Here is my story:I first got braces when I was 11yrs old. I was so excited! I had 4 teeth pulled before my braces were put on. I had so much fun choosing the colors for my tightenings. About 6 months before my braces were to be taken off, my family moved across the country because my Dad was in the Air Force. When I changed over to the new ortho, he removed my braces and had me wear a positioner for a few months and then I was given my essix retainers. The positioner was very painful and I had a hard time wearing it at night because of the pain. I would wake up in the morning and find that I had taken it out during my sleep:/ Unfortunately, I was young and didn't realize how important it was to wear my retainers 24/7. Of course my teeth moved a bit over time.
At age 22yrs I decided to go see an ortho to get some new retainers. After the consultation we decided it would be best to have braces put on again to fix my mistake of not wearing my retainers as much as I should. I got clear colored braces on top and metal on the bottom. I was very excited to have a second chance to have braces and this time I would wear those retainers!
Now I am 33yrs and about a year ago my bottom retainer broke. I was unable to afford new retainers, so I had to wait to get new retainers made. About a week ago I was very excited to go and get my new retainers! I got a regular "inactive" hawley on top and an "active" spring Hawley on the bottom. I have learned my lesson and I am wearing my retainers 24/7 as my ortho advised:) The top retainer went on and comes off very easily, but the bottom retainer was quite tight and snaped on when the ortho put it in and we had a very hard time getting out. The spring has not been activated yet because we are waiting for it to fit better. It has been 2 weeks now since I got my retainers and the bottom one is still quite snug, but is getting better. In a couple more weeks I go to see the ortho and he will begin his magic with the spring. Only one tooth has rotated a bit and will be fixed with the spring in my lower Hawley.
I am a very good patient now that I am older and wiser and wear these retainers all day and night except when I am eating or brushing my teeth. I actually clean my retainers with Dawn dishwashing soap to keep them as clean as possible. My orth said this was okay. I find that this is the best way to keep them clean. We use Dawn to clean our forks and spoons and it works amazingly well for my retainers:)
I look forward to talking with you all and hearing all of your teeth straightening stories!