Is it possible to wear your retainer TOO much?

[toothoholic]

The reason I ask is because I was prescribed to wear mine at night (8
hours) but I've noticed that I tend to accidentally wear the retainer
consistently more than 8 hours a day for various reasons (I work at
home and often work at odd hours of the day, so I'll brush my teeth
for bed, pop in the retainer, and then instead of going to bed as
scheduled, procrastinate, do some more work, go to bed later than
originally planned, then sleep 8 or 9 hours, and then take out the
retainer and brush my teeth for the day). I never thought this could
be a problem, thinking that wearing your retainer more can't be an
issue!

I got my braces off on Jan. 8 2007 and was so excited! I was very happy with the results and couldn't wait to show off my new smile. Unfortunately, now I seem to be experiencing some relapse and it's really got me down. I'm wearing my retainer faithfully, so why is this happening?



My ortho put permanent bonded retainers behind the 4 front teeth on top and behind the front bottom teeth. The removable one is a Hawley.

I visited my ortho about my problem (a space seems to have formed between my two front teeth) and he didn't seem to think it was a significant change. He also suggested that adult teeth can be more stubborn (I'm 25) and I may have bit on something that moved the permanent retainer slightly (I was careful eating so I don't think this is the case). He said to come back in May for my regular appointment and said something could be done at that time and also mentioned bonding.

I just feel like my retainer isn't really retaining my teeth and realized (by reading a lot of posts about retainers, teeth shifting, and tightness) that maybe in my specific case having a little bit of tightness each night (from not wearing the retainer during the day) is just what my teeth need to stay put.

Even worse, after I visited the ortho a tooth that was high up in my gum before braces is starting its upward journey again, so something is definitely not right. I don't think I'm seeing things that aren't there. Here are some pics. The first one is the day the braces came off and the second is a recent pic showing the tooth that has moved up.





I assume it's usually more common for people to wear their retainers
less than prescribed, so my question may be an odd one, but I wanted
to ask because I was thinking too much wear may loosen the retainer
too much, not giving it a chance to tighten up at all, and so it's
retention powers may be dissipated enough to compromise the
positioning of my teeth. Something may move out of place and then
there's not enough force coming from the retainer to push it back into
place.

Anyone have any thoughts? I think I may be developing an ulcer from all the worrying

[jennielee81]

I see your canine does look higher in the second picture. BTW, your teeth are BEAUTIFUL!

About wearing the reatiner too much??? Gee, I can't imagine that would be a problem at all. But!! I am just a 44 year old substitute teacher so what do I know??

Your bonded retainer isn't even keeping things together...that's something I've not heard from anyone here before... I wear my Hawley upper for about 12 hrs a day. I don't have a bonded upper and SHOULD wear the Hawley 24 hrs...but....no good excuse.

[Clo]

Hi,

you have indeed a gorgeous smile. Don't forget that.
I think your issues have nothing to do with what you do or not do. This is not
your fault. First, it is very normal that teeth relapse a bit to their initial position.
But in your case, the space between your front teeth can be corrected with some
tiny tweaking of your retainer. This is so easy that even after some hours, this
space will be closed again. That is why a Hawley is so great, it makes such minor
corrections possible. Secondly, a Hawley can not prevent, or hardly prevent that
your canine goes up again. There was once a member here who had an impacted
canine. Once it was in its right place, her braces were taken off and her canine went
up again, more than yours. She had braces again to lower it again. I think she is
called "fyrelight". I do tell you that not to scare you at all, just to tell you this is just
not your fault. That canine "knows" where it was before and want to move back
a bit in that direction. I know they sometimes place a tiny button on it to place an
elastic to pull it down again. So, this can really be corrected without having braces
again. I am sure your ortho will have simple methods to deal with these issues.

@ jennielee81 : people who invest in the future by teaching the next generation can
never be called "just a ...". Teachers should be rewarded everyday for this giant task
they take on their shoulders.

[jennielee81]

Thanks Clo! You sure know how to make a girl smile!!

[toothoholic]

Thanks jennielee and clo! I contacted my ortho and, given my concerns, he wants to see me, so I have a feeling a solution is on the horizon.

It's funny how the first thing I do when there is a problem with my teeth, is to blame it on myself! I've always been sensitive about my teeth, so I guess that saga is continuing.

Oh well, I didn't realize that sometimes there is relapse and there are other methods of retaining stubborn teeth and keeping them "in line."

I'll keep you updated and thanks for the compliments - they gave me some positive energy!

