How are people coping with permanent retainers?

[camdog]

I had my braces off 2 days ago (woohoo!) but then I got permanent retainers on both top and bottom and to be frank... I'm a little disappointed.

I thought when my braces were off I would be totally free, back to normal but with straight teeth... well I have straight teeth now but instead of having an irritant on the front of my teeth I now have one on the backs... for life!

I still feel like I have braces on sorta and CONSTANTLY keep tonguing the metal strips. I can feel the lumps of glue and my tongue feels sort of pushed back and I keep producing a lot of saliva as if my mouth can’t understand what’s in there.

I have no doubt that my ortho put them on right as he is a top, top ortho but I'm going back for removable retainers in an hour and I'm tempted to say take these off and I'll just stick with removable's thank you.

How is everyone else with permanent's on coping.... forget the whole hygiene,/flossing argument, I mean just how are you coping with them being in there!?

Thanks guys.

[koffymasheen]

I got my braces off this morning and got a perm retainer on my bottom teeth. I'm still getting adjusted to the feeling of the metal being there, but it's more of a novelty to me, like playing with a sore that doesn't hurt. It doesn't really bother me, though. /: Of course, I only got it on 4 or so hours ago, so who knows how much I'll like it tomorrow, or next week, or next month.

[felicia]

For a month, I had upper and lower Hawleys. They were very bulky. What you're describing, a few bumps and 2 strips does not even compare with the bulkiness of Hawleys, and the amount of saliva they cause. I am back in braces now, but I would love to get permanent retainers next time I get debanded.

[chocomorsel]

For a month, I had upper and lower Hawleys. They were very bulky. What you're describing, a few bumps and 2 strips does not even compare with the bulkiness of Hawleys, and the amount of saliva they cause. I am back in braces now, but I would love to get permanent retainers next time I get debanded.

Please correct me but I thought Hawley's where a type of permanent retainer?

[BraceFace2o1o]

For a month, I had upper and lower Hawleys. They were very bulky. What you're describing, a few bumps and 2 strips does not even compare with the bulkiness of Hawleys, and the amount of saliva they cause. I am back in braces now, but I would love to get permanent retainers next time I get debanded.

Please correct me but I thought Hawley's where a type of permanent retainer?

Hawleys and Essix (they are like an Invisalign tray) are both removable retainers. Permanent retainers are the type you cannot physically remove, like the OP has, they are a small metal bar that is glued behind the front 4-6 teeth.

Retainers will need to be worn 'for the rest of ones life' but there are both removable and permanent types.

Hawley:


Essix:


'Permanent':


When my braces are removed I will be having both a removable upper and lower (most likely Essix) and a permanent retainer (on the lowers).

[RedDress]

Gosh, I do not even want to think of it now, pretending that this has nothing to do with me.
I have a feeling that I would have prefered braces for life rather than any of those devices.

[evilnel]

I have a bonded retainer on the top between my two central incisors. It's a little annoying since sometimes it hits my lower teeth when I relax my jaw just right, and I haven't figured out how to floss between it, but I can say that the tonguing/messing with it does get better (I've had it for about two weeks). The essix retainers I also wear don't bother me at all, though, so I am thinking of asking if he thinks there will be relapse without the bonded retainer as long as I wear my removable retainers as prescribed...

[drgnchsr36]

I'm curious, why do people have to wear a removable retainer on top of a bonded retainer?

[BraceFace2o1o]

I'm curious, why do people have to wear a removable retainer on top of a bonded retainer?

Because a bonded retainer is only attached to the front 4-6 teeth I believe the removable is used to retain the remaining teeth in that arch.

[drgnchsr36]

I'm curious, why do people have to wear a removable retainer on top of a bonded retainer?

Because a bonded retainer is only attached to the front 4-6 teeth I believe the removable is used to retain the remaining teeth in that arch.

Ahh, thank you!

[sarahorsomeone]

I'm in my second round of braces due to jaw surgery but I had a permanent retainer fitted after my first round and still have it in now... after a couple of weeks I was barely aware of it and it doesn't bother me now. It's certainly the least obstrusive of all the orthodontic appliances I've had to deal with over the years!

