Metal Mouth Message Board

How long do you have to wear yours after braces and what type do you have? .... I cant remember what they said about my treatment plan regarding retainers.. Ill have to ask, I know they said Ill need a bonded retainer and a removable one I just cant remember how often they said i'll need to wear the removable one.

You should call up the orthodontic office to check, but it's usually around full time for the first 6 months and then nightly for the rest of your life

My orthodontist told me that when people ask him how long they have to wear their retainers, his standard answer is "how long do you want straight teeth?" So yeah, daily for a while, and then nightly for...forever. I've heard of people who get it down to just a few nights a week, but you don't want to pay all that money to get straight teeth and then throw it away by skipping retainers.

I'm actually going to ask not to have a permanent retainer on my lowers. I know it's common, but I have an overactive plaque factory right on those teeth and a permanent retainer will be a nightmare. Not to mention flossing. And the idea of the Essex retainers grosses me out a bit, having my teeth encased in plastic all night...I prefer standar Hawleys.

I have the Essix. No bonded retainers. I was told to wear them full time for 6 months, and then after that, just night time wear. I rinse them off in the morning and put them in their case, then I brush them before sleep.

I got the "for as long as you want straight teeth" answer too. I have both a bonded retainer and a removable hawley ( my preference over essix) to wear at night.For the first 6 months I was told to wear the hawley 12/24 and than 8/24 for the next 6 months. When I had my final appointment 1 year post debond, I asked about whether I needed to keep wearing the hawley and was told to continue 8/24 indefinitely. Neither retainer is any problem.

Jem