[Lyn]

Hey!
In regard to your post, I am getting guiltier by the day of not wearing my Essix enough.
I'm ...."Just a substitute".... too! At times I feel my slurring and spitting interferes too much, so I keep it out when I am teaching. When I know I won't have to do as much talking during the day, I'll keep it in. And definitely I wear it at night (from supper time on - until the next morning when I brush-and of course brush before bed).
Anyway, I have seen subtle settling, but have been told it is very normal.
Good Luck

[Brooke]

I am not really seeing the difference in the pics. I think your smile is wonderful! I know how you feel, I am obsessed with my teeth and always nit picking and finding flaws and movements. I got off my braces last year and notice that when i get my retainer tightened, my bite changes... which i find odd. Let me know what your ortho says. We seem to have similiar canines. Mine were also up into the gums and moved down after treatment. good luck sweetie!

[toothoholic]

What's the difference between normal "settling" and too much movement of the teeth?

Do you think I should wait for my regularly scheduled appointment in May or see what the doctor says now? Do orthos address this type of minor movement or is it considered normal and I have to accept it?

Are the first few months meant to see how your teeth settle, and then when you go for your appointment they adjust the retainer if there are any unwanted movements? I guess I'm just unclear about what is supposed to be happening post-braces, as my ortho didn't really explain to me what should freak me out and what is normal.

My front teeth fit really tightly together when the braces came off, and although there isn't a huge space now per se, there is noticeably more room there - when I floss, the threader goes through so easily and after I rinse my mouth out, I can see through a hole. And it's only at the top - the bottom of the teeth still meet tightly.

I'm also more worried because my retainer wasn't right at first and I had to bring it to their attention and get it redone. When I was waiting for the new retainer, that's when the space first opened up. That night, I wore the new retainer and the space closed perfectly! But for some reason the next day it came back. Does anyone know why this would happen?

[toothoholic]

What's the difference between normal "settling" and too much movement of the teeth?

Do you think I should wait for my regularly scheduled appointment in May or see what the doctor says now? Do orthos address this type of minor movement or is it considered normal and I have to accept it?

Are the first few months meant to see how your teeth settle, and then when you go for your appointment they adjust the retainer if there are any unwanted movements? I guess I'm just unclear about what is supposed to be happening post-braces, as my ortho didn't really explain to me what should freak me out and what is normal.

My front teeth fit really tightly together when the braces came off, and although there isn't a huge space now per se, there is noticeably more room there - when I floss, the threader goes through so easily and after I rinse my mouth out, I can see through a hole. And it's only at the top - the bottom of the teeth still meet tightly.

I'm also more worried because my retainer wasn't right at first and I had to bring it to their attention and get it redone. When I was waiting for the new retainer, that's when the space first opened up. That night, I wore the new retainer and the space closed perfectly! But for some reason the next day it came back. Does anyone know why this would happen?

[toothoholic]

OOPS!

[Lyn]

I seem to be noticing that very small hole you are mentioning between the front teeth, too! I can feel the floss go through "too easily".

I don't go back to my ortho until April. I am going to wait and ask then about the settling. Unless of course I notice more gaps and changes before then!

And to think we had problems with braces............

[raj327]

Hey toothoholic and Lyn, I just got my braces off and am wearing a clear retainer. I am having the same problem about a week and a half after with slight space between my 2 front teeth. I am wondering what happened to you guys. Is this normal? Did your ortho do anything? Did everything turn out ok? Thanks for any info.

[toothoholic]

This is what happened to me. The tooth moved even more - basically, it moved back to the exact same position it was in BEFORE I got braces! I had actually kind of forgotten how it looked pre-braces, so I looked at the handy-dandy pictures they printed out for me at my initial appointment, and was surprised to see that that particular tooth had remembered where it used to be and went right back to that position.

When I went to my appointment because I was worried about teeth moving problems, the ortho didn't really say anything, except the assistant kept asking me which tooth I was concerned about, and kept acting like she couldn't see what I was talking about. That's slightly upsetting, because I'd rather know what the heck is going on rather than be kept in the dark because they're worried I'll be upset. I was not really upset at the fact there was movement, but that they weren't acknowledging it and letting me know what was going on. Then the ortho came and said he'll tighten the retainer and then that was it!

The tooth stayed in the same spot though and then moved even a little more out of place to the position it's in now - nothing has moved since.

So now I'm waiting for my regularly scheduled appointment mid-May.

And I think I know what is going to happen at that point in time - I'm pretty sure I'll be getting the braces back on again!!

Someone I know through my sister actually goes to the same office, and she just got her braces off too. Her teeth moved out of place as well, and guess what - he put braces back on again!

Unfortunately, I've come to realize that sometimes you can't predict what an individual's teeth will do after the braces come off, so sometimes you may have to extend your treatment or the ortho may try another tactic.

Anyways, don't worry about a slight space - that is easier to correct with the retainer. Just be happy you don't have upward or twisting movement going on like me!