What retainers did you have? Do you like them?

[theawkwardone]

I got my braces off in November 2016. I spent a total of years in braces (switched orthodontists because of insurance) and i have vivera. I noticed they felt looser. So i put in my original essix retainer, and it was extremely tight. I love my vivera, but am also looking for other opinions as well!

Did you like your retainers?
Pros and cons of each?

[jaime]

Hi theawkwardone,

I got my braces off last November too. I have both an Essix and a Hawley.

Interesting that your Vivera feels loose. Were the moulds for both your retainers made at the same time? The mould for my Hawley was made right after debonding, but the Essix one was done when I went back two weeks later to pick up the Hawley. So because of that, it's a little tight going in between the two, but it only takes maybe 5 minutes to loosen up, and they're both still a great fit.

I can't comment on Vivera since I don't have one, but from what I've read on this board, people seem to prefer it. I grind my teeth a little bit in one spot and I very quickly developed a rough spot on my Essix that now annoys the heck out of me.

Personally, I wear my Essix when I'm out in public and my Hawley overnight and when I'm at home. I like them both equally overall, though. The Essix is obviously harder to see and it's also easier to speak with. I like the Hawley when I'm at home because I can still drink liquids with it in (I prefer not to with the Essix).

[godutch]

I got my braces off in November 2016. I spent a total of years in braces (switched orthodontists because of insurance) and i have vivera. I noticed they felt looser. So i put in my original essix retainer, and it was extremely tight. I love my vivera, but am also looking for other opinions as well!

Did you like your retainers?
Pros and cons of each?

I'm going to get fixed retainers. I figure that after getting used to huge braces these very small retention wires won't be hard to get used to (although my 46 got a small filling 27 years ago and I am still not used to that, might be next on my list to get an inlay there...) and there is 0% chance of forgetting to apply my retainer. I am not too worried about flossing either: I don't floss, flossing is obsolete anyway. Use interdental brushes or softpicks, they are easier, more comfortable and they are much much more effective than flossing

[jaime]

I got my braces off in November 2016. I spent a total of years in braces (switched orthodontists because of insurance) and i have vivera. I noticed they felt looser. So i put in my original essix retainer, and it was extremely tight. I love my vivera, but am also looking for other opinions as well!

Did you like your retainers?
Pros and cons of each?

I'm going to get fixed retainers. I figure that after getting used to huge braces these very small retention wires won't be hard to get used to (although my 46 got a small filling 27 years ago and I am still not used to that, might be next on my list to get an inlay there...) and there is 0% chance of forgetting to apply my retainer. I am not too worried about flossing either: I don't floss, flossing is obsolete anyway. Use interdental brushes or softpicks, they are easier, more comfortable and they are much much more effective than flossing

I have fixed retainers on my upper and lower teeth and there was still some shifting, FYI. Not sure if that's a concern for you, but just something to consider.

[sneed1o1]

I got my braces off in November 2016. I spent a total of years in braces (switched orthodontists because of insurance) and i have vivera. I noticed they felt looser. So i put in my original essix retainer, and it was extremely tight. I love my vivera, but am also looking for other opinions as well!

Did you like your retainers?
Pros and cons of each?

I'm going to get fixed retainers. I figure that after getting used to huge braces these very small retention wires won't be hard to get used to (although my 46 got a small filling 27 years ago and I am still not used to that, might be next on my list to get an inlay there...) and there is 0% chance of forgetting to apply my retainer. I am not too worried about flossing either: I don't floss, flossing is obsolete anyway. Use interdental brushes or softpicks, they are easier, more comfortable and they are much much more effective than flossing

I have fixed retainers on my upper and lower teeth and there was still some shifting, FYI. Not sure if that's a concern for you, but just something to consider.

I also had some shifting with bonded in the past.

[fixmyjaws]

I have essix retainers and I only just got them yesterday and IT HURTS
when I woke up this morning my teeth were so sore that brushing hurts because it applies pressure on my teeth
the last time my teeth hurt this much was at the beginning of the braces treatment.

I think it was because there was a week's gap between I got my braces off and got these retainers so it's likely they hurt because my teeth shifted a bit.

I guess I like them because they kinda look invisible.

[FlyByNight]

I have essix retainers and I only just got them yesterday and IT HURTS
when I woke up this morning my teeth were so sore that brushing hurts because it applies pressure on my teeth
the last time my teeth hurt this much was at the beginning of the braces treatment.

I think it was because there was a week's gap between I got my braces off and got these retainers so it's likely they hurt because my teeth shifted a bit.

I guess I like them because they kinda look invisible.

I'm surprised you had to wait a week for your retainers to be ready. My Essix retainers took 2 hours from the time I got the impressions.

[pjade1]

I got the Essix too but I was able to pick them up on the same day. The only time they hurt was when I removed them but they were fine when I got them off. They were easy to put in. I've only had mine for a week now and they are much easier to remove now and no pain. I do like them so far.

