Retainers long term!
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Anonymous
| DS was fitted with his retainers 2 years ago and whilst his friends only wore them full time for a few months the Ortho has insisted he wears then full time for just over 2 years so far!! He was a particularly complex case with palate expansion etc etc, but he is really sick of wearing them now and at age 17 he doesn't want a mouthful of plastic and wire when he wants to feel like an adult and date girls etc. Other kids have said stuff to him about it and he feels embarrassed. One girl said she wouldn't date a guy with Retainer breath which was cruel! Ortho is worried about the stability of his palate/dentition and has said DS may need to wear the Retainers full time into his 20's!!!! It's just ridiculous and he is depressed as hell about it. He says the taste of plastic puts him off food and he has lost weight over the last few years, and his breath smells etc. |
Anonymous
| My kids only had to wear them at night |
Anonymous
| Gross. Get a second opinion. Maybe he only needs to wear them at night. |
Anonymous
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I think this is a little unrealistic on the part of the orthodontist. I recently finished adult ortho, and was told that I'll be in full time wear for 5 months and then go to night only. I had a very complex case (jaw surgery was suggested but I refused). If not night only, perhaps he can do 12-15 hours or so, enough time away from them so that he can hang out with friends without having to wear them.
I'm about 3 months into wearing the retainers full time (I have the clear plastic kind) and am over it already. |
Anonymous
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He should be gently brushing the retainer under cold water every day (maybe morning and night) to avoid "retainer breath".
Ask ortho if he can wear them for 18 hours a day, and that way he can skip school hours. |
Anonymous
| I am curious how much you still have to pay a month for long term retainers? Is it included in all the previous dental work or is it extra? How often does your son still go to the orthodontist? |
Anonymous
Not OP, but the retainer DD got this past week is not a rental. We paid for it in the cost of the expander/braces/retainer along with X-rays and office visits through all those things. She'll get the permanent retainer in two weeks and then they'll check her every 3-6 months to watch her adult teeth come in. So yes, it's included in the previous ortho work. The ortho hygenist (not sure what she's called) told us she's had her retainer for 16 years. The key is putting it into a clean mouth, cleaning it daily, and not losing it. |
Anonymous
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I think that is excessive, but wearing them at night is pretty much a forever thing.
The ortho can give them a sonic clean, and you can use retainer brite on them to keep them nicer than they currently are. |
Anonymous
| Ask about a fixed retainer. They can affix a thin wire behind the teeth that stays in place indefinitely |
Anonymous
| This might be us too. My dd just got her braces off and after wearing them full time for a month the ortho switched her to nights. They feel tight every night when she puts them back in. I'm afraid thSt means her teeth are trying to move. |
Anonymous
Second opinion stat. Also, tell your son that the girl who made that comment is a nasty, shallow, pea-brained rhymes-with-witch that's not worth a second of his time. No matter how hot she looks, she's rotten inside. |
Anonymous
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She may be all these things, but the kid should take this as a sign to improve the cleaning. Impossible to do during school, I know.
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