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Had Braces, Need To Wear Retainer. Is There Anyway To Fix It Appropriately?
Hi, to be honest I dislike going to the dentist and fear it. But I am a mother of a two year old who recently have to be seen by one. I am trying to get back into the habbit of talking care of my teeth , but as we all know it can be expensive. I had braces in the past , which means I needed to wear a retainer. I have a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth and an invisible retainer on my top. Question is I haven t use my top retainer for about 4 years. I know BAD person but is it okay if I try seeing if it fits? Is it even possible to get my teeth to fit it again? My front teeth feet , but I can tell that my teeth had shifted a lot because my back teeth won t fit, can I fix it if I try to wear it 24/7.
posted on
Sat, 16 Feb 2013
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Tue, 19 Feb 2013
Answered on
Thu, 21 Feb 2013
Last reviewed on
dear friend
thanx for sharing your concern.
also nice to know that you have started taking care of your teeth.
now four years is a long span of time,you havent used your retainer all this time.now if you try to fit old retainer, presently it might not help, plus it can cause damage too on continuous usage.therefore donot worry take it to your dentist explain your problem to them and i m sure with minor adjustments it can be used again,condition being your teeth havenot shifted much.
if you want you can get fixed type retainer also.you can inquire this from your dentist and get it fixed.
thanx
thanx for sharing your concern.
also nice to know that you have started taking care of your teeth.
now four years is a long span of time,you havent used your retainer all this time.now if you try to fit old retainer, presently it might not help, plus it can cause damage too on continuous usage.therefore donot worry take it to your dentist explain your problem to them and i m sure with minor adjustments it can be used again,condition being your teeth havenot shifted much.
if you want you can get fixed type retainer also.you can inquire this from your dentist and get it fixed.
thanx
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4 Doctors agree with this answer
hi and welcome to HCM,
Orthodontic retainers as the name indicates are used to retain or maintain the orthodintic treatment achieved and to PREVENT the RELAPSE.
so as you have mentioned that its been four years now you did not apply a retainer , i suspect some changes in your dentition that is some kind of RElapse must have there.
if you try to fit the old retainer it might damage your teeth and your occlusion.
it is risky so please dont try to disturb your occlusion as you may end up with pain the TMJ joints and discomfort .
Better to consult a orthodontist and get the evaluation done followed by a correct advice and a retainer.
take care
Orthodontic retainers as the name indicates are used to retain or maintain the orthodintic treatment achieved and to PREVENT the RELAPSE.
so as you have mentioned that its been four years now you did not apply a retainer , i suspect some changes in your dentition that is some kind of RElapse must have there.
if you try to fit the old retainer it might damage your teeth and your occlusion.
it is risky so please dont try to disturb your occlusion as you may end up with pain the TMJ joints and discomfort .
Better to consult a orthodontist and get the evaluation done followed by a correct advice and a retainer.
take care
I find this answer helpful
Hello,
Thanks for sharing your concern with us.
Your retainers are designed to hold your teeth in their corrected positions until the bones and gums adapt to the change. Teeth are always shifting whether a person has had braces or not. Braces have interrupted this trend and without retainers, some shifting will occur.
You must wear the retainers exactly as you have been instructed; otherwise, your teeth will start to move back to their old positions and the benefits of wearing braces will be lost.
You can contact me again directly through my profile.
Regards.
Dr Neha Gupta
Dentist
Thanks for sharing your concern with us.
Your retainers are designed to hold your teeth in their corrected positions until the bones and gums adapt to the change. Teeth are always shifting whether a person has had braces or not. Braces have interrupted this trend and without retainers, some shifting will occur.
You must wear the retainers exactly as you have been instructed; otherwise, your teeth will start to move back to their old positions and the benefits of wearing braces will be lost.
You can contact me again directly through my profile.
Regards.
Dr Neha Gupta
Dentist
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1 Doctor agrees with this answer
HELLO AND WELCOME,
AS you described,you have not used your removable appliance for the last 4 years.
So there is chance of relapse of your teeth to its previous occlusion.
I would suggest you to visit your orthodontist soon and get the check up done.
Based on that treatment can be planned.
Its of no use wearing the old retainers now.
The old retainer may affect your occlusion since there is relapse and altered occlusion as there is gap in between your teeth.
Hope this helps
AS you described,you have not used your removable appliance for the last 4 years.
So there is chance of relapse of your teeth to its previous occlusion.
I would suggest you to visit your orthodontist soon and get the check up done.
Based on that treatment can be planned.
Its of no use wearing the old retainers now.
The old retainer may affect your occlusion since there is relapse and altered occlusion as there is gap in between your teeth.
Hope this helps
I find this answer helpful
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