Retainer (orthodontics) Puns

Hi everybody,

(M28, I don't smoke, I don't drink, no known medical condition)

Two months ago, I had a domestic accident (bad fall) which led two of my front incisors (11 and 12) to be pushed back by 2mm in palatal direction (lateral luxation). By the time I could find a dentist to look at the situation, they had no mobility and she decided to leave them in that position...

Anyway, I now need to have braces to put them back in position, as they're really interfering with my occlusion (my jaw shifted, and my front teeth are destroying each other at night).

From what I understand, the 'retaining' period after braces consists basically of: 1) an initial 6-8 months period during which the bone and streched ligament heal and go back to a proper and stable state, 2) the rest of my life.

My question is: considering that the teeth will basically be put back into their "natural" place, could I stop wearing the retainer after, say, a year, and the teeth will keep into position (or, rather, move 'naturally' like they would have without the traumatic displacement - which would make sense considering they're basically back into their 'equilibrium' position), or is there some sort 'tooth memory' which will always make them 'want' to go back into their luxated position ?

(I asked my orthodontist, but he didn't have the answer to that question, as, I assume, my case is quite rare)

When you get the braces off your teeth, you get a set of retainers to wear to maintain the work the braces have done. At first you wear them a lot, then only at night, then hypothetically less and less but you’re never supposed to stop completely. I got my braces off 15 years ago and I still force myself to wear the awful retainers for a few hours every couple of weeks. Is there any actual point to doing this? Does anybody else? I’d hate for my teeth to shift all out of place like they were before my braces.

Once the teeth are in the correct spot, they take the braces off and give you a retainer that you have to wear 24/7 for the first 3 months or so.

Why can't they just leave the braces on and make no more adjustments to them to keep the teeth in place before switching to a removable retainer?

Is there a real reason, or is it just that most people want to get their braces off sooner?

Would an orthodontist do this for me if I asked?

Thank you!

I'm a 29 yo female, athletic build. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea a few years ago. I used a CPAP for a bit, but it wasn't helpful enough to warrant continued use.

When I got my braces removed at 13 yo, my orthodontist installed a permanent retainer behind my lower front teeth. It's a thin bar of metal cemented to each tooth, basically braces behind my teeth instead of in front. I never thought anything of it, though in retrospect my sleep difficulties really started around the same time.

I recently switched to a new dentist after moving, and he strongly recomended that I have the retainer removed as it was causing bone loss. He also mentioned that the retainer was large enough (only a few mm, but still) that it was impacting where my tongue rests. I mentioned my apnea and he was very interested to see if the removal would help.

Well, it's only been three nights, but I've woken up before my alarm every morning so far. I also feel like I'm breathing through my nose more often now, when I am usually a mouth breather.

I'm sure this hasn't fixed all my sleep difficutlies, but it certainly seems to have helped a lot. If anyone else has a permanent retainer, I would definitely recommend talking to your dentist or orthodontist about other options!

I had an orthodontic retainer produced after my treatment about 6/7 years ago after my braces treatment. I’ve not worn my retainer at all for approximately 5 years. My teeth have moved so my retainer doesn’t fit exactly as it should, meaning if I want my teeth to maintain position I should get a new retainer.

Now I’ve just started zoom whitening treatment, with this it includes a plastic retainer type (moulded to the teeth by a dentist) tray which is very similar to the orthodontic one. Are the trays created using the same plastic and technique? I imagine not but I just wondered as it would save me buying a new retainer.

Okay I just recently got my braces off and was given a clear retainer to wear. I leave for Paris Island June 21st,so a little less than a month away. I was wondering if I bring my retainers should I ask permission from one of the Drill Instructors if I could wear my retainers at night and take them off in the morning to be stowed away in their box? Or would I just be better of bringing them and not mentioning it?

I have gaps between my upper teeth(total 4 gaps). So any idea which kind of braces will be used by the orthodontics for me- the ones which push the teeth inwards or the ones which pull the teeth outwards? Also, do we need to wear retainers for our lifetime after braces?

A retainer is a plastic device that I wear on my lower teeth to keep them aligned. I find myself sniffing it as a calming technique but also the smell is quite enjoyable.

1. Get a mold of your teeth using a food safe clay

2. Bring the mold to a library to be 3D scanned. If you have a friend or acquaintance at a university they are often equipped with nice ones for a small fee. Say it’s for a project—no one will care.

3. Download free orthodontic software such as clincheck and load your 3D model. Set conservative movement parameters (slower movement is safer) and generate however many models are necessary to move your teeth where you want them.

4. Locate one of the many companies that print retainers and purchase a set for each set you generated in step 3. You should be able to do this for around $50 each. A year long treatment with 3 different retainers a month would cost around $1800. If you have access to a 3D printer you could probably reduce this cost dramatically.

I’m desperate. I’m in so much pain, and I’ve read that sometimes your vulva can mimic symptoms of a nickel allergy. I can’t get my retainers off because of COVID but I’m praying this is what is causing me so much distress and pain. Has anyone experienced this?

I’ve been following this community for a few weeks now because I’m getting my braces off in a month, and I have a few questions

From what I’ve read, a retainer will just prevent any progress I make with mewing, so most people just throw it away and switch to mewing

how reliable is mewing for keeping your teeth straight post-orthodontics? my main worry is that with all the movement they’ll be shifted back to their natural position (which was pretty bad, hence the braces)

I don’t have a problem with the retainer not fitting anymore after mewing, as long as my teeth remain straight and no gaps appear with the palate expanding

Also I have a relatively weak chin, I don’t know if this is a product of the braces but if I start mewing and the maxilla comes forward, will the lower jaw go forward with it? of course I’m doing this to improve how I look so if my chin stays where it is (receded) will it look even worse than it does now?

You only get one course of orthodontist treatment.

I lost my retainer day 0 of my trip and need to get a replacement made just to ensure my teeth stay where they are.

It is the clear plastic / essix type of retainer where your teeth are scanned & the retainer is 3D printed. Can anyone please point me in the right direction of getting this sorted out?

Thank you infinitely.

Hello,

I finished conventional orthodontic treatment in 2016. However, I had to move cities and couldn't keep up with regular visits to my dentist. Since then, one of my upper teeth began to move a little out of place and I started going to another orthodontist. She recommended that I either use Invisalign or a conventional retainer, since my problem is light. She also said both options would eventually fully correct my teeth, the main difference between them being price, the former much more expensive than the latter. Which should I choose? Thanks in advance.

EDIT: the retainer is actually a movable one, much like this one.