Why do I have to wear a retainer for so long? #retainer #dentist #braces #invisalign

[victoriat]

at first i thought she was gonna say “youre gonna wear them for a very long time & youre gonna like it”😂😮

[ashlynnharrison]

They handed me the retainer and gave me 0 instructions. How was i supposed to know--as a child-- that i was supposed to wear them every night for the rest of my life?!

[elliestewart]

I'm a grinder, so my orthodontist made me super heavy duty retainers that stand up to my chewing. They work so much better than a night guard because they're so perfectly fitted. I'll definitely wear these for life because my family grinds our molars to dust.

[TheSarahskaninchen]

I personally think that it was marketed the wrong way though. Dentists wanted to make a lot of money and told parents braces would "fix" everything. Nobody told you about retainers before starting braces.

[Tif_art_]

Didn't answer the question Ma'am

[possum]

I had braces as a teen, they were free on the NHS. I think I wore my retainer for a year and stopped when I realised I just didn’t like wearing it, and then my dog chewed them and I didn’t get them replaced.

I’m 31 now and my teeth have moved a bit but are still straight. It’s very obvious I had braces as a teen. Teeth don’t have to be perfectly white and perfectly straight; personally, I like smiles that look a little crooked or teeth that aren’t blindingly white, I think it gives people character.

[deenaavers]

after all these years i’m so used to wearing my retainer every night that it’s incorporated into my “falling asleep routine.” like if i forget to put it in, i won’t get tired, something feels off. once i do, i fall right to sleep 😂

[comfortableslug]

My teeth instantly start moving back as soon as I take my retainers off

[willowway]

I had braces as a kid, i lost my retainer in a move and didn't have insurance to get a new one. I may get a new one for teeth grinding, but I'm not gonna straighten my teeth again for cosmetic reasons.

[Hannahlyforward]

I’ve been in mine over 25 years now. Yes. Yes forever and ever. Get glow in the dark ones for an extra kick.

[psychopeticahermetico]

You usually don't actually have to wear them every night for too many years. Your bones solidify and set in place after 1-2 years, preventing a relapse in most cases. You must wear them every night until you're 18 or for 2 years if you're over 18 (the longest one) and then you can move to every other night. After a while you can do it here and there, preferably at least once a week.
However, if you feel like it's hard to put them on after several days without, it means your teeth move easily so you do have to wear them more often (every night or every other night).
If you're a man, you can usually stop completely after 6 years. If you're a woman and you're gonna have babies, there's a risk of the teeth moving back so it's best to stop completely after you finished having babies.

[jenniferknowles]

I got my braces off at 37. I have permanent wire retainers because there was no way I was wearing those plastic retainers every night. Mine cost me $4, 000 out of pocket, I wasn't going to waste that money or spend more to fix my teeth, again.

[Kingdom_Of_Dreams]

I don't ever want to go through braces again, so I wear my retainer/mouth guard every night!!

[mirandagarcia]

Then there's me and my teeth that moved despite wearing my retainer religiously bc of my wisdom teeth 😢

[scoutharris]

It's so weird my doctor told me my retainers just needed to be worn regularly for a few years but like the retainer stopped fitting when I got wisdom teeth, grew a bigger mouth and we couldn't afford a new one.

[solong_abigail]

I was told to wear them for a year and I did, and my teeth stayed straight-ish. During the process of getting my braces off and the retainers being made, my teeth moved the slightest bit but unless you pay a lot of close attention to it, they’re not noticeable. I also did get braces when I was like 12, and got them off at almost 14 so idk if that’s why my teeth haven’t shifted 😭

[MunaArachnim]

Mine was covered by insurance, but my orthodontist was retiring and I was his very last patient. Two years of braces, then when melting the retainers, the tech bent it outwards and my bottom retainer was crooked. So it kind of forced my bottom teeth OUT of place. And I couldn't go back because the business closed as soon as I wasn't their patient anymore.

[veronicaharris]

I had braces for four years in high school. I wear my retainers every single night I’m 53 now. My teeth are perfect and have not moved.

[zoozoo]

My orthodontist told me to wear my retainer every night fo a year and every other night for the second year and then to STOP wearing it. Now my teeth are worse than what they used to be. I wish i could get a refund.

[avourrito]

My orthodontist was suspiciously superstitious. The retainers were digging into my gums but I wasn't a vocal child about my discomfort.

Went to a dentist last year to do some cleaning and brought up wanting breaces again and she said "I have to take out one of each sides of my molars to have enough space to pull back these teeth into line"

I already knew how it felt getting pricked in the gums with a needle to completely numb my gums but honestly I still felt that nerve getting pulled out of my gums. Never again