Have to wear a retainer for the rest of your life? WTF (BRACES)?
I'm having my braces off in a few months, and I found out earlier from friends that I'll have to wear it a few times a week during nights for the rest of my life..
Is this true? For like 50+ years I have to use it?
Is this true? For like 50+ years I have to use it?
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Well I didnt even bother wearing them and now my teeth are about as straight as louie spence.
My orthodontist told me I wear it every night for a year, and then once a week for however long I want to keep my teeth looking as they do now (i.e. the rest of my life/however long I care about them for).. but I guess it depends on the person how much of an impact the retainer has long-term
Wear your retainer!! Every single night if you have to! Trust me. The last thing you need is 2 years of torture and being called "braceface" and "train tracks" go to waste. I learnt the hard way. Now I have to get cosmetic surgery on my teeth to get them aligned again.
Original post by Genocidal
Your friends told you this?
Unless they are professionals then they are probably taking the piss.
Unless they are professionals then they are probably taking the piss.
No..
Original post by shooby_doo
Well I didnt even bother wearing them and now my teeth are about as straight as louie spence.
Oh, so they're pretty straight then?
lolwut, not for the rest of your life mate.
Original post by Jonesdawiz
I'm having my braces off in a few months, and I found out earlier from friends that I'll have to wear it a few times a week during nights for the rest of my life..
Is this true? For like 50+ years I have to use it?
Is this true? For like 50+ years I have to use it?
Not at all! It's just for a year afterwards, (some don't even bother) to make sure the teeth don't go back to how they were before.
Original post by Jonesdawiz
I'm having my braces off in a few months, and I found out earlier from friends that I'll have to wear it a few times a week during nights for the rest of my life..
Is this true? For like 50+ years I have to use it?
Is this true? For like 50+ years I have to use it?
i got my braces off last christmas, and i had to wear my retainer every night, but after about eight months this got very boring so i stopped.
Now my teeth have moved back a little and i have a small gap but that's it. I know someone who stopped wearing theirs and it did very little! So i think it's just individual
Original post by SophiaKeuning
Not at all! It's just for a year afterwards, (some don't even bother) to make sure the teeth don't go back to how they were before.
Apparently you have to wear it a few times per week at night or they'll go back to norm
Your friends are not professionals? They're probably just having a laugh.
See what your dentist says when you go and have the braces taken off. Do wear the retainer when required though!
See what your dentist says when you go and have the braces taken off. Do wear the retainer when required though!
There's a reason why people go to the dentist's rather than ask their friends for advice about their teeth every 6 months. There's more of a chance that friends don't know what the hell they're talking about, for one... Or wind you up.
Original post by noodles!
I didn't keep wearing mine and my teeth have gone back. Not all the way. But I never tell anyone I used to have a brace because they'd just wonder why it didn't work!
Lol! This is me! I used to have a serious overbite! After 2 years of immense pain and bullying I had perfect teeth. Because the retainer was seriously uncomfortable, I gave up wearing it. Then after about a year I noticed some movement in my front teeth. Now, I have a slight overbite and have to pay to get the blasted things fixed!! But, I always keep them nice and clean!
I thought I better quote you, so you feel loved.
I got my braces off five and a half years ago and I still wear mine 2-3 times a week at least. I can tell by touch whether I've worn my retainer the previous night - it still makes that much difference. However, my retainer is now a complete state and is falling apart, so it's only a matter of time before it becomes unwearable. And the replacement I got made hardly even makes a difference. 
Wearing a retainer twice a week isn't a big issue, you can pop it in just before you fall asleep and take it out first thing in the morning. Or even just wear it around the house on lazy days if it's easier. A few hours a week makes a big difference, though.
Basically, it depends how much you care about your teeth. I hated my teeth before I had braces, and I'm still so paranoid about them that I'd hate for them to move back. I have a lot of friends who aren't at all bothered, though, and theirs have moved back to various positions. I think it depends on the person really.
Wearing a retainer twice a week isn't a big issue, you can pop it in just before you fall asleep and take it out first thing in the morning. Or even just wear it around the house on lazy days if it's easier. A few hours a week makes a big difference, though.Basically, it depends how much you care about your teeth. I hated my teeth before I had braces, and I'm still so paranoid about them that I'd hate for them to move back. I have a lot of friends who aren't at all bothered, though, and theirs have moved back to various positions. I think it depends on the person really.
(edited 12 years ago)
I had tram track braces for 4 years, and then had the retainers at 17. I was told to wear them all the time for six months, then just at night for the next six months, and once I got to 18, I had to wear it once every other night to make sure my teeth didn't move. I'm nearly 20, and I stopped wearing them just over a year ago. My teeth aren't celebrity perfect, but they're much better than they were. I stopped wearing my retainers because they were downright painful, and my teeth still look OK
You do have to wear them a long time after your braces, I now have fixed retainers as apparently my teeth were quick to move back to their original position if I didn't wear my retainers. I don't have to think about putting them in now, but I do have wire at the back of my teeth for life now..
Original post by Jonesdawiz
I'm having my braces off in a few months, and I found out earlier from friends that I'll have to wear it a few times a week during nights for the rest of my life..
Is this true? For like 50+ years I have to use it?
Is this true? For like 50+ years I have to use it?
No. Just for a few months... maybe even half a year but not the rest of your life.
i didnt wear mine, probably did for about six months after i got my brace off & my teeth have gone back. not as bad as they were before the brace, but they were so perfectly straight after i got it off, i get so annoyed with myself sometimes for not just sticking with it! you can do it, they're a bit awkward and uncomfortable but if you just stick it in when you sleep it shouldnt be so bad
i get so annoyed with myself sometimes for not just sticking with it! you can do it, they're a bit awkward and uncomfortable but if you just stick it in when you sleep it shouldnt be so bad Quick Reply
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