Hawley retainer leaves dent in gums?

[Slader01]

I got my braces off earlier this week. I originally had both lower & upper hawley retainers. However, when they took my braces off, I was told some bad news that my upper hawley didn't fit correctly... The ortho adjusted it and claimed she "fixed it" however, it still did not fit correctly and would fall off. I was also biting the wire because I clench my teeth at night, and I'm pretty sure I bent the wire that night too, because When I woke up I had an open bite on one side and regular bite on the other, and the wire was slanting to one side. However, throughout the day (without wearing my retainer), my teeth moved back to normal(thank the lord!). So I went back today and now I have an essix retainer on the top. She said it will work better for me since I clench my teeth at night. However, now I'm having a problem with the lower retainer. I have to wear it 24/7 and it has made a "dent" or an imprint in my lower jaw/gums (on the tongue sidewhere the retainer sits.) It fits snuggly on my teeth but it seems to be digging into my gums. I'm wondering if this is normal and my gums just need time to adjust to the new retainer, or if I need to schedule another appointment with my orthodontist. She is on vacation for the next 3 weeks. It is somewhat sore in that area. Everything was normal the first couple days but now there is an imprint. And I have been wearing it faithfully. I have had it for 3 days and I haven't cleaned it once so that could be the problem.

[jaime]

Maybe someone will chime in and say differently, but I was under the impression that your retainer should be comfortable. I just got mine two days ago and I find it very comfortable; it doesn't dig in anywhere.

If you're clenching your teeth at night, perhaps it would be better for you to have a custom bite guard made? They're just like Essix retainers but much thicker on the biting surface.