Bonded Retainer Questions - Please HELP!!

[Michael8400]

Ok any help here is greatly appreciated as this has been an ongoing concern of mine for a while.

First, long story short - Had Invisalign as an adult. Ended five years ago and ever since have been wearing the Invisalign retainers overnight on average of twice a week. My teeth shift like CRAZY to the point where they only look good/straight for half a day after the night I wear them.

Finally, at 30 years old now, I decided to do something about the annoyance of having to wear these all the time. Ortho said she could do a PERMANENT bonded retainer. She said there would be no need for impressions or anything, but to wear the invisalign retainers for two weeks straight, and then come in and she would simply take the wire and bond/glue them to the top and bottom of the teeth for approximately $500 cost ((sighs)).

Now this is very interesting to me because ANOTHER ortho told me that they would have to take IMPRESSIONS of the teeth first before doing the permanent retainer.

So, first question... what is the actual process most people go through for these bonded retainers? Are impressions needed?? Why is one ortho telling me that impressions are needed and the other is not.

And most important now, what does everyone here think of these bonded (permanent) retainers in general?
It seems like I either read stories about people loving them, or people simply not liking them at all. I know flossing can be hellacious and you kind of have to watch what you eat, but the thought of never having to worry about putting in those stupid pieces of plastic every couple of nights is great. It would be really nice to have my teeth looking straight all the time.

But then again I also have the fear of that I'm going to pay the $500 or so for these bonded permanent retainers and somehow it won't truly do the job and my teeth will begin to shift back which is another thing I've read (rarely, but still). Then I'm out the money, and who knows what else.

[ItsFreyja]

I had impressions done when I got a bonded retainer years ago. Possibly your Invisalign ortho wouldn't need them because she has computer models from your treatment, I don't know?

Yes, a bonded retainer is lower maintenance. (But: they are a pain to floss around, they feel annoying to your tongue, and your general dentist and hygienist will hate them.) Yes, your teeth can still move. (They usually only bond to your middle 6 teeth, and sometimes they're only glued on the ends, so who knows what will happen to the others if you have especially mobile teeth.) It really depends on your teeth and your personal preferences.

My personal experience with a bonded retainer was not great. In fact, I just had it removed and full metal braces put on. The retainer was just on 4 teeth and the others moved quite a bit. (To be fair, though, if I had just gotten a removable retainer all those years ago, I probably would not have worn it faithfully, and I'd probably be in the same situation I am now. Ah, youth.) Anyway, I will be VERY happy to wear my Essix retainers every night for the rest of my life once my braces come off next year!!

I'd be curious to know what the orthos have said about the instability of your teeth. Visible movement in half a day sounds pretty extreme. It might be worth a third opinion to try to nail down what is causing that and what should be done about it.

[hj55]

I have had bonded retainers, upper and lower since my braces were removed in 2010. I had impressions taken a couple of weeks before my braces were removed. The retainers were placed just before my braces were removed. The fixed retainers are behind the front 6 teeth upper and lower.

I don't floss but use the little brushes which works for me. I also have a Waterpik. I also use Essix retainers and my teeth haven't moved since I had the braces removed. I don't watch what I eat and have apples and nuts without difficulty.

Best wishes Helen

[Jethro]

I also have upper and lower permanent retainers. No molds were taken for the permanent retainers, but were for the Hawley/Essix retainers. The permanent retainers were applied just prior to braces removal and were included in the cost of treatment. Yes, I have to use threader floss, but otherwise they aren't an issue.

I think it's important to recognize that permanent retainers are NOT a substitute for removable retainers, especially for those at high risk for relapse (as I am). I still have to wear removable retainers 2 - 3 nights a week or my teeth will start shifting...significantly. I have accepted that I will need to wear both permanent and bonded retainers for as long as I want my teeth to remain straight. I've had 2 rounds of ortho treatment and don't want a third .

Hope this helps. All the best.

