How long in retainers?? (I'm still braced)

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#1 Post by **VA5** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 5:53 pm

I think there is a different section for retainers but I'm not sure ... so I'll just post here.

I am still in braces, but I asked my ortho how long I'll be in retainers and she said forever!!!

Is this how it is for everybody else? I kind of freaked out when I heard that.

#2 Post by **yj207** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 6:12 pm

My ortho tells me the same thing. Unless you want your teeth to move back to where it was you have to wear the retainer. It's like $5,000 down the drain if you don't in my opinion. You should have been aware of this before you got your braces though, when they make you sign the contract and in the treatment plan it should have all this information spelled out for you.

#3 Post by **VA5** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 6:23 pm

yj207 wrote:My ortho tells me the same thing. Unless you want your teeth to move back to where it was you have to wear the retainer. It's like $5,000 down the drain if you don't in my opinion. You should have been aware of this before you got your braces though, when they make you sign the contract and in the treatment plan it should have all this information spelled out for you.

Well it wouldn't have exactly prevented me from getting braces.. I just had no idea. And of course I'll follow the orthos orders b/c yeah, I don't want to waste all this money and time spent in these annoying braces. For all I know I was told but at that time I was only thinking of my braces and not the retainer stage. I'm just so anxious to get out of these braces that I'm thinking ahead.

#4 Post by **Snowglobe32** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 6:52 pm

My co-worker had braces over 3 years ago, she will wear her retainer occasionally, not everyday. She told me recently that she hadn't worn it for some time, and when she put it in, she could tell her teeth have shifted. The retainer usually fixes them.

Think of it this way, how many years did your teeth sit in the position they were in before you had braces? For me, 31 years...so is wearing braces for 1 1/2 to 2 years really going to fix something that had 31 years to get accustomed to their position? The only thing holding them where they are now are the braces.

Anyway, my co-worker said she may wear her retainer 1 night a week or so. So, I don't think we will be wearing them 24 hours a day for the rest of our lives.

Have you researched the clear retainers? I want those!

#5 Post by **ashesgap** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 6:58 pm

I was told i'd have to wear the retainer 24/7 for a year, then at night forever. My ortho wants to put a bonded retainer on my bottom teeth, but i think i'll just get Hawley for both.
Just think of all the adults on here that got braces as teens but didn't wear their retainers....now they are getting braces again.

#6 Post by **VA5** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 7:01 pm

Snowglobe32 wrote:My co-worker had braces over 3 years ago, she will wear her retainer occasionally, not everyday. She told me recently that she hadn't worn it for some time, and when she put it in, she could tell her teeth have shifted. The retainer usually fixes them.

Think of it this way, how many years did your teeth sit in the position they were in before you had braces? For me, 31 years...so is wearing braces for 1 1/2 to 2 years really going to fix something that had 31 years to get accustomed to their position? The only thing holding them where they are now are the braces.

Anyway, my co-worker said she may wear her retainer 1 night a week or so. So, I don't think we will be wearing them 24 hours a day for the rest of our lives.

Have you researched the clear retainers? I want those!

What I don't get is that I read it takes 9-12 months for the bones and all the support to settle in around your new teeth... so you figure that after you get the braces off, a year would do it, more or less. I wouldn't mind wearing my retainers for a full year, and then just a few times a week for the rest of my life. But when my ortho said every day for the rest of my life, I was a little surprised, lol.

I don't really like the idea of plastic retainers in my mouth forever... plastic isn't good for your body to ingest.. i won't even drink out of bottled water bottles b/c the plastic gets into the water. I am going to look into the fixed retainer option, however I wonder if this really retains teeth as well as the other plastic and metal retainers?

#7 Post by **VA5** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 7:02 pm

ashesgap wrote:I was told i'd have to wear the retainer 24/7 for a year, then at night forever. My ortho wants to put a bonded retainer on my bottom teeth, but i think i'll just get Hawley for both.
Just think of all the adults on here that got braces as teens but didn't wear their retainers....now they are getting braces again.

