Metal Mouth Message Board

I have both permanent and Essix retainers.
My ortho does this because then you only have to wear the Essixes at night, and he gets a much higher level of compliance.

There's lots more discussion on this in the retainer section of the forum!

Oh there are PLENTY of high-calorie soft foods :lol: If you're looking for balance and keeping up your calorie intake when you don't feel like chewing, then it's worth looking in to some of the sports nutrition products, particularly the post-workout protein shakes. Probably NOT the weight loss ones...

I have both! I have bonded retainers on my front 6 teeth, top and bottom, plus Essix-type retainers (like Invisalign) to wear at night too. I do wear my Essixs most of the time, but because of having the bonded ones too, I don't always take the Essixs if I go on business for a few days or something....

I'll be honest - the debond process isn't fun. (I checked - my ortho confirmed it's deBOND i.e. getting the bonding (glue) removed rather than deBAND which doesn't really make any sense unless you had conventional braces with molar bands! Apparently all the Brits call it deBONDing, but it got corrup...

It's not the same as a hygienist clean, but I always used to take my electric toothbrush with me to adjustments and ask if I could brush for 2 minutes while the wire was off! They always let me, and it helped me feel like I was getting a better clean every 4-6 weeks or so. And I totally agree - chlo...

Yes, it calms down!
However, it will feel bad to you for ages after other people stop noticing.

My biggest tip in the mean time? WAX! Get some good silicone wax on there pronto. It makes *everything* better

Seems kind of big to me...
Quilted cushion covers might be a more appropriate size?!

(Very sweet idea though!)

Roses - totally agree on the Boots denture cleaner. Fairly sure it comes out the same factory as Steradent etc and it's an absolute bargain! I used it on my night guards for years before I got braces and never had any problems. (Although being a bit more careful with water temperature and my retaine...

I have Essix-type retainers and was told to use a normal toothbrush and no more than warm water. I guess hot water softens the plastic again, and changes the shape! Definitely no abrasive toothpaste either. I was also told that denture cleaning tablets are fine to use. (Or specific retainer ones - I...

When I was thinking about lingual braces (I had mine off a couple of weeks ago - woo!) I did a lot of research too. 1) Don't get too wedded to Incognito. It's just a brand name and there are plenty of other lingual systems out there. By only looking for Incognito practitioners, you may be overlookin...

Yes! But you might want to turn the pressure down a bit until it stops bleeding again. Cleaning more is the best way to get the swelling down. You might also want to try interdental brushes (I like Tepe brand best), and some specific gum-health mouthwash with chlorhexidine gluconate in. Although don...

I lost a bit at the beginning when eating was just horrid, but then I realised that I could suck on squares of chocolate and drink wine...

I don't think I've ever looked at the numbers, but mine's all the way up as far as it goes! (I only have the spam though, so I think its top pressure is a bit lower than the Ultra.)

Took me a few weeks at the beginning to build it up, but wouldn't be without it now

Having my lingual braces off was actually kind of brutal, so I didn't feel like eating exciting stuff right away! I did have some amazing, sticky chocolate bars that I'd really been missing within a few days though. (They will have been off a week this afternoon, and I get my retainers on Friday. Th...

Kitri - I think you're totally within your rights to say you don't want brackets on the outside and are happy to accept a slightly longer treatment time. That's entirely your call, and your ortho should be able to accept that. Or maybe ask to start with elastics on the inside and see how things are ...