Mouthguard type retainer

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#1 Post by **NurseMom** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 7:44 pm

I was referred to the board by a friend to help answer this questions. I got my braces off in August after having them on for 2 1/2 years. I'm 24 so I was ready to have them off. I was given, I believe it's called orthodent retainer to wear. Its a one piece clear contraption that looksl ike a football mouth guard. It does not work for me. My teeth now look worse than before I got braces. I have gone to my ortho several times. He passes it off and says give it another month. Well now after almost 5 months of this crap my teeth look awful. My front teeth have a large gap in the center and the rest are steadily spreading. Any suggestions? I left a message for him today but did not recv a call back. Did anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?

A lilttle background on this retainer....I was told to wear it for an hour a day while actively biting into it. It was a premade deal so it's not even molded to fit my mouth. My ortho swears by these and is refusing to be open to other suggestions. I had no choice in getting this thing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Katie

#2 Post by **Nikkiekoala** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 8:18 pm

HMMM. That sounds different. I haven't heard of that type of retainer. Most people here that get their braces off wear a retainer (some made of a wire and some clear invisible tray like the invisilign braces) usually wear them 24/7 the first year than at night for life. Of course every ortho is different some require wearing the retainer at night only. It depends. The retainers are usually specificly made for the wearer too.
I would hound you ortho with the information you gain here and ask him why he chose the retainer you are using. Sounds unusual to me.

#3 Post by **NurseMom** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 9:57 am

Here is a link to the type of retainer I'm in. I finally got ahold of him. I'm going in Wednesday to see what the problem is.

http://www.ortho-tain.com/adult_ortho_t.html

#4 Post by **Nikkiekoala** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 1:50 pm

I am glad your ortho contacted you! I posted a question about your situation under 'Ask the Docs' viewtopic.php?p=58298#58298

This type of system seems intriguing and I am curious what the Doc's on this forum think about it.
Good luck. I hope your ortho will correct the issues created with the appliance.

#5 Post by **spragers** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:04 pm

Hi,

I just got my retainers last night - they are the Essix "mouthguard" type, they simply snap over my teeth as they are made from the molds of my teeth. The first time on the felt very tight, but my teeth had probably shifted slightly in those few days. However, my instructions are to wear these 24/7 for a full year, not jsut for a few hours a day. If what you said your ortho said is actually what he said regarding how long you're supposed to wear that retainer, I don't see how that could possibly retain your teeth in their proper alignment - and if they're already shifting around, it sounds like you're back to square one