I'm going to get braces this year!

[NeilH]

NeilH, I missed your original debracing post while I was away from the board and am just now seeing it. WOW! Your teeth look fantastic and I am glad you are nearly free from having to think about retainers in the daytime. Congratulations!

Hi Freya, thank you, that's lovely of you to say. I'm really pleased with the result and just today received a photograph taken at a graduation last month with me smiling which is something I'm still getting used to!

[NeilH]

I'm really annoyed! This happened as I removed my retainer this morning. I still have an Essix retainer to keep everything in place but really liked this one, it was comfortable and effective and I hope the replacement is just as good. I have a retainer checkup coming up in a couple of weeks so will ask to get another one then.

[jem]

A hawley retainer should not break so soon. I replaced mine this year after nearly 3 years only because I lost the previous one.

My ortho taught me to remove mine by pulling down onthe bridges of both the adams clasps at the back. Is that what you do? Pulling on the front wire may well cause damage.

Jem

[NeilH]

A hawley retainer should not break so soon. I replaced mine this year after nearly 3 years only because I lost the previous one.

My ortho taught me to remove mine by pulling down onthe bridges of both the adams clasps at the back. Is that what you do? Pulling on the front wire may well cause damage.

Jem

I did think it was a little unusual breaking so soon. It either broke in my sleep or as I was removing it. I too gently pull down at the clasps on both sides so was surprised to see it break where it has done. I'm hoping to get another one as I do quite like the Hawley.

[NeilH]

I had a retainer checkup tonight which provided me with the opportunity to have a chat about my bonded retainer and for my broken Hawley to be addressed. For the Hawley, it was sent back to the lab, along with some new impressions (as enjoyable and pleasant as ever), to be looked at and probably re-made. I go back to collect it in a couple of weeks and can't wait to get another one. The Hawley, although a little bulkier than the Essix, is really comfortable to wear and is my go to retainer when travelling (which I do frequently).

I also spoke about some tongue irritation caused by my fixed retainers and my ortho added some more composite to reduce the expanse of wire that was rubbing my tongue. As I sit here writing this update, my bite feels very slightly different as my bottom teeth gently rub against the new composite but I'm sure this will sort itself out soon. I can still feel my tongue rubbing in a couple of places and probably just need to get used to it and to try to stop forcing it under the wire! I'm my own worst enemy at times!!

[NeilH]

Just a quick update. I picked up my new Hawley retainer a few days ago and I can't believe how different it is to my previous one. My first one fitted like a glove, this one feels like it's someone else's glove! It does fit well but just not in the same way as the other one did. The retainer looks pretty similar but the most obvious difference is that the acrylic just behind the top front teeth has been cut too far back and doesn't appear to touch the top teeth. This makes the front of the retainer quite sharp and not that comfortable to wear. I feel like I might be complaining but there is more I'm not happy with. Where the wire bow comes out just behind one incisor, it is too low which means I can't close my teeth properly, just moving the wire a fraction of a mm towards the back would sort this problem out but with the acrylic providing support, this can't be done. This also causes the wire at the front to appear not straight as it crosses my front teeth at an angle. I'm sure the retainer is effective but these little details are sending my OCD into overdrive and I think I may need to say something about it when I next visit. Those of you who have followed my story know that I'm not one to complain but retainers are so much more complicated than braces and I think they need to be right to encourage regular wear.

Can I get my braces back please?

[EWUgal15]

Can I get my braces back please?

I am so glad that I'm not the only one that thinks this!

[tillybrace]

Come on you've been mr positive/motivator through the whole thing, don't let the final hurdle beat you.

[oldfart]

The only reason why I wanted mine off when I got them off was due to the amount of dental work I needed to get done. I would have preferred to keep mine on longer also.

[SinkFullOfDinner]

Can I get my braces back please?

I am so glad that I'm not the only one that thinks this!

I would have preferred to keep mine on longer also.

I assume you've heard of Stockholm Syndrome.

[NeilH]

Can I get my braces back please?

I am so glad that I'm not the only one that thinks this!

Those of you who followed my story know that I was really relaxed about wearing braces and was at no time in a rush to get them off. Although braces do have their challenges, retainers are a different ball game altogether!

[NeilH]

The only reason why I wanted mine off when I got them off was due to the amount of dental work I needed to get done. I would have preferred to keep mine on longer also.

I don't think I could have kept my on any longer but know what you mean.

[NeilH]

Can I get my braces back please?

I am so glad that I'm not the only one that thinks this!

I would have preferred to keep mine on longer also.

I assume you've heard of Stockholm Syndrome.

LOL... It must seem like it!

[NeilH]

Come on you've been mr positive/motivator through the whole thing, don't let the final hurdle beat you.

Thank you, that's really kind of you to say. I hope normal service resumes soon, there's a few dark clouds hanging over me at the moment.

[NeilH]

Hi everyone, sorry for the long period of absence. It's been a crazy few months with a lot of travel and new opportunities to explore. There are so many new posts to read and contribute to so it might take me a while to catch up!

I had my penultimate retainer check in December and all was well. My teeth haven't shifted at all which is encouraging and no doubt down to my rigid adherence to wearing my retainers. I have started to get used to my fixed retainers but they still bug me sometimes when I'm hungry or stressed. Night time wear usually involves my Essix retainers and for travel, my Hawley's are still my preferred choice. I'm still not 100% happy with my upper Hawley so might get this re-made when I have my next appointment in March.

My wife has decided to investigate braces and attended her first appointment just before Christmas. Her treatment plan is yet to be finalised but is likely to involve a quad helix expander to correct her cross bite and fixed braces for around 18 months. She is thinking about going down the metal brackets route too so watch this space!

On a slightly different topic, and I think i just touched on this on a different post a few months ago, I have started to become quite involved in orthodontics following some writing I did a while ago on adult orthodontics. Encouraged by some really lovely comments on my blog, I decided to start writing about adult orthodontics and in doing so, found a number of people in the profession taking a keen interest. Since then, I have attended a number of meetings and events including a couple of dental exhibitions, a couple of press launches and a large orthodontic conference. I have also received calls from a number of orthodontic systems suppliers and will be attending events later this year to learn about their products in more detail. Another very exciting orthodontic related opportunity was offered to me just before Christmas and I'm looking forward to exploring this more over the coming weeks. So although I'm personally finished with braces, it looks as though I'm now more involved in orthodontics than I could have imagined possible.