Just at Night?

[amychelle]

I asked my ortho a few "quickie" questions about retainers at my last visit (actually it was a post-op from having all four wisdome teeth out - he's one of those multi-taskers.) I was wondering what kind of retainers he thought I'd have and how long I'd need to wear them (I meant full time, I know at night forever.)

He said that he likes essix retainers and that I wouldn't need to wear them full time at all. Just at night forever. This sounds odd to me. Has anyone else heard of/experianced this?

Side Note: For some reason, I think I'd prefer a Hawley retainer. The thought of my teeth being completely covered kinda weirds me out. I think I'd prefer just the wire...but I may be wrong. I hate to argue with him...but should I?

[dkt3]

I was told at the beginning of my treatment that I would need a retainer only at night but I havent asked again because its still quite a bit away.

[swellen]

I've only ever worn mine at night. I have an Essix and a Hawley and I alternate them, because I grind my teeth slightly in my sleep and I've chewed holes in the Essix. Aside from the fact that I'll need to replace it more often, I much prefer the Essix. It seems to hold the teeth a lot more snugly and it's easier to talk with it in. I don't really like having the whole roof of my mouth covered with the Hawley - it's kind of a U-shape but the side bits go right back to my wisdom teeth (it's the 'wraparound' kind) and the middle part of the 'U' isn't much further forward. It actually makes me gag a little sometimes, if I happen to cough while wearing it.

[fins]

In my office it is the custom to where the retainer 24/7 for a while and eventually you where it at night only FOREVER. Your teeth will move (it may take 20 years) if you don't wear it every night.

[sunflr77]

I have bonded upper and lower retainers and I only wear my Essix retainers at night. I don't know how comfortable I would be with wearing just the Essix retainers at night if I didn't have the bonded ones.

[HollyDontSpend]

I've got the same Rx as sunflr77. Right now I am having to wear my Essix on top 24/7 and having to eat in it because my periodontist wants me to wear it to cover the site where they took the gum graft from. I'm worried that it's gonna be ruined after this. So I've been drinking my food since Thursday so I don't have to chew.

[swellen]

Why not get a custom made night-guard to take the brunt of that sleep-bruxing (they're custom-shaped to the teeth, same as an Essix) and save the normal essix for day-wear? The night-guard is thicker and better able to withstand the grinding.

Hmmm... that's an idea. Would I get that from an ortho? I wasn't even aware that I grind my teeth until I got the retainer. When I was a child my brother's grinding could be heard from two rooms away (leading to him needing every tooth capped when he was older) and apparently it detracted attention from my much milder efforts!

[bbsadmin]

So I've been drinking my food since Thursday so I don't have to chew.

Yikes Holly, I hope you can go back to chewing soon!

[BracesAt42]

I have Hawley retainers for upper and lower arches, and my ortho instructed me to wear them 10 hours per day. Between my nightly wind down time and sleeping hours, I have been able to achieve this very easily.

About 2 months ago I had my first post-debanding appointment, and the ortho said my teeth are retaining their positons perfectly, so no need to change the routine.