If you have finished with your orthodontic treatment and are wearing retainers (or will be soon), this is a special place to connect with others in your (enviable) situation. Ask a question or make a comment about life post-braces.
I just got debraced today and I was ecstatic initially but my paranoid self is panicking now!
1. I cant get my retainers until a week later and I can feel my teeth moving already (after 12 hours). I can feel gaps opening where the molar bands once were. How soon after debracing do people typically get their retainers? Will your teeth shift drastically in the meanwhile?
2. My teeth are not perfect, my ortho is not completely satisfied with them but I was in a hurry to get them off and the imperfections arent important to me. I dont need perfect teeth and I was so so so sick of my braces. However, she did say that there is a chance of my teeth shifting where the extraction gaps are because they weren't held in place for long enough. Does anyone know if this will make my concerns above worse?
Heeeeelp! I feel so... worried. I just want my teeth to stay in place
I got my retainer 2 hours after the brackets were removed. Waiting a week won't cause damage that can't be fixed with the retainer. I wouldn't worry too much. You teeth haven't moved much in 1 2hours...they are just settling since they are not being held together with wires. You will be fine, I wouldn't stress at all about waiting for a retainer.
[quote="Snowglobe32"]I got my retainer 2 hours after the brackets were removed. Waiting a week won't cause damage that can't be fixed with the retainer. I wouldn't worry too much. You teeth haven't moved much in 1 2hours...they are just settling since they are not being held together with wires. You will be fine, I wouldn't stress at all about waiting for a retainer.[/quote]
Thanks for making me feel better!! How did you get your retainers so quickly? Does your ortho have his own lab to make them?
I got my Clear retainers two days later and even then for the first week there was so much soreness it felt like I got my braces back on. A week later I got my regular Hawley. By then everything was fine.
Braces on: 2/25/2013. Braces Off: 12/23/2015
Current Retainers: Hawley Top, Essix Bottom, and Permanent Lingual Bottom
If you're still worried about it, you could go to WalMart or a local store and buy either a sports guard or a nighttime grinding guard. They have ones where you melt them and then bite into them so that they form perfectly to your teeth. I don't know if that would help but it might! Congrats on being debraced! I'm sure your ortho will take care of you!
Braces on March 6th, 2015
Metal Empower self-ligating brackets, upper and lower
Class II, Division II overbite with crowding
Upper 2nd premolars extracted May 1st, 2015
First Powerchain and Class II Manatee Elastics June 15th, 2015
TADs placed July 27th, 2015
Box Manatee Elastics April 1st, 2016
Teeth shaping May 4th, 2016
Just an input, I forgot my retainers on a two week long holiday but as soon as I got home I put them back on - they felt a bit tighter but did go on and my teeth are completely normal! Don't worry, I'm sure your ortho is right and it will be fine
[quote="cdmoses6"]If you're still worried about it, you could go to WalMart or a local store and buy either a sports guard or a nighttime grinding guard. They have ones where you melt them and then bite into them so that they form perfectly to your teeth. I don't know if that would help but it might! Congrats on being debraced! I'm sure your ortho will take care of you![/quote]
That is such a good idea! I'm going to get them to prevent my teeth from shifting more. Thank you thank you thank you!
[quote="katinho"]Just an input, I forgot my retainers on a two week long holiday but as soon as I got home I put them back on - they felt a bit tighter but did go on and my teeth are completely normal! Don't worry, I'm sure your ortho is right and it will be fine [/quote]
Yes, my ortho has an in-house lab. I was also fitted for a positioner, that was done by someone in California and I had to wait about 5 weeks to get it.
I can feel that my teeth are not as straight as they were when I first got them off They really are shifting and I'm really upset. 2 more days til I get my retainers! Wish me luck please, I really hope they fit.
I dont have time to get rebraced or another retainer made because I'll be going on vacation for 3 weeks the day after I'm supposed to get my retainers
They might feel a bit tight but you will find your teeth soon moving back to where they were when your braces came off. It was over a week before I received my retainers and no harm done.
