Retainer for life?

[EllenR]

Hello people. I hope everything is well.
I had my braces for a month now and I'm gonna get my first re-wiring on Sat. I looked on YT for videos on what will happen when the orthodontist re-wire my braces just to gather a big of knowledge on how things go. The girl I watched had another video about her retainer and I watched out of curiosity to find out that she had roughly the same condition that I have (overbite and a big gap in front teeth) and she said she will wear her retainer for two years straight, then at night only for the rest of her life. Does that really happen?!
And since I have an overbite, I didn't get rubber bands. Aren't they required for such case? my brackets have those tiny hooks on them tho, does that mean I will get rubber bands later?

Thank you in advance.

[Tyrantblade]

Retainers for life a few nights a week is pretty standard, you will probably get elastics at some point

[EllenR]

I see then. Thank you, Tyrantblade.

[ditsy]

Yep, afraid so. I'm surprised they didn't mention it to you? I'm getting a fixed retainer and normal ones, even with the fixed one I will still need the removable one x

[EllenR]

No he didn't mention it to me. He just said one year of retainer. Maybe he plans on telling me after the whole thing is over as a piece of advice or so, I'm not sure.
Fixed and removable retainers together? why, what's your condition?

[NYG2007]

I still wear mine since 2010. A few nights a week per night.

[jaime]

My husband has been out of braces for about 20 years and still wears his retainer every night. So yes, it is a life long thing. Someone on here recently had a good line about it. Someone had asked their ortho how long they have to wear their retainer, and the ortho replied, "Well how long do you want straight teeth?"

Wearing elastics is a pretty standard part of treatment...it would be more unusual if you were never given elastics. But don't worry, they really aren't that bad.

Also, as far as getting your first adjustment, it's usually a straightforward process. Your ortho will remove the ligatures and probably give you a thicker wire, then reapply new ligs. That's the most basic adjustment anyway.

[DrJasonKTam]

Unfortunately teeth want to continue to shift even after treatment because the forces that caused them to become misaligned in the first place still exist (e.g. tongue, chewing, cheeks, etc). Retainers on a nightly basis will minimize the amount of movement you experience after your braces are off. Good luck with your treatment!

[EllenR]

Ok I see
Thank you everybody

[damonmyarch]

It is standard procedure that the patient wears the retainer every night for a year after getting braces off, then the patient can experiment with 6 days then 5 days etc. But wearing something in your sleep for perfect teeth for the rest of your life? Worth it.

[EllenR]

Indeed worth it. I've been to my orthodontist today for re-wiring and I asked him about that, and he said that some cases require wearing retainers for life, then he added that in my case I will have to wear it few nights a week after the standard period of wearing it 24/7
This is a photo I took today of my new power chain which I got for upper jaw. They hurt so much but it will go away in few days.

[NYG2007]

Indeed worth it. I've been to my orthodontist today for re-wiring and I asked him about that, and he said that some cases require wearing retainers for life, then he added that in my case I will have to wear it few nights a week after the standard period of wearing it 24/7
This is a photo I took today of my new power chain which I got for upper jaw. They hurt so much but it will go away in few days.

Looks great! You're coming along nicely. Those chains will help close any gaps. You will be very happy you did this.

[EllenR]

Thank you, NYG2007
as much as it's painful, I feel excited about the whole thing and I feel the treatment started for real today

[NYG2007]

Thank you, NYG2007
as much as it's painful, I feel excited about the whole thing and I feel the treatment started for real today

You're welcome. If I recall the power chains did cause some pain.

[bumbleb79]

I'm getting a brace on Monday which will be for the third time. I'll be getting a bonded retainer and also a retainer to wear at night. After paying all this money now, he won't be wanting them to shift back to the old position and I certainly don't want them to either. I've been told that I'll have to have my bonded retainer replaced every couple of years or so if all is ok