bonded retainer on bottom teeth

[yvart]

Hi everyone,

I have 4 more months in Invisalign, and am stressing about the thought of the bonded retainer on my bottom teeth

I hate to do un-natural things to my body (guess I should have thought about that before starting the Invisalign process ...) and yes I do wear makeup and color my hair etc. etc., but the retainer thing scares me.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this that might help? I am primarily concerned about the health and hygeine issues for my teeth.

Won't food get stuck in it all the time?

The alternative, my ortho says, is to wear a retained full-time for 6 months, and then at night for ever. Either way I have to wear the retainer at night forever.

What do you think? thanks so much,
Tracy in PA

[Attagirl2]

Hi. For me, I will wear a Hawley, top and bottom, for the designated time daily, plus at night - after I get out of the bite positioner. No way do I want a bonded retainer - it would be a bed of tartar in my mouth! It also should be flossed daily along with your teeth.... which means special floss or threaders.... I don't care what I look like in the Hawley's so apperance is not an issue.

Good luck in what ever you decide.

[Samantha08]

I think that you should be able to get whatever you want. just talk to your ortho about it. I for one am SO glad that Im getting a bonded retainer, but thats just me. Everyone that I know who has them say that they dont even notice it anymore. Anything that helps keep my teeth in place better is something that I want. Ive seen way too many people's teeth go back to the positions they were in before braces, and Ive waited too long for braces for my teeth to go back the way they were. If you think you are dedicated enough to wear a bottom retainer though, thats your perogative, I just think that it would be more annoying than a bonded retainer

[jbnorah]

I had a conversation with my sister about this topic and she said that both her sons had bonded retainers on their bottom teeth and they have beautiful bottom teeth.

I'm not sure yet whether I'm going with the bonded retainers yet. I think it will depend on how easy it would be to floss. I like the idea of not having to worry about it because I've heard of too many people forgetting to wear their retainers and all the work they had done was for naught.

-Norah

[johnnys_angel]

I have bonded retainers on both top and bottom, and after almost a year of brace-freeness, my teeth haven't moved a bit. (As far as we can tell, anyway) I was worried about flossing/food stuck etc. but was pleasantly surprised to find that I rarely get food stuck in there, and if so it's extremely easy to get out (sort of like food stuck in your teeth). The flossing is quick also, a bit more of a hassle than normal flossing, but considering how few teeth the retainer is bonded to, the hassle is not really much of a hassle at all. However, after saying all of that, I think that you should have a say in what retainers you want.

[yvart]

I just read everybody's replies to my question, thanks so much for answering! Yes, I will insist that I get only what I want.

My orthodontist is SOOO busy in her practice she says very little to me when I have my appointments, I have to insist she answer questions, and then I get a 5-second answer. Zoom-zoom, and she's gone, off to the next patient!

So I got a textbook on Orthodontics out through inter-library loan at my town's public library (the book retails for about $250!) This was a suggestion of someone on this site! Another nurd like me who likes to read!

I was totally impressed by the complexity of what orthodontists must learn ... much of the book I couldn't understand at all it was so technical, but the before-and-after photos of patients were fascinating! Some I could understand, sort of.

There was also a whole chapter on retention. Very interesting stuff.

The book ended with a quote from a famous SPAM in orthodontics who stated:

"Retention isn't a problem in orthodontic treatment, it is THE PROBLEM."

There were also photos of bonded retainers in the book (which I didn't particularly like to imagine in my own mouth).

At this point I will do the retainer thing full-time for 6 months, and then at night forever. Even with the bonded retainer I have to wear it at night.
But I could change my mind.

Good luck to everyone with their gorgeous teeth!
- Tracy in PA

[SkyWolf]

I would rather have the hawleys type of retainer as the only reason i decided to go with braces was to be able to floss my teeth when they come off. I absoultely hate using floss threaders on my braces now and know I won't want to have to deal with using them for years once the braces are removed. Besides I'm totally worried about them shifting once they remove the bonded and if they did it would have wasted a lot of money.

[Chocoholic]

I have bonded retainers both top and bottom. Getting them on was not a very pleasant experience to be honest. But I don't have any real issues with them, and they are easy to look after, and I forget about them most of the time. I never wanted removeable retainers, as I just couldn't stand the hassle. Permenants are easy, but you have to be vigilant with your cleaning.

[Chris]

Since bonded retainers usually only cover the front teeth, I wonder if someone has alot of molar movement?

[weird_wired]

I'm going for bondeds, so I get minimum relapse, and because the removable retainers (though I will also have those for a while, at night at least) sound worse.

Like you I am worried about getting stuff stuck in them.

However ages ago someone did post a photo of a kind of bonded wire that was sort of a curly zigzag, and allowed you to floss normally with it. Sounds strange I know, but if you can imagine that the wire kind of curved down between each tooth, then back up to reach the bracket on the next tooth, that's how it looked.

[weird_wired]

EDIT: duplicate post sorry!

[juf_84]

My ortho told me I'd be getting a bonded retainer, mainly for aesthetic reasons I think- he said "we can't send you off to work with a plate!". I had a look at a bonded retainer on another patient who was in there getting a checkup, and it was just a wire running along the back of her teeth. I couldn't see how food would get stuck.

I haven't really thought about getting debanded yet, too soon! But before that happens I will have a really good chat with my ortho. I've heard a lot of people who had braces now wish they'd gotten bonded retainers. I've also seen my cousin's teeth move a little, she had her braces off in January and was on to only night-time wear in April. That seems a little soon for me- but she was following instructions. Other friends no longer wear their retainers, so I wonder if "life time" wear is a new idea? I would definintely be happy to wear my retainers for life at night, after all this effort.

After braces, I won't have a problem wearing retainers, but I want to go with the best option, so I suppose I (and we all!) have a lot to think about.