I am getting my retainer in a couple of days and don't want to find myself not wearing it so I want to get scared into never sleeping without it. Anyone that didn't wear theirs or had a friend that didn't?
2007-04-23 14:33:36 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Beauty & Style ➔ Other - Beauty & Style
I had a big underbite, and the dentist told me I had to wear my retainer for a year. I wore it religiously, and I got to take it out after 8 months. Now I don't look like a bull dog anymore!
just wear it. the longer you go without wearing it, the more it hurts when you put it back in. Whereas when you just keep it in, you don't even feel it.
and I can't really call this a horror story, but once I went to a chinese restaurant, and before I went inside, I wrapped my retainer in a napkin and left it in the car, but as we were driving back home, I realized that my retainer was gone. turns out my dad thought the napkin was a piece of trash, so he threw it out at the restaurant. me and my family had to go back to the restaurant and dig through the trash can with chinese people screaming at us the whole time.
2007-04-23 15:06:43 · answer #1 · answered by Foxglove 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
After I got mine I was instructed to wear it 24/7 (except for eating) for the first month, then taper off to nightly for the next year or so and then to only worry about it every couple of days. After 3 years I can not only say that it has worked, but during that first month (1st or 2nd week), being the insecure 8th grader I was I couldn't stand to wear it back to school after winter break. When it put it on that night it wouldn't even stay on! For the next 4 hours, while doing my homework etc. I had to sit around constantly and consciously BITING the retainer back on my teeth just so it would stay on.
Moral of the story: Especially after getting your braces off you teeth will naturally move back to were they were, and the less time they've been straight the faster they will move. After a while, once every other night or so won't do any harm. The best indicator is how much pressure you feel when you put it back on after having it off for a long amount of time.
Specs: Clear retainer made out of a mold of my mouth the moment after the braces were removed. Male, 13 at the time.
Hope that helps
Oh, and if they ended up not fitting for some reason (aka not wearing them) my options would have been $200 for a new pair that were "less perfect" or to get braces again.
2007-04-23 14:53:50 · answer #2 · answered by wto605 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
trust me, I have gone for 3 months without wearing my retainer and after a night of wearing it, your teeth are fine. But that isn't a good idea as then you will either loose or break it becuse you will not be used to your routine. Trust me, I am on my sixth retainer in three years. ONe has been flushed down the toilet, two have been broken in my purse wihtout a case, and two have been throuwn in the garbage at places like concerts and lunch tables
2007-04-23 15:50:37 · answer #3 · answered by viennaviolin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my brother and I both had braces for approximately 18 months each. I religiously wore my retainers for as long as my doctor told me. Started in 8th grade and wore them off and on until I was in college. I followed the instructions to a T. 18 years later my teeth are pretty much in the same place they were when I got my braces off.
My brother on the other hand broke three of his retainers due to stepping on them, or losing them. He never wore them for the time he was told and now 18 years later, his teeth have gone back to almost as bad as they were before he had braces. So basically $2000 down the drain.
keep your case handy. especialy good when eating, you can stash the retainer in it. brush it with tooth paste religiously to keep it clean. If you keep up with wearing it, your teeth will thank you for it.
2007-04-23 15:41:36 · answer #4 · answered by Lisa H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Haha! I've heard about this great book called "I've Lost My Retainer!" It is a collection of true 'tainer tales put together in a book by an orthodontist. You can order it from the link below, or check it out at your local library. Good luck, and keep your retainer safe!!!!!! ♫♪
2007-04-23 14:42:55 · answer #5 · answered by ☼SoccerGirl☼ 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, I always wore mine. My friend didn't and she had to had to get braces ALL OVER AGAIN! And her parents made her pay!
2007-04-23 14:43:00 · answer #6 · answered by mereMERE521 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
once i got mine no one ever talked to me again. finally one day my hamster took it and beat me endlessly with it. my mouth bled and bled. now i have to have dentures. this happens to 89% of the people who get retainers. so beware.
2007-04-23 14:37:28 · answer #7 · answered by J T 1 · 1⤊ 4⤋