[jaime]

I have essix retainers and I only just got them yesterday and IT HURTS
when I woke up this morning my teeth were so sore that brushing hurts because it applies pressure on my teeth
the last time my teeth hurt this much was at the beginning of the braces treatment.

I think it was because there was a week's gap between I got my braces off and got these retainers so it's likely they hurt because my teeth shifted a bit.

I guess I like them because they kinda look invisible.

I'm surprised you had to wait a week for your retainers to be ready. My Essix retainers took 2 hours from the time I got the impressions.

Mine took two weeks, it sucked!

Fixmyjaws, give it some time and the pain should go away. Thinking back, I think mine hurt my teeth for a couple of weeks. The longer I would wear it, the worse it felt, but eventually that stopped happening.

[Felina Grimm]

I have both Hawley and Essix retainers. I got the Essix by default (every patient gets them with the treatment plan) and bought the Hawleys. I received it a couple of hours after debonding, so I didn't have any major pain. Just a bit of soreness here and there. I got the Hawleys two weeks after debonding. I use Essix during the day and the Hawleys at night.

The Essix retainers let you speak better, but they cover all your teeth and can aggravate clenching and grinding. They're also bacteria magnets. I use Essix during the day at home because at home I can take my time to clean them, since they're harder to clean and more delicate. They're also hard to remove, at least for me. I use a tool to remove them. I clench so much with them too, especially when I go to bed.

I can't say much about Hawleys since I've only had them for a few days. They're actually comfy, but I was drooling so much the first few days and I was gagging when they were in. I finally stopped gagging and drooling when I put them on last night. Speaking with them is tough, but again, it's been a few days. I'm currently using them at night. I might start using them during the day if I go out somewhere, since they're easier for me to remove and I don't have to worry about brushing right away with Hawleys. Other than that, I use them at night because I won't ruin them with my bruxism.

I prefer the Hawleys even if I have a hard time speaking with them. I'm still using the Essix, since I got these by default for free and I don't want to let them go to waste. While I'm in full-time wear, I will be using both since I don't have problems switching between retainers and sticking with the Hawleys at night after that unless the Essix retainers still work. Then I might alternate. It's nice to have a backup while in full-time wear as well.

[Azul]

I got the Essix included in my treatment and paid for the Hawleys as a back up but I ended using more the Hawleys as I felt more comfortable with them. They are also more robust, but it will take sometime to get used to them. The Essix are more discreet but I tend to clench with them all the time and I did a hole on the bottom one after 6 months.

[Beckett]

I was just debonded today and am wearing the Essix retainers. I can’t close my bite all the way because of the way my back molars interlock. It’s driving me crazy, I know I’ll get used to it, but I think I’ll switch to the Hawley's when they are done if they don’t do the same thing. I don’t really care too much about being seen with a wire retainer, I just spent 18 months in braces anyway. I’m surprised I can talk so well with the Essix, I thought I would have more trouble.

[FlyByNight]

I was just debonded today and am wearing the Essix retainers. I can’t close my bite all the way because of the way my back molars interlock. It’s driving me crazy, I know I’ll get used to it, but I think I’ll switch to the Hawley's when they are done if they don’t do the same thing. I don’t really care too much about being seen with a wire retainer, I just spent 18 months in braces anyway. I’m surprised I can talk so well with the Essix, I thought I would have more trouble.

There are a few people on this forum who aren’t having trouble with the Hawley retainers not closing all the way either.

[Beckett]

I officially don’t like my Essix and am counting the days until my Hawleys are done. Somehow I’ve gotten rubbed raw and scabbed over at the very back of my inner cheek on one side, right where my teeth come together. I’m thinking it’s just the rubbing along the exposed edge so I took my manicure supplies and did some fine filing to the back edges wherever I thought it might be doing it. It’s so hard to pinpoint exactly what’s causing it. I’ll put them in again overnight tonight and see how things are healing by morning. I’m hoping that area will toughen up just like when I had braces and one spot would rub on a bracket. I don’t think I can manage to get my silicone wax to stick to the back edges of the retainer. Anyone ever had success with that?

Ortho said to call late next week and see if my Hawleys arrived. I hope they do before husband and I head out on our trip in the middle of the month. They’ve got to be easier to remove than the Essix, right?

[turtle]

Currently I have an upper essix that I wear at night and lower bonded, though I have had Hawley both upper and lower in the past. My ortho is having me use essix since I grind my teeth. I like having the bonded retainer because it's always there and I don't have to worry about my teeth moving if I forget to, or don't feel like, wearing a removable retainer. The essix is okay but I think the Hawley was more comfortable. I don't like having the surfaces of my teeth covered. I feel like acid and bacteria just sits in there against my teeth, and also essix are harder to clean in my opinion. But the trade off is that it protects my teeth from wearing down, which is really important since I've ground pretty deep holes into my molars. I've gone through like 3 essixs though in the past year or so, but my ortho has replaced them free of charge.