Metal Mouth Message Board

To all those who have or have has Essix retainers - just wondering if you could tell me - do you find that if you've left the retainers out(say through the day) then you put them back in again, do you feel that they "pull" the teeth back to alignment again and straighten things out? Would be really interested in your responses on this!

There is a slight tightness on one side, upper only.

Try wearing your retainers for more hours during the day than not wearing your retainers.
For example if you only wear your retainer at night and you get 8 hours of sleep. Your teeth are in retention for 8 hours. Then when you are at work for 8 hours your teeth are "free to move about the cabin" So that is an exact 1 for 1 ratio. So if your teeth drift for 8 hours then are put back into place for 8 hours (retainers in) it will make your teeth sore, because they are moving back into position. That is probably why your teeth are sore but look straight. Your teeth are drifting just enough during the day that you dont notice a difference until you put your retainer back in.

So try wearing you retainer for more hours out the day than not. THink of it as a tug of war with your teeth. on on side of the rope you have 12 people pulling and on the other side of the rope you have 12 people pulling, which side is going to win? its going to be a tie and your teeth will never be stable. but if you pile 16(hours of retention) on one side and 8 (hours without retention) on the other your teeth will become more stable and less and less sore as you wear your retainer.
Hope that helps

Cade

Yes, the Essix retainers feel snug if I've been out of them for several hours. I do take them out for meetings, including a 4-hr class last night. Then I'll feel it a bit more. So I try to be very good about getting them back in my mouth as soon as I can.

I got a headache or two at first, but now I don't at all. It was just a matter of getting used to the things. Frankly, I love my new smile and I want to retain it! So keep the faith and keep that retainer in your mouth as much as possible.

Every night I put my exxis on I notice a snugness. It usually stops after about half an hour. But I've been wearing it after dinner until bed time these last few days because I've had a wisdom tooth removed and the back of my retainer irritates my incision. I plan on going back to wearing it throughout the night once the incision is fully healed.

My retainer instructions were to wear nights only, so that's what I do. I notice a bit of snugness when they first go in, but it's gone within ten minutes or less. Sometimes I don't notice anything at all. I have noticed there is a difference if I rinse them with lukewarm water or cold water; the cold water ALWAYS makes them feel tighter.

When I had a lower essex I definately noticed a tight feeling when I put it in.

I have a bonded lower now, but my UPPER Hawley still feels snug when I put it in at night over a year after debonding.