Help! Mouth ulcers with retainers!

[Bracesat57]

Omg. I am not a complainer but I am in so much discomfort. I have canker sores/ulcers all along my bottom mouth and then also on top. It is a three day weekend and the orthodontist office is closed.

For one week I have been wearing a fixed lower retainer, a clear essix on top of that one. The essix should be worn mostly at night for extra protection. On top I have a Hawley retainer but I have had trouble with that one staying in place. It keeps popping out.

I went back to the orthodontist to have him look at the Hawley retainer. He said sometimes people have trouble with the Hawley staying in place so they took impressions for a new essix retainer for my top arch.

The next day the irritation started. By nighttime I had ulcers all inside my mouth. I can't put any of my retainers in because of all the irritation. It hurts to brush my teeth.

I am not sure what brought all this on. Is the metal different in the Hawley and my lower fixed retainer than in the regular arch wire (I had ceramic braces? Is it because of the Impressions?

I don't know if this should be considered an emergency and bother my orthodontist on a three day weekend or just ride it out and wait for the office to open on Tuesday.

[bbsadmin]

Yes, you should get in touch with your orthodontist. It sounds like you may be having an allergic reaction to the materials in one of the retainers. It could be the Essix one -- some people do have allergic reactions to the materials in the plastic. I would suggest that you stop wearing the retainers entirely for a couple of days and see if the problem gets better. A couple of days without retainers won't ruin things for you. But yes, you should definitely call your orthodontist and say that you think you may be having an allergic reaction.

Personally I never had trouble keeping in my Hawley retainers. Perhaps they should re-do the impressions and then re-do the Hawleys for you.

[Bracesat57]

Thanks Lynn. I will definitely call my orthodontist first thing Tuesday morning. I will definitely take your advice and leave the retainers out for a couple of days. I am glad to hear that a couple of days without them won't hurt. I have been putting them in for a few hours at a time but it really hurts. Thanks for your advice!

[bbsadmin]

Let us know what happens!

[Bracesat57]

I had my appointment today with my orthodontist. He said he feels I am not allergic to the essix retainer because if I did have an allergic reaction that my gums would be all red and inflamed and they are not.

He feels it was from the poorly fitted upper Hawley retainer. We also trimmed down a few high spots on the bottom of the essix retainer. That might have also led to some irritation.

I was fitted with an essix retainer for my top arch and it fits nicely. I go back in 3 weeks for a recheck on the retainers.

[kirkyb2809]

I get my braces off soon and this is a big worry of mine