Night Elf Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Ds20 had braces and got them off a couple of years ago. They gave him retainers for top and bottom that are clear plastic that just slip on over the teeth. They look like invisalign braces. He wears them faithfully every night. So does he really need to wear them forever? I didn't have retainers when I got my braces off as a teen. Dd19 had braces too and was given the same retainers but I don't think she wears hers at all. She took them to college with her and told me she wears them once a week, but I'd be surprised if she really did. Ds was told to wear them every other night but he's worried he'll forget so he wears them every night. He has Aspergers and is very rule oriented so he might not want to stop, but I thought I'd ask here. He had braces because his permanent eye tooth were imbedded in the roof of his mouth and his baby teeth never fell out. They had to use chains to bring them down and get them into place. That was why I had to have braces too and dd as well. I don't know about dd but my teeth never moved. What have you or your children done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Our orthodontist said twice a week for life. Mine wear theirs Sunday and Wednesday nights. My teeth migrated significantly in adulthood. They are still somewhat corrected, but are bad enough that my dentist mentioned it. Honestly, it isn't a priority for me, but I know people my age who went back and got braces again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Library Momma Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 My teeth moved as well in my late twenties and I have considered getting braces again. I really wish I had continued longer with my retainer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Our kids kept wearing their retainers until they wore out, broke, or somehow didn't fit anymore. Since he's been out of braces for several years, he probably could get by without the retainer . . . but some guys do have later growth spurts (along the jaw line) which would affect the teeth alignment. I guess if he wears them contentedly, and is a rule-follower, I'd just let him wear them every night. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Our ortho says wear them for life (he still wears his); not sure if that's every night but it's easier to just do it every night. My dh had a "permanent" retainer on his lower teeth--a strong wire permanently mounted behind the teeth. He was told it could be removed after so many years. His bottom teeth are horribly crooked now--you would never guess he had braces. I also have a cousin in her thirties who is in braces again because she didn't wear her retainer and her teeth moved quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I wore my retainer every night when I slept for years. If I missed a few days for some reason I would make up for it by wearing it around the clock for a day or two. If I went too long without it, It was snug going on. Then I lost it on our honeymoon, and I was genuinely sad about that. I thought really hard about asking the ortho for another one even though it had been six years since my braces had been removed. My top teeth have not shifted much since then, so that's great news for me. My bottom wire is still in place, and I know that my bottom teeth would have moved around had it not been there. They called my mom after eight years maybe and mentioned to her that if I wanted to have that wire removed, I could stop in anytime and they would squeeze me in for removal. It makes me happy to just keep it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I had braces in middle school and wore retainer until college. At 47, I got braces again as my teeth have shifted a lot and I did not like how my teeth looked, so I will be telling my DS to wear his retainer as long as possible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 Sounds like he should just keep wearing it as long as he's willing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 My guys stopped wearing theirs a few months after they got their braces off--mostly out of laziness. Neither had noticeable changes afterward. Sounds like we were lucky in that regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 (edited) Ds20 had braces and got them off a couple of years ago. They gave him retainers for top and bottom that are clear plastic that just slip on over the teeth. They look like invisalign braces. He wears them faithfully every night. So does he really need to wear them forever? I didn't have retainers when I got my braces off as a teen. Dd19 had braces too and was given the same retainers but I don't think she wears hers at all. She took them to college with her and told me she wears them once a week, but I'd be surprised if she really did. Ds was told to wear them every other night but he's worried he'll forget so he wears them every night. He has Aspergers and is very rule oriented so he might not want to stop, but I thought I'd ask here. He had braces because his permanent eye tooth were imbedded in the roof of his mouth and his baby teeth never fell out. They had to use chains to bring them down and get them into place. That was why I had to have braces too and dd as well. I don't know about dd but my teeth never moved. What have you or your children done? This is funny. I am currently at the orthodontist with ds who is getting his braces off today. We just had to sign the follow-up care form which says he has to wear