STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

bebegirl020 · BCBG

if you've ever had braces...

doveanunu · Dooney & Bourke

Technically, you are never supposed to stop wearing it, although most people do. I would reccomend that you try and wear it about once a week as opposed to every night....as long as it feels like your teeth are not moving.

JoceyBaby23 · Gucci

My ortho. has told me you are technically supposed to wear it forever..

My mom had braces 3 times and each time she never wore her retainer and her teeth moved back to exactly the way they were before within a couple years..

I got my braces off 5 years ago and I still wear my retainer every night. I am anal about it though. I want my teeth to stay perfect!

sfclinevandy · Coach

Well, it depends on how you would react if your teeth shifted. I have a permanent bottom retainer and had a removeable top one. I always slept in the retainer until I had to get a night guard. Basically the night guard acts the same as the retainer because it fits your mouth and holds your teeth in position at night so I just sleep in that and my teeth haven't shifted at all.

Last year I went to my 5th year high school reunion and it was amazing how many people had let their teeth go. And I know these peoples' parents had spend thousands on orthodontic work. Plus, a lot of people had started smoking so there was yellowing. Teeth are a big deal for me, so I was shocked. The moral of the story... sleep in your retainer, whiten, and don't smoke!

lsubatgirl · Gucci

I would keep wearing it. I quit wearing mine too soon and my teeth have slightly moved. I will probably look into invisalign in a few years (when I have a real job) to correct the small space here and there that I have gotten.

On a side note those permanent bottom retainers are a load of crap. They didn't keep my teeth straight, they cause problems when the dentist tries to clean my teeth (even broke the wire), and the stuff holding them on can break off your teeth. So if I had a choice I would get a removeable one rather than the permanent one I have now.

Drew · Gucci

I stopped wearing my retainers very quickly; I think I lost them, and never had them replaced. As a result my bottom teeth are crooked in one area, and my top teeth shifted on one side causing a space, however the space is unnoticeable. I, like ISUbatgirl, will be looking into Invisalign in few years to correct the problem on my bottom; I am just going to get veneers for all my top teeth.

Comparing my teeth now to how they were before, I had very little movement post-braces, but other people I know had their teeth move a lot more because they didn't wear their retainer.

My SO still wears his retainer occasionally (maybe a few days every month or so), and says if he goes too long the retainer hurts, but after wearing it a few days, everything is fine again.

luckylily · Gucci

I wore mine for about 10 or 12 years. When they broke my dentist didn't think that I needed to have them replaced. My teeth haven't really moved at all since I stopped wearing them.

It is really interesting to me how many people are going thru their 2nd round of braces. They had them as kids and are doing it again 20 or 25 years later.

lsubatgirl · Gucci

I actually had 2 rounds of braces when I was younger: 3rd grade to fix gap in front teeth (& 2 missing teeth) and then again in 6th or 7th grade to fix overbite. I really don't wanna do them again so hopefully invisalign will do the trick when I get ready for it.

halleybird · Hermes

quote:
Originally posted by: lsubatgirl
"

On a side note those permanent bottom retainers are a load of crap. They didn't keep my teeth straight, they cause problems when the dentist tries to clean my teeth (even broke the wire), and the stuff holding them on can break off your teeth. So if I had a choice I would get a removeable one rather than the permanent one I have now."

I agree! I got my braces off when I was 15, and the friggin' orthodontist told me I had to keep my "permanent" retainer. Eventually I stopped seeing him of course, and I had that damn thing on until I was 22! (A regular dentist can remove it, btw).

I never wore my removable top retainer. I think I put it in once, decided it looked dorky, and put it away. A few months later, when I tried to wear it again, it didn't fit

My teeth have shifted a teeny bit, but not enough to see (I can just feel it).

lsubatgirl · Gucci

quote:
Originally posted by: halleybird
"
(A regular dentist can remove it, btw).
"

My dentist refused and said I have to see my orthodontist (well the hygentist said so). I will have to ask again! I hate this thing!!!!

halleybird · Hermes

quote:
Originally posted by: lsubatgirl
"

My dentist refused and said I have to see my orthodontist (well the hygentist said so). I will have to ask again! I hate this thing!!!!"

That is NOT true. My dentist had mine off in like 90 seconds. They just put stuff in there to dissolve the cement. I hated mine, too. Mine had those silver brackets that went around your lower canines, so it looked like I had platinum teeth

Also, I am convinced that it changed the way I talked (no one else notices, but I swear I used to say my "s's" differently).

monica · Kenneth Cole

i also had a permanent on the bottom for about two years and the dentist dissolved it for me too. i never wore the top, though. i've had some movement, but not enough to ever want to put it in again. :)

Meow · Coach

My orthodontist told me to wear mine until I wore it out. I finally quit after about a year.

e_doli · Dooney & Bourke

my ortho never fully explained to me why the retainer is impt, so being the stupid 16 yr old that i was when i got my braces off finally, i didn't wear it as much as i should have. now my teeth have moved enough that they drive me crazy. so if i were you i would be diligent about wearing it. it's a pain, but not as bad as having crooked teeth or braces again.

bean · Kenneth Cole

you should keep wearing it. I wore mine every night for I think around 3 years, and then a few times a week for a few years after that. I had one of those uncomfortable ones that are the mold of your teeth, and you can't talk when you wear it (that's why you wear it when you sleep). I'm supposed to keep wearing it occasionally but it's too uncomfortable now (it pulls my jaw forward) and I can't stand to wear it for more than a couple hours at a time.

I still sometimes have nightmares of waking up and finding my teeth all gruesomely crooked and messed up.

-- Edited by bean at 17:04, 2005-01-13

miss t · Dooney & Bourke

Well, I got mine off at 15, wore my retainers until I went to college. Tried to wear them a few times during college, it hurt too much. I haven't wore them since and the teeth moved a bit, but not back to the mega gap I had before I got braces. Maybe in a few years, I will get vaneers.