[poppy123]

im supposed to be having a fixed retainer when i get my braces removed next month. but he said i would have fixed retainer and a clear removable one at night time as well. im realy not keen on the idea of a fixed one though so am thinking i might just tell him i'll have just the night-time one.

[braceguy1]

I am coming up on debracing soon. I have been offered the choice of permanent retainers or removables. With the permanents I will have to wear a removable one on lowers for 6 months at night. My ortho recently said I would have to wear them for life and I gasped a little and asked 'for life?' and my ortho didn't clarify much on that particular point. I'm willing to do whatever to get this thing done finally.

Here's my problem with all this though. When I first looked into getting braces (got them in my late 40's) I read that the way braces work is by pushing and pulling teeth around in the bone that holds the teeth. A gap is formed in the bone on, for instance, the right side of the tooth when that tooth is moved to the left. The tooth could move right back into the gap without the braces or retainers holding it back. What I read was that the bone would fill in naturally and the gap(s) would disappear after a couple-few years. Then, there would be no need for retainers right?? Did anyone else understand that this is the way it works? I honestly did not grill the ortho on this fact in the beginning because I was concerned about other subjects and thought the retainers would come off eventually for good, based on what I read. The theory seems to make sense, so why would someone have to wear a retainer for the rest of their lives? An older patient may be a consideration but from the threads I am reading it seems that everyone is going to wear their retainers for life, or at least a few days a week for life.

[drgnchsr36]

I am coming up on debracing soon. I have been offered the choice of permanent retainers or removables. With the permanents I will have to wear a removable one on lowers for 6 months at night. My ortho recently said I would have to wear them for life and I gasped a little and asked 'for life?' and my ortho didn't clarify much on that particular point. I'm willing to do whatever to get this thing done finally.

Here's my problem with all this though. When I first looked into getting braces (got them in my late 40's) I read that the way braces work is by pushing and pulling teeth around in the bone that holds the teeth. A gap is formed in the bone on, for instance, the right side of the tooth when that tooth is moved to the left. The tooth could move right back into the gap without the braces or retainers holding it back. What I read was that the bone would fill in naturally and the gap(s) would disappear after a couple-few years. Then, there would be no need for retainers right?? Did anyone else understand that this is the way it works? I honestly did not grill the ortho on this fact in the beginning because I was concerned about other subjects and thought the retainers would come off eventually for good, based on what I read. The theory seems to make sense, so why would someone have to wear a retainer for the rest of their lives? An older patient may be a consideration but from the threads I am reading it seems that everyone is going to wear their retainers for life, or at least a few days a week for life.

Just from seeing so many people here getting braces for the second or third time.. I would wear retainers as long as it took to keep my teeth the way they should. It's not worth it to have them moved back. That just seems like a waste of money :p So, I'm guessing if you have to wear them for life at night, it's probably worth doing that, then getting braces a few more years down the line again.

[UGHBRACES]

Here's my problem with all this though. When I first looked into getting braces (got them in my late 40's) I read that the way braces work is by pushing and pulling teeth around in the bone that holds the teeth. A gap is formed in the bone on, for instance, the right side of the tooth when that tooth is moved to the left. The tooth could move right back into the gap without the braces or retainers holding it back. What I read was that the bone would fill in naturally and the gap(s) would disappear after a couple-few years. Then, there would be no need for retainers right?? Did anyone else understand that this is the way it works? I honestly did not grill the ortho on this fact in the beginning because I was concerned about other subjects and thought the retainers would come off eventually for good, based on what I read. The theory seems to make sense, so why would someone have to wear a retainer for the rest of their lives? An older patient may be a consideration but from the threads I am reading it seems that everyone is going to wear their retainers for life, or at least a few days a week for life.

You have to wear retainers for as long as you want to keep that straight smile. Your teeth can still shift even after a couple of years of retention. Even in some folks who have never had braces, their teeth can get wonky as the years go by. I know my mother had never had any orthodontic work but developed a big gap between her front teeth in her early 40's.