Jethro

[Jethro]

^Meant to say "removable and bonded retainers"

[sirwired]

Silly question... why not just wear the retainers more often than two nights a week? Plenty of us here wear our retainers nightly...

[Michael8400]

Because even if I did wear them every night, it's something I would rather not do the rest of my life, that's why, lol

I don't want to be 50 years old putting in retainers every single night. Its just annoying and you always have to worry about it. I want to try something that will just fix the issue of having to worry about them every day, and keep my teeth straight.

Question for @jethro, as well as some other people on here who I have noticed mention the same thing. Are you saying that you actually do BOTH retainers, that being the bonded AND essix? How is that even possible? So you place the essix (invisalign looking) retainers in every night ON TOP of the bonded/glued retainers that are already in there?

Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't that mean that the bonded retainers are not working very well and you may as well not have them in there if you're still bothering to wear the essix's on top of them every night??

My entire point of trying the bonded/glued permanent retainers is to get rid of the invisalign retainers once and for all

[sirwired]

All I have to say is that my wife turns 50 this year, and she's worn a retainer nearly every night since she was a teenager. It's just not that big a deal. Plenty of people have to wear things like bite guards every night; a retainer isn't any different. Depending on the movements you had made, a bonded may not be a complete solution.

A retainer can be worn over a bonded if it is designed to do so; this is fairly routine.

[Featheryy1221]

A permanent retainer is sometimes only glue/cemented onto so many teeth, so the teeth that do not have a wire cemented to the back of them could still shift. That's why people have to wear both types of retainers at the same exact time.

Honestly I'd rather deal with remembering to put my retainers on every single night for the rest of my life, than having to worry about spending thousands to get my teeth/bite straightened out again because I was too bothered to put my retainers on. But to each their own...

[hj55]

It really isn''t a problem to have fixed or removable retainers. It just becomes a tiny part of every day life, there are worse things than using retainers to deal with.

[Michael8400]

I don't even know anymore. The only thing I do know is that i'm pretty fearful over spending $500 on these bonded retainers and then seeing my teeth move, even if its a BIT. Then its all not worth it.

And I really don't care what anyone thinks, having to wear the essix/invisalign retainers every night CAN indeed be a hassle. Sometimes if i'm sick or a little stuffy, I really dont want them in my mouth, and other times i may be having a snack before bed and i have to make sure my teeth are super clean before they go in, etc. It can be annoying for sure.

I guess my best bet might just be to try these bonded retainers, and worst case scenario if it doesnt work out it doesnt work out, and at least i'll know, and then it will be invisalign retainers for life

Mike

[Jethro]

Good luck with the bonded retainers (but keep the Invisalign retainers handy just in case...lol). Let us know how it works out.

All the best.

Jethro

[Michael8400]

Jethro, i just want to verify with you, that you said you in fact have the bonded/glued permanent retainers on your top and lower teeth but they STILL have shifted anyway and therefore you have to also wear the essix/invisalign type retainers as well?

What has your ortho said about your teeth shifting


Mike

[Lorianne]

Michael, both my kids had permanent bonded retainers put in after braces and their teeth haven't budged since they were teens (they're in their 30's now). They never even had removeable retainers at all. I want to get the same myself. I don't care if flossing is more of a hassle. Only difference is if my Ortho wants me to do both for a year or so I'll do that.

[sirwired]

Every case is different. Some cases require no retention at all after a few months. Others can get away with nothing more than a bonded lower after a year or so. Still others will be in nightly retention for life. You can't predict the course for your case (or demand a particular sort of retention) based on how somebody else went through it.

The best course, of course, is to do whatever your ortho tells you to, actually go to the follow-up appointments as scheduled, and keep any retention devices in good repair. (i.e. repair or replace busted or lost retainers, have de-bonded bonded retainers re-attached, etc.) If the ortho says you need no retention, great! If he says that you need nightly retainers for life, then you should do that. If he insists that a bonded retainer won't be sufficient for your case, then commit to wearing your removables as requested, etc.