Jem's belated story

[BraceFace2o1o]

Congrats Jem Your teeth look fantastic!

[jem]

Thanks BF. I am looking forward to seeing your pics.

Jem

[jem]

It is now about 15 weeks since I was debraced and seems like ages. I don't think I ever did before and after pictures. The before pic is at 45 days because that is the first decent pic I have. 18 months seems like a long time to achieve such subtle movement, but I am happy with the results and am glad I did it

Jem

[cassiieh]

They look awesome!

[KiilaniY]

I don't understand why i still can't view pics....? I thought after 7 posts i would be able to...?

[jem]

I had my 6 month post braces review yesterday and all is ok. My bonded retainer is still bonded and in good condition and I now only have to wear my hawley removable retainer 8 hours overnight instead of 12. That is great news as essentially it means bedtime wear only rather than having to remember to put it in each evening or playing catch up the following morning if I forget.

I will have a further review in 6 months time and after that it will be up to me and my general dentist to keep an eye on the bonded retainer. My orthodontist told me she is retiring next month, so I will not see her again and my next review will be carried out by her successor.

Jem

[jem]

I had my 12 month post braces review yesterday and everything is fine. The young woman who has taken over from my ortho following her retirement was very nice.This was my last appointment and it is now up to me and my general dentist to keep an eye on my bonded retainer. She told me to wear the hawley 24/7 if the bonded one comes unstuck until I can get in to have it repaired, and in any event to continue wearing the hawley at night- no longer for any minimum number of hours but with no suggestion that I might only have to wear it a couple of nights a week as other people here have been told. I was a bit disappointed with that, but the standard advice these days is apparently that the only way to guarantee straight teeth indefinitely is to use your retainers indefinitely.

Good luck to everyone on this board, whatever stage of treatment you are at. I will continue to look in from time to time,

Jem

[Alex44]

Just spent a good half an hour reading your story. Sounds pretty arduous but I'm glad it went well!

[jem]

Hi Alex,

I'm sure you could have found a better way of spending half an hour, but thanks for looking in anyway.

My treatment was actually much easier than for most people on this board but I moaned a bit because it took longer than expected.

Good luck with your treatment.

Jem

[jem]

I got a new hawley retainer yesterday having lost the original one which I had been wearing every night. The new one has much less acrylic but the wire clasps and labial bow seem to be the same so hopefully it will be as robust. I asked for the acrylic in this one to be coloured as the previous clear acrylic had started to go a bit yellow. So this time I have transparent pink instead. I will post pics when I can get the camera on my phone working properly.

Jem

[MrPlenty]

Thanks for returning! How have those teeth been? How's retainer life?

[jem]

Picture of my new hawley retainer attached. It is much less bulky than its predecessor.

Jem

[JPG1081]

I really enjoyed your story. I read it all before I started my journey and then again, just now when I finished.

I just wanted to ask you a question if you don't mind.
What happened with your Essix retainer? Did you completely give up on it? If so, how long into your retention period?

I had a similar thing to you but with traditional metal brackets. I've had a permanent retainer put on and I'm going to get Essix ones for nights. My front teeth were moved back and a twisted tooth untwisted. I wasn't able to use those teeth throughout my brace time and they're still not up to anything yet. They look nice but they're not functional until they settle down. I really envy you with your apples!

[jem]

Hi JPG ! Thank you for reading my story. I am pleased to hear you have also completed your active treatment.

I still have the essix retainer. I never wear it but I keep it as back up should the need ever arise. I originally paid extra for an additional hawley which I understood would be more durable than the essix so would ensure I had a removable retainer for years to come as well as the fixed one. When I got the hawley, I preferred wearing it to the essix, so the essix was put to one side. When I lost the first hawley, I had another one made. Hopefully I will keep that one for many years. I am actually wearing it full time at the moment to try to help me cut down on snacking and lose some weight!

Good luck with your retainers. I'm sure you will be fine with the essix. It was just a matter of personal preference for me.

Jem

[JPG1081]

Thank you for replying!

I'm relieved it was just a preference thing then.

Good luck with the diet! You should put that in as a selling point for people reluctant to wear their retainers...

I think my teeth are gradually getting stronger, I can bite soft cakes now. I'm desperately waiting until I can eat sandwiches, pizza and ice-blocks... no diets for me (fingers crossed). I'm hoping exercise will keep doing the job for me.