Forgot how bad my teeth used to be!

[bbsadmin]

Recently I had to stop wearing my retainer for almost a year for a variety of health reasons (nothing terrible). Up to that point, I'd been wearing it at night.

When I finally went to pop it back in, the bottom wouldn't seat properly. Uh oh.....so I decided to go to my orthodontist to see whether I'd need a new retainer made. Fortunately, I didn't. The old one was very tight (one tooth had moved forward a bit) but the orthodontist was able to finesse it back in. It hurt at first, but after a few moments it was OK. The orthodontist told me to wear my retainer as much as possible now to help move the tooth backward again. I had also developed a tiny gap between my front top teeth, which I was not happy about. But after wearing the retainer for a few days, it disappeared (phew!!!) The top retainer fit just fine.

Anyway, the orthodontist showed me the photos they took before my braces went on. I had an open bite. I was a rather challenging case to correct WITHOUT resorting to jaw surgery. I had 4 second bicuspids removed a few months after the braces went on due to lower gum recession. My treatment took 3 years in total. I got my braces off about 8 years ago.

Here are some Before and After photos. I have some similar photos in my braces diary on the main ArchWired site, but they weren't quite as good as the ones the orthodontist took! He had forgotten to take After photos of me 8 years ago, so he took them in his office the other day. You can see the slight gap between the two front teeth that had developed from not wearing my retainer. Needless to say, I won't let anything else interfere with wearing my retainer at night anymore!

Overall, despite not being able to wear my retainer for a number of months, my teeth didn't move very much. The bottom front teeth got a speck crooked, but I can live with that. I can post a few more photos, if you guys want. I have some side and inside views, as well.

Moral of the story: even years later, it's important to keep wearing your retainer at night, at least a few nights per week.

-Lynn

[Tobilei]

Wow, they look amazing now Glad you managed to correct what you needed to without having to have surgery.

[Ciara]

Fantastic improvement! Your teeth look wonderful.

[junglejulie]

They look great!

[Noni]

Your teeth are wonderful ,


Have you been wearing retainers at night for the pat 8 years m
Are we supposed to wear them for ever

[bbsadmin]

Your teeth are wonderful ,


Have you been wearing retainers at night for the pat 8 years m
Are we supposed to wear them for ever

Thanks everyone for the kudos!

When I first got my braces off (8 years ago), I wore my retainers 24/7 for a couple of months. Then I wore them every night. Then after a year or two, I wore them only a few nights per week. That was enough to keep things in check. But recently a bunch of minor health issues arose that, one way or another, prevented me from wearing the retainer regularly. It got to the point where I wasn't really wearing it at all anymore. I knew it was bad, (me, of all people not wearing my retainer!) and when I got over a particular hump, I figured it was time to wear the retainer again. But then, to my horror, the bottom didn't fit well at all. I just couldn't get it to pop in the way it used to. That was because one of my bottom teeth had moved forward.

Fortunately, even though I couldn't get it to seat well at home, the orthodontist was able to finesse it in (ouch, but ok). So I didn't have to get a new retainer made.

Now I'm wearing it pretty much 24/7, and that tooth seems to be moving back to where it used to be. The slight gap between my front top teeth (really it is a black triangle) has closed up again thank God! My teeth once again look exactly the way they did the day my braces first came off!

It's so funny, because I was worried that the orthodontist might tell me that I needed to go back into braces for a few months. I was totally prepared for that! I'm glad that my original retainer still fits. Truthfully, my teeth stayed pretty well in-place despite not wearing my retainer much for almost a year. Considering that I'd had 4 teeth pulled and big extraction gaps to close up, it's great that they stayed in place so well without the retainer!

But I'm not going to let that happen again. I will continue wearing my retainer 24/7 for a few months, I think. It's an inconvenience and I have a slight lisp, but c'est la vie. When I'm sure that the teeth are staying put for an entire day, I'll go back to wearing it only at night.

Anyway, yes you are supposed to keep wearing it on a continual basis. Especially if, like me, you had teeth pulled to make room. My advice would be to wear it every night for the first couple of years, then 3 to 4 nights per week from then on (unless you don't mind wearing it every night).

There is no way that I'd let 3 years of braces go down the drain without a fight, LOL.

[bbsadmin]

Here are a few more BEFORE photos. I had an open bite and a lot of crowding. It was really hard to floss the bottom teeth before my orthodontic treatment. Notice all those fillings? That was the result of bad dentistry (and bad advice) for a number of years when I was a young adult. I'm proud to say that my kids (both teenagers) have had NO CAVITIES in ANY of their teeth!!!

[bbsadmin]

Here are some AFTER photos. There is no BEFORE photo of the lower teeth to compare, but you can see how nice and straight they look nowadays! I had all but one of the metal fillings replaced with composite after my treatment was finished. And I had a speck of bonding done on two teeth, just for aesthetics. I've had to had the bonding replaced once in 8 years.

I will also put a plug in for my orthodontist: Drs. Vogt and Ellerhorst in San Mateo, CA. Dr. Vogt was a great sport having his work on display for all the world to see through ArchWired when I was doing my treatment! He had a challenging case with my teeth and I think he did a fantastic job! Especially since he was able to help me avoid jaw surgery or headgear!

Oh yeah, I should add that one of my lower molars is crowned. About 5 years after my ortho treatment, it started to develop extreme sensitivity. It had a hairline crack somewhere. Nothing worked in stopping the sensitivity (which was getting worse and worse). So I wound up having a root canal and a cap/crown done. I never even think about it anymore. I tend to forget that it's there! And strangely, ever since that tooth was rooted out, my teeth in general are a lot less sensitive to cold than they used to be!

[Dee17]

Lynn, the difference in your before and after photos is remarkable. I didn't know that anyone ever wore a retainer on their bottom teeth, though. I'm glad to know you were able to get this all sorted out without having to resort to wearing braces again. I'll bet you are too!

[prairiehouse]

Wow, they really did a great job on your teeth.

[TMJJill]

I'm really impressed by your new bite. I'm in braces to fix my tmjd and help me establish a new bite. I can only hope my bite comes together as well as yours had.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and starting up these boards. It is great to talk to others about our experiences and hear wisdom from those who have been there.

[missblu3]

Very impressive! I so look forward to having such a wonderful smile one day!

When you changed from amalgam to composite fillings (I have several myself), was there much sensitivity afterwards? Is there any reason why they would oppose changing them out (size of filling, compromising structure for cosmetic purposes)? I am wanting to do that after treatment, as well.

[bbsadmin]

Very impressive! I so look forward to having such a wonderful smile one day!

When you changed from amalgam to composite fillings (I have several myself), was there much sensitivity afterwards? Is there any reason why they would oppose changing them out (size of filling, compromising structure for cosmetic purposes)? I am wanting to do that after treatment, as well.

No, changing the fillings to composite didn't result in any sensitivity. I'd had that happen many years ago, but my dentist told me that in recent years the technique had changed and sensitivity isn't an issue anymore. I found that to be totally true. I was happy to get the metal out of my mouth, as well as make my fillings less noticeable!