I don't plan to wear my retainers. can my teeth be glued?

[fff]

Just curious. Why don't you want to wear a removable retainer?

The thought that I must rely on them the rest of my life causes me anxiety. With glued-in retainers I can just forget about it and move on with my life.

[fff]

how hard is it to wear your retainers full time for about 3 months, and every night thereafter? sorry to sound blunt, but you are an idiot to not wear your retainers and invest all that money/time/pain to have your teeth go back to the way it was before.

I am an idiot for not doing my homework and my orthodontist was dishonest for not explaining clearly that the treatment lasted for life until after I was well past the point of no return. Had he explained the whole deal clearly the time I went in to his office for the initial consultation, I might have had second thoughts.

Still, I don't think my case is too bad compared to some of the cases I have seen on this website. My dentists have always told me that I have good teeth, the only problem is that I had huge spaces between them. That's why a glued-in retainer might do the trick. It might make it difficult to floss, but then again, I normally don't floss. I guess I could wear the retainers for 3 months and then get glued-in retainers and see how things go. Worse that happens is that I lose my investment.

[ashesgap]

Well you might not need to worry about a relapse, cause you're teeth are going to decay from not flossing. I don't see how wearing a retainer while you sleep causes anxiety.
You're thinking is very crazy to me after you pay all this money, you just don't even care if you're teeth move. And there will, very quickly without a retainer.

[fff]

Well you might not need to worry about a relapse, cause you're teeth are going to decay from not flossing. I don't see how wearing a retainer while you sleep causes anxiety.

I'm an adult and my teeth still haven't decayed. Dentists always tell me that I have good teeth.

You're thinking is very crazy to me after you pay all this money, you just don't even care if you're teeth move. And there will, very quickly without a retainer.

I care if my teeth move. That's why I want to get glued-in retainers.

[yangortho]

Some orthodontists don't do bonded retainers because they are difficult to keep clean and flossing is tough. Costs will vary by orthodontist but can be $200-$500

[alimommy1]

I want to point out that many people do not floss regularly (yes I KNOW you SHOULD), and I even don't as often as I should - and I have not had any problems with a bonded lower retainer that I can't floss. It hasn't caused any decay or any problems with my gums, so to tell someone 'if you don't floss you will lose all your teeth' is overkill. I have been able to floss everywhere besides the lower bonded spot but I've had to have several root canals due to trauma to the roots. Dentists have told me it isn't due to my hygiene, which is good, and it's not due to having ortho treatment either.

As far as 'extra insurance', just from reading here I have learned that a bonded retainer only holds the front 6 teeth, you DO actually need some type of removable to ensure your bite stays corrected. If there was a lot of leveling and straightening of molars during treatment, you probably WILL need a bonded and removable, and it does provide a little extra security - so if your removable breaks, you still have the bonded vs nothing, and if the bonded breaks or becomes detatched, you still have the removable vs nothing. Either way, you'd have a better chance of being able to get your broken retainer replaced before your teeth shifted to the point where you'd have to be retreated.

[Olivia]

Interesting topic....my two cents: I have had a bonded glued retainer on my upper six teeth for 18 years.."back in the day" they thought this alone would prevent relapse...This is so not true! Due to the change of your bite and the fact that glued retainers can be damaged and the wire can be deformed, your teeth will move if they want to with or without the bonded retainer.

When I have my relapse fixed, I will have a bonded retainer again, but now WITH the hawley! I'm not taking any chances anymore!!

ps: I never floss...(I know..BAD BAD BAD) But I have no dental hygiene issues and no cavities at 33...

[UGHBRACES]

No offense, but don't be so lazy people floss those teeth!

[alimommy1]

I feel that way too Olivia, maybe if my ortho had given me a removable and not just figured the bonded would be enough I wouldn't be in this spot right now. I'm a little surprised that more people don't just KNOW retention in some form is forever, even if it's just at night or a couple nights a week forever, very very few people are lucky enough to have no retention and suffer no relapse.

[evilnel]

I hate to admit it, but I never flossed before I got braces. I do it every night, now, but I didn't before and I never had cavaties. I only had one in my whole life, it was on a molar, and it was inside it, not anywhere near the gum line. So yeah, flossing is good and all, but your teeth won't rot out of your head just from that.

As for retainers, I was freaked out about having to do something every day for the rest of my life, until I realized that there are LOTS of things I will have to do every day for the rest of my ilfe! I have to take a shower every day, and put on clothes. I have to put on glasses or contacts, and I have to brush my teeth and brush my hair. There are pills I will have to take for the rest of my life, too. Like with showering or brushing my teeth or taking my medicine, it's just something you eventually add into your routine and then don't think about. I STRONGLY recommend re-conceptualizing the idea of 'for the rest of your life' as some prison sentence. You pop it in and go to sleep--that's it. Do it after you brush your teeth before bed. Take it out in the morning. It's really not that scary.

[evilnel]

Cavities* Ugh, somebody really needs to give us an edit button!

[drrick]

Flossing isn't just for cavity prevention but more for gum disease. Your gums should not bleed at all when brushing or flossing. I have seen patients without a single cavity lose all of their teeth from gum disease.

Bleeding, recession, puffiness, redness are all signs of him disease.

[bbsadmin]

The point is that flossing often removes hidden food particles that brushing and rinsing can't. I often see this when I'm flossing, particularly from two back molars. I brush for 2 minutes with a Sonicare, and still food particles come from between those back molars when I floss. I'd had had no idea they were there if the floss hadn't gotten them out.

Flossing under the gum line disturbs the bacteria and helps prevent gum disease.

I strongly suggest that everyone floss once a day. I floss at night before I go to sleep.

[ashesgap]

And isn't plaque bad for your whole body?
Its pretty easy for me, i sit on the couch with my little hand held mirror and floss...then, since i'm already there with the mirror, i clean up my eyebrows...lol...two things done while watching tv.

[JayC]

relapse isnt just your teeth shifting from it's current state to the way it was before.. because your teeth is sitting in the bones of your jaw, your teeth with shift for the rest of your life, whether it is noticebale or not. the bones in your body are always breaking down/remodelling, which is what causes yoru teeth to shift.

as for retainers, the best so far, are invisalign type (vivera).essix. hawleys are known to be inferior compared to vivieras. especially for gaps. the vivera retainers cover each tooth in the exact position from when your braces were taken off.

just wear them.