his retainers full-time for three months, then at night forever to prevent his teeth from shifting. ETA: after I had braces (30 years ago), I was told to wear my retainers at night for 5 years. I did that faithfully then stopped wearing them. My teeth did shift some but not badly. Edited March 21, 2017 by Bethany Grace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in KS Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I had retainers for two years. I had significant shifting as an adult and now have major gaps in my smile. I wish the advice had been lifetime when I was a teen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Childbearing women should definitely wear them full time as my friend found out a lot of shifting occurs then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I had retainers for two years. I had significant shifting as an adult and now have major gaps in my smile. I wish the advice had been lifetime when I was a teen. Yes, me too. None of my older kids kept wearing theirs, but I am hoping my daughter keeps wearing hers. She wears hers a few times a week and said it definitely feels tight if she goes too long without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I wore my retainers faithfully every night until I lost them in college. My teeth have shifted since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I wish I had worn mine longer. I wore them nightly for several years, then more sporadically. There came a time when I could no longer get them in, and my teeth eventually moved back closer to where they had been before I wore braces. Not all the way back, but my bottom teeth are crooked again, and the gap up top opened up again. So if he wants to wear them, I'd sure let him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 The number of people I know who had braces as a kid, quit wearing their retainers and are now having braces again is huge. I'd make sure he wears his retainers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 (edited) WEAR THEM! Also, ask about the permanent wire glued inside the bottom teeth. BabyBaby has this. She also had to get a new retainer made because she broke a tooth and the fixed tooth didn't fit right in the retainer. Her original retainer was pretty worn out anyway, so it was good timing. Another child stopped wearing her retainers, they are no longer even close to fitting. Massive shifting of the bottom teeth. I'm not happy, we spent a lot of money in her braces. For those whose original retainers no longer fit properly, you can get a new mold done and get a new retainer. It was about $120 for BabyBaby's, top teeth only. Not cheap, but worth it to us after the massive expense of braces. Edited March 21, 2017 by Rebel Yell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 Well ds does wear them so I'm not worried about him. He's never mentioned them or complained about them. He followed the orthodontist's directions exactly. I believe they told him to wear them full time for the first 3 months then only at night for 3 months, then a few times a week. He's just kept wearing them every night. My dd, OTOH, didn't follow the directions. I think she wore them most days during the first 3 months, then most nights in the next 3 months, and then about once a week. After seeing responses on this thread, she got an email today from the orthodontist wishing her a happy birthday, so I used that as an excuse to ask if she still wears her retainers. She said sometimes but not as often as she should. I suggested she create a reminder in her phone to wear them 3 nights a week or they'll start getting tight. She said they still feel fine, not tight at all. So she's lucky I suppose. She got them off sometime in late 2015 or early 2016. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 The thing is that my kids didn't wear braces to straighten their teeth. Their permanent eye teeth were imbedded in the roof of their mouths. Ds had both in there and dd had only one. They had braces on both top and bottom but their bottom teeth didn't look any different from before they got the braces. Neither had gaps in the top. The only shifting that got done was probably just moving the teeth to either side of the eye teeth to accommodate the larger eye teeth. So they might not have a lot of shifting afterall. Still, I told dd that she should probably wear them. She is in college and doesn't see anyone when she goes to bed and wakes early. Even her roommate isn't home when dd goes to bed and the roommate is asleep when dd wakes in the morning. So I don't see why she can't wear them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 My oldest wore his for 5 years. He stopped for a while, and I clearly expressed my displeasure at spending money on this development since my teeth have moved a little and my oldest sister had to have braces put back on in her 40s. He started wearing it a couple of times a week. My second child was wearing the retainer every day, but has stopped since we started the process for getting an implant for a missing permanent tooth - it never developed. Once the implant process is done, we will get another retainer made. Both my husband and I have had tooth movement since having worn braces - mostly bottom teeth and not having a big impact cosmetically. Neither of us will have it taken care of (unless I end up working for an orthodontist or something like that.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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