BRACES OFF :D But retainer driving me MAD. Help?

[Shortie93]

Hey,

I had the six month smie treatment recently and my braces were off last Friday! It was absolutely fantastic

My front teeth were out of alignment and had to be rotated and my canine pulled in as I had an overjet on one side.

I have a fixed retainer which i absolutely adore but today I received the dreaded removable. Put it in and it is ridiculously uncomfortable. When I talk I lisp, I can't stop salivating and sometimes it pops off which is quite painful on my tender teeth! i checked with the ortho and it does fit correctly so apparantly this is just what a removable is like

She told me to pop it in for a few hours when I first got it and then wear it nightly until I next see her on March 15th. But I already know I will seriously struggle to sleep with this thing in my mouth! I know you should always follow the advice of your ortho and I WILL wear the retainer but I was wondering whether:

a) teeth can relapse significantly if you have a bonded retainer but do not wear your removable?
b) how good bonded retainers are in the long run?
c) will I have to wear removable for the rest of my life?? I opted for bonded because she initially informed me I would only need bonded and I now feel a bit disheartened because I despise these removables! Braces were a breeze compared to how bulky these were (although do not get me wrong I am SUPER grateful to be rid of them )


Thanks for your help guys
Shortie x

P.S. I would like to reiterate that I AM FOLLOWING my ortho's instructions as I know it's silly not to, just unhappy about it!

[purpleroses]

Hi, I'm really sorry for your pain and I had my braces for one year and 5 months now and I'm praying they will come off sometime next year! I didn't know retainers felt like that so I'm really sorry and i'm going to ask my ortho for bonded retainers

[pellepee]

Hi Shortie93,

I don't even have braces yet and won't be in retainers for another two years at least. I'm researching these forums to try and find out how I can clean my jaw repositioning splint actually!

Although I was getting treatment entirely different to retainers, I still have a clear mouth-guard like 'thing' on my bottom teeth to reposition my jaw. It felt huge, and it took me about a week and a bit to learn to speak in it without spitting everywhere... and the salivating stopped around the same time. I used to pop it off with my tongue to get relief and found a couple of nights I had removed it in my sleep. I think my splint would be bigger than the average retainer.

Good news is though 6 months later, and I am used to it. It probably took about a month to have it become a part of my life.

Good luck, let me know how you go as it seems people are excited braces are off only to find another hurdle in retention! I am trying to prepare myself for that part of the treatment too.

[Labguy]

Sorry to hear you have having trouble with the removable retainer, but...

Just give it some time and you will get used to it. My daughter has a bonded retainer (lower only) and it has worked out well for her, but she is religious about hygiene (brushing, flossing, etc.) and that can be a big downside to the bonded retainers. Teeth can and will shift with only those in--though not always. To your last question: yes, the removable retainer is for the rest of your life. Your teeth actually "remember" where they used to be and want to get back there.

I'd give the retainer another week and see if you can get used to it. An option after that, if still very uncomfortable, is see the ortho can have it trimmed down better so it's not as bulky.

Good luck!

[purpleroses]

OMG! like durring the week i had got my braces first put on, I couldn't talk write and kept drooling, like saliva kept coming out when I talk now everythings fine and normal but I just wanted to share that cuz I had that same annoying experience with my braces (even though your talking about your retainer)

[Bullfighter]

... I have a fixed retainer which i absolutely adore but today I received the dreaded removable. Put it in and it is ridiculously uncomfortable. When I talk I lisp, I can't stop salivating and sometimes it pops off which is quite painful on my tender teeth! i checked with the ortho and it does fit correctly so apparantly this is just what a removable is like

She told me to pop it in for a few hours when I first got it and then wear it nightly until I next see her on March 15th. But I already know I will seriously struggle to sleep with this thing in my mouth! I know you should always follow the advice of your ortho and I WILL wear the retainer but I was wondering whether:

a) teeth can relapse significantly if you have a bonded retainer but do not wear your removable?
b) how good bonded retainers are in the long run?
c) will I have to wear removable for the rest of my life?? ...

The first day with a new retainer is always uncomfortable, but you'll adjust your speech patterns pretty quickly and your mouth will get accustomed to it.

You probably will have to wear a removable forever, but in my experience (on my third time through braces) at some point the ortho will tell you that you only need it at night. Teeth do tend to adjust to their new positions over a period of time, but orthodontia makes your teeth straighter than the natural aging process will sustain. I.e., in the absence of braces I doubt you'd see a lot of 80 year olds walking around with perfectly straight, blindingly white teeth. I think it's pretty small price to pay. Also, psychologically, you get the comfort of knowing that your teeth are staying exactly where they should be -- sounds stupid, but to me it has always been reassuring.

I did switch from Hawley to Essix type upper/lower retainers. The Hawley wasn't doing a great job of keeping my teeth straight, and the metal bits were causing a mild allergic reaction (rash/hives).

[Kristyar0]

Hey Shortie!
I just got my removable retainer 3 days also. I'm the same as you with bonded ones and my removable for night. I agree it is so uncomfortable and it feels really weird trying to sleep with it because my teeth don't sit together like they used to. I don't put mine in until I go to bed then take them out as soon as I wake up so that I don't have to talk, because I lisp like crazy!
My cousin got her braces off 2 years ago and has a bonded retainer on the bottom. Bit now she needs braces back on her bottom teeth because the teeth not covered by the bonded retainer have moved. So I am going to be good desire hating my retainers!

[loradora]

Can't talk about the bonded retainers but here's how my retainer wearing went....I had braces on my lower teeth only for a year and had them off a year ago. I wore the Hawley lower retainers 24-7 for about the first six months, then when at home for the next six months (I wore them to bed). Today he told me to wear them a minimum of one night a week but try like Monday, Wednesday, Friday and see how my teeth feel. If the retainer gets tight, I have to wear them more frequently. This schedule is indefinite. I had to wear a retainer on the top teeth one night a week because even though I didn't get braces they're still shifting a little. Good luck.