Yeah, that's what I'm getting at ... looking online and whatnot too.

Why the hawley versus the bonded retainer, which is what I'm considering?

#8 Post by **UGHBRACES** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 7:07 pm

In my plan it says to wear them every single night for the first year. It doesn't say anything about what to do after that. But i will probably wear them every other night then, i figure what ever relapse that occurs by not wearing them for one night will be corrected when i wear them the next night.

#9 Post by **ashesgap** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 7:09 pm

I'd rather something i can take out when i floss and all that. Also, i've seen a lot about the bonded ones breaking and then you have to go back into the ortho to get them fixed. My hubby is military, so i'll be lucky to finish treatment with the ortho i start with...but i know i won't be here in 3 or more years, so i'd hate to have to find an ortho just to get the bonded retainer fixed.
I think its personal choice though, depends on what you want to put up with. I rock bottled water, so that isn't an issue for me. lol.

#10 Post by **VA5** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 7:09 pm

UGHBRACES wrote:In my plan it says to wear them every single night for the first year. It doesn't say anything about what to do after that. But i will probably wear them every other night then, i figure what ever relapse that occurs by not wearing them for one night will be corrected when i wear them the next night.

True.. although I just find it very sad that it can relapse that easily!

#11 Post by **VA5** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 7:11 pm

ashesgap wrote:I'd rather something i can take out when i floss and all that. Also, i've seen a lot about the bonded ones breaking and then you have to go back into the ortho to get them fixed. My hubby is military, so i'll be lucky to finish treatment with the ortho i start with...but i know i won't be here in 3 or more years, so i'd hate to have to find an ortho just to get the bonded retainer fixed.
I think its personal choice though, depends on what you want to put up with. I rock bottled water, so that isn't an issue for me. lol.

Yeah, I think for convenience the removeable one is better.. I was so looking forward to flossing w/o all this stuff all over my teeth.. it takes forever to get to sleep w/the current routine. Lucky me, my ortho is my friend so I won't have problems getting followup treatments if the retainer does break off or whatever..

#12 Post by **evilnel** » Wed Mar 10, 2010 10:11 pm

The forever thing freaked me out at first, but then I realized there are tons of things I do daily "forever." I take thyroid medication every day, I brush my teeth every day, shower, put on my glasses/contacts, etc etc.

My ortho goes straight to nightly retainer wear, mostly because people tend to misplace their retainers during the day and a night retainer is infinitely better than no retainer. I still may wear mine during the day for a while, though...

#13 Post by **wilson123** » Thu Mar 11, 2010 1:11 am

As a school of thought Prince William has had a fixed retainer behind his teeth for the past ten years I read the other day

#14 Post by **DrJasonKTam** » Thu Mar 11, 2010 6:18 am

We recommend indefinite nightly wear after F/T wear of about 3 months. Each person is different, and some can get away with wearing a retainer less, just as some people can stay fit with less exercise.

I'm a good example of this, having been braced twice and treated with Invisalign as well. Despite this being good for me knowing what my patients are feeling, it's really because I didn't wear my retainer. After having completed my aligner treatment, I'm now wearing a retainer nightly. Three times a charm!

The bottom line is that retainers should be worn as long as you want your teeth to stay straight :).

#15 Post by **VA5** » Thu Mar 11, 2010 6:44 am

DrJasonKTam wrote:We recommend indefinite nightly wear after F/T wear of about 3 months. Each person is different, and some can get away with wearing a retainer less, just as some people can stay fit with less exercise.

I'm a good example of this, having been braced twice and treated with Invisalign as well. Despite this being good for me knowing what my patients are feeling, it's really because I didn't wear my retainer. After having completed my aligner treatment, I'm now wearing a retainer nightly. Three times a charm!

The bottom line is that retainers should be worn as long as you want your teeth to stay straight .

Thanks!
I have a question.. is there any chance that teeth can be funny and not want to retain their position w/their retainer? I'm worried about that. I will be very religious about my retainer wear but I'm worried (probably unnecessary) that my teeth will still move. Any chance of that??