Metal Mouth Message Board

Okay, braces are off and I'm in a clear retainer. Right now I'm supposed to wear the retainer for 12 hours each day, 8 hours of sleep plus 4 hours. When I get up in the morning and remove my retainer my front teeth are together, but by the end of the day, when it's time to put the retainer back in, the gaps in my front teeth have opened up quite a bit and this goes on day after day. My ortho says this is normal, but I'm wondering if anybody else has had this experience.

It sounds to me as if it would be sensible to wear your retainer 24/7 for a few months. Or maybe get a bonded retainer to hold your gaps closed?

I'm with jem. I have the Vivera retainer, which I love, and had to wear it continuously for several months and now only at night. I'd recommend you ask your ortho why he prefers the part-time approach. Seems to me you need to stabilize your teeth once the braces come off -- since they just moved into their final positions.

+1 on the 24/7. I have Essix. Wore them 24/7 for I think 3 months? Now just at nighttime. My teeth have stabilized.