Metal Mouth Message Board

Also, I note that only when I remove the Hawley, do my molars touch. The Hawley prevents my molars from touching.

So... do you have an explanation as to why my molars are sore when I put on the Essix again? Does this not indicate that the teeth have moved into the wrong position (not in the original Essix mold configuration)? That is, haven't the teeth shifted into an undesirable position? The Essix is basicall...

I have two sets of retainers, one Hawley, one Essix. Over time, I found that I prefer the Hawley. It just seems cleaner--while I am using retainer cleanser regularly to clean the Essix, it just seems to be more prone to feeling unclean. I have been wearing my Hawley more often than the Essix. I used...

Last week I went for my six month post removal appointment. It's been so long since I wrote and there is information I want to share, for those who are interested in what happens after braces are removed. At three months post removal I went for a very quick appointment. My teeth were checked. They w...

Now that I have had time to "enjoy" my retainers, it is time to write a treatise on my recommendations. Sadly, I cannot unequivocally advocate one type of retainer over the other. Hawley Pros: Easier to clean and remove. Cons: Still lisping. Visible wire isn't much of an improvement over f...

Hi b,

I was quoted $200-300 for the trays, not the $100 mentioned by the previous poster. My Essix retainers seem to be working fine as trays: no streaking, and no spillage.

Thanks for writing in.

My reason for keeping my wires and brackets? I wanted to have a good look at the instruments of torture that were part of my mouth for 18 months. Fascinating. But I have not only the arch wires, but also the brackets still strung on the arch wires. Not interesting to some, but it's interesting to me...

Thanks Tim of Seattle for your input. I find that I have had no problems with the 20% opalescence gel so far. I'm not seeing spectacular results after wearing it for 5 times in progressively longer stints, starting at 45 minutes, but at least there are no side effects, gum burn, etc. I have no idea ...

I asked for my wires/brackets. The power chains were still holding the brackets onto the wires. Was informed that I am the second of two patients in the past two years who have asked to keep them. So it is fairly rare. It was fascinating examining them after removal. The brackets seem much smaller t...

I don't know about permanent retainers, but my Essix and Hawley were ready the same day I had my braces removed. The impressions were taken in the morning after debracing, then 7 hours later I picked up both sets of retainers.

Today I wore the trays for 45 minutes with no problem. I rinsed out the retainers thoroughly, so I thought, before putting them back on. Four hours later, I removed the retainers to eat dinner and found that they were still partially filled with the gel! Yikes! I didn't want to use the toothbrush to...

Forgot to mention that I didn't notice any spillage when I put the retainers on. I applied the whitening gel in a continuous line like I had been instructed by some video.

Thanks, fluffybottom and rolo. Funny thing is, I only read your replies today, while my trays were in! It seems that it might depend on individual sensitivity or maybe the brand of the gel? My gels came in today so I brushed my teeth with water and applied a continuous line of Opalescence 20% PF gel...

Thanks for the advice, Audra and Dr. Rick. I will still try using the Essix with gel because I ordered it three weeks ago... oops. Should arrive any day now. Don't want to just throw it away without trying it. If it's a bomb, I can always get some trays with reservoirs done at a cost of SEVERAL HUND...

Has anyone actually tried using their Essix retainers as a whitening tray? I have purchased 20% gel and worry that my gums will get burned by the overspilled gel. I plan on my first bleaching foray to last only 20 minutes before removing the retainer. I have already searched through this forum and h...