Metal Mouth Message Board

Just a heads up, I received a very suspicious e-mail that seemed as though this site's security has been compromised.

Your ortho may have left some glue. I had a regular cleaning done a couple of weeks after debanding and it got the rest if the stuff off. Your teeth are moving but they will move back when you start wearing your retainers. I've had mine off for 6 months and when I put them in @ night they're still a...

I wasn't too sure about using vinegar either. My prior experience was that My Essex was still cloudy after using anything except Retainerbrite. Since switching to night time only, however, the vinegar is a much more viable option as I don't have so much to clean off.

Just went for my FINAL retainer check! Nights only for life! I was a zealot with wearing nine though! How is everyone else doing?

In the hopes that Dr Tamm or Dr Rick or another orthodontist is perusing the board-is there any correlation between 24 hour essix wear and a higher propensity for cavities or gum disease? I'm usually really good about asking questions of my ortho or finding journal articles to read but in the case o...

Thanks Hal2me! Raised concern during retainer check-my upper lateral incisor is off :shock: So he put a "dimple" in my essix and told me to wear the Essix exclusively until the tooth moves into position and he can build up my Hawley. The dimple, for as small as it is, I must say definitely...

I didn't want to be one of the slackers, but alas I scummed to spending less and less time documenting my teeth! To anyone who cared:

I wear an essix retainer during the day, and a hawley retainer at night. I've noticed though that my retainers always feel tight when I first put them on. Hawley off in the morning and the essix is a tight fit. Essix off before dinner and the hawley also feels tight. I've also noticed that the small...

I'm really glad my ortho did retainers and debanding on the same day just because I know I would be having the same thoughts as you! We got our braces off the same day so this is what I've noticed with my retainer: my teeth actually look better now than after debanding partly because my ortho made s...

I was debraced on Monday and got both an essix and hawley retainer on the same day. I wear the essix during the day and the hawley at night. I must say that I am not as fond of my essix retainer as I thought I would be. In fact, if I could ever learn how to talk without a lisp while wearing the hawl...

Perhaps it's just the angle, but your upper lip especially looks a lot fuller as well. Your post reminded me that I need to find my camera!

My appointment was at 9:10 but I had to wait for an eternity before I was taken back. A few of my teeth were tender when they snapped the brackets and I couldn't stand the smell of the glue/bacteria that came with the removal of the molar bands. Overall, I did a pretty decent job of hygiene- only my...

Hot liquids can warp retainers ( especially the essix) and colored liquids can stain the retainers (especially the essix). The only thing my ortho permits is drinking water and taking pills you swallow with them in. Retention is super important, even more important than compliance during braces trea...

I believe that many of us are sentenced to 18-24 months. It's a realistic picture, I think, because most of us on this board seem to have our braces off at that time. There are a few people however who are outliers and finish early or super late. Sometimes your ortho can give you a better estimate d...

Good job sticking to your plan- I hope I'm just as diligent as you are! I get where you're coming from in feeling embarrassed and belittled but some of what you're saying seems standard. No matter whose mouth the hardwear is installed in, there are foods to avoid. Also, as one of those ex-teen patie...