Metal Mouth Message Board

So I thought I was doing everything possible to avoid relapse. I only had braces on my upper teeth but wore them for 18 months, finishing nearly 6 years ago. I was fitted with a bonded retainer on my front 6 teeth plus a removable essix to wear at night as part of my treatment plan. I also paid extra for a hawley so that I would have a durable long-term retainer. I have always worn the hawley at night in preference to the essix.

The bonded retainer recently came loose on just the right canine and it was poking me so badly that I broke that section off. I went to my general dentist who ground the end of it down and said that the rest of the retainer was fine and I should keep it. I took the hawley along to my appointment for my dentist to check. He observed that the wire was not touching my right lateral or canine and that my right lateral was in a less than perfect position.

When I got home, I tried on my essix retainer, which had sat in its box at the back of a drawer for the last few years. I could get it on and it was comfortable elsewhere but my right lateral hurt and had obviously moved. Looking back, I have thought that it did not look great but convinced myself that that must have been how it looked when the braces came off because it could not possibly have moved with my conscientious retainer wear. But it would appear that a tooth can tilt even when still attached to a bonded retainer.

I have not been back to my dentist to discuss this and my orthodontist has retired. But I have decided to wear my essix as close to 24/7 as I can and have been doing so for nearly 3 weeks. My right lateral now looks much better and the essix no longer hurts my right lateral when I replace it after a meal. Fortunately the essix is in good condition as it has hardly been worn.

How long do you think I need to wear the essix 24/7 before I can go back to night time wear only?

Jem

Hi jem,
So sorry to hear about this relapse, but it sounds fairly minor. Although I am not an ortho, that won't prevent me from providing a SWAG on your situation. After debracing, I wore my Vivera retainer 24/7 for about 4 months as I recall. But, since it seems you are actively moving a tooth, I'd double that time to stay on the safe side in your case. When your ortho retired, did he sell the practice to someone else or just close up shop completely. It seems like a consultation would be a good idea at this point. Otherwise, I hope you are doing well, and best of luck.

Thank you Dan! I will be seeing my general dentist again in July which will be 4 months from starting wearing the Essix again close to full time. I will ask his advice then.
My lovely ortho left her practice in the hands of a new ortho who has since left. I saw another of the team there for a new Hawley about 3 years ago. He tried to persuade me to have a new Essix but I insisted on a replacement Hawley. I am starting to wonder whether that Hawley ever fitted properly. And I only replaced the original one because the clear acrylic had become discoloured with drinking coffee. I would readily go back to my old ortho if she was still around but the office is nearly two hours away and I don't feel particularly inclined to see anyone else there.

How are your teeth now? Did the retainer push them back?