrible. It was so painful and uncomfortable I almost couldn't take it. My gums are JUST going down today and it's much easier to put in the bottom one, the top however is a different story. It's still really tight but not nearly as bad as it was when I first put it in.

Now, my problem right now is it's extremely hard to close my lips together. My bite is off on one side, but without the retainer it's fine. the left side of my mouth won't touch, but the right side does. I'm actually getting jaw aches now. It's really unpleasant. I'm going to try and get to the orthodontist Monday when my brother goes to get his braces off.

I don't know what type of retainer you have, but I'm thinking I'm going to try to ask for the metal one. I don't care about the wire. I wore braces for 8 years and no matter what anyone tells you, the lisp won't go away over time. People have been telling me the wire retainers give you a horrible lisp. Well, it can't be as bad as the one I already have now with the clear one. I mine as well be comfortable if I'm going to have it anyway.

I hope everything works out for you. Believe me, you're not going through this alone.

Thank you so much for your reply!

8 years of braces????? My heart goes out to you!!!!

I have to see the dentist on another issue tomorrow and my Ortho won't be there, but I'm hoping they have a plan for me because I can't take this. My front teeth keep scraping when I talk and try to eat. Today I didn't even bother to eat because it hurts too much to pull the retainer out and put it back in.
I'll let you know what they tell me tomorrow. Let me know what your Ortho tells you.

Good luck!

I hooked up with my Ortho this morning and he adjusted my retainer and already my teeth are back where they should be. I feel so much better.

So - make sure that your bite is set properly on the first day you get it. It doesn't take much to adjust it if it's off.

I went, she said the plastic won't ever allow me to close my teeth completely which I had kind of thought. What bothers me is at night I clinch down and my teeth are sore in the morning. OUCHIES!

Glad you're feeling better though!

You won't "ever" be able to close your teeth properly? Is it bad? Poor thing!

do that clinching thing all the time too! I hate the retainer, but I only have to wear it 24/7 for a month, then only at night.

Thank you for commiserating with me!

Its only when I have these stupid things in that I can't close em'! Ahhh, I eat very slowly now. Lol. I also am going to continue taking it out for the hour I have to be in church. My teeth haven't shifted at all, so I'm happy about that.

It's really good to talk with you since you know what I'm going through! I know the retainer takes getting used too, but I'm sorta worried my clinching at night is going to break the retainer.

I grind and clench my teeth often as well and I'm scheduled for an early August debanding. I asked my ortho if I could have a Hawley since my last essix split due to the grinding. He said I could get one but that he was making me a night-time mouthguard free of charge. It's much more durable. That might be something to check into.

Dizzy, as long as the inner part of your hawley doesn't completely cover the roof of your mouth, you'll get used to it and won't lisp as long as you're not talking fast. It took me at least a week though wearing it full time before my tongue figured out how to work around it. I'm not sure if you can ask your ortho to make it that way though, mine came that way. It was SO much easier to learn to speak with than my first one, which covered the whole roof of my mouth. I don't think I ever didn't lisp with that one, but that was the one I lost.