retainers - do you wear one?
 

Alright, those of you who had braces at some point in your life, who still wears a retainer?
I got my braces off when i was 15. I still wear my top retainer. And it's the old school plastic/wire one too. The bottom one no longer fits. I honestly don't think I am going to wear the retainer for the rest of my life even though my ortho kinda gave me that impression. But I don't want to lose my smile. I only wear it at night, but still... it's old and kind of annoying.

So I am starting a poll:

When did you get your braces off?

How old are you now?

Do you still wear your retainer?

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were?

If you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it?

When did you get your braces off? I got my braces off when I was 13. I can't believe it's been 10 years!!!!!!

How old are you now? see above ;)

Do you still wear your retainer? Yes, I am a dork who still wears her retainers about once a week.

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? see above

you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it? Until I lose them (very possible knowing me) or until I need dentures. :)

I'm 23, got my braces off when I was 14 and I still wear my retainer every night! :D (I am a HUGE dork!)

Re: retainers - do you wear one?
 

When did you get your braces off? 16

How old are you now? 23

Do you still wear your retainer? Barely. I never really wore it when I got them off.

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? YES. And it's driving me crazy. I don't think they'll go all the way back because my teeth were a hot mess, but I can tell they've moved. So I try to wear my top one, that keeps them normal for like a day, but my bottom doesn't fit so they end up meshing back together with the bottom ones.

If you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it? I feel like only wearing the top one is an exercise in futility. I haven't decided if I'm just going to let them go and hope they don't get too bad, or go to the orthodontist soon and see if I can get them straightened back out without getting braces again (hello Invisalign).

When did you get your braces off? I was 17- and I got them on when I was 13... my teeth were really jacked up

How old are you now? 23

Do you still wear your retainer? I have one that is built in on the bottom- it's behind my teeth, so you can't see it. I once asked to have it taken out and my dentist laughed at me and said I did *not* want to do that because they would move back. So, it'll probably be there forever.

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? My top teeth have a little. I don't think it's obvious, but I can feel it with my tongue.

If you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it? It's lookin' like forever.

Re: retainers - do you wear one?
 

When did you get your braces off? 14

How old are you now? 20

Do you still wear your retainer? not on the top, but on the bottom I have a permanent wire glued in behind my front six teeth

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? the top ones have moved, and it doesn't bother me, but my mom is making me get invisalign... i guess if she wants to pay for it, i might as well fix my one crooked tooth (or crazy side tooth, as a few guys i know affectionately call it)

If you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it? I assume that wire on the bottom will stay in there for a long time... it's never popped off, i don't even notice it anymore, and it's kept my teeth straight.

Good man! I had mine removed about two years ago, thinking "they'll never move back, now!". Sure enough, my bottom teeth are all over the place.

When did you get your braces off? Somewhere around 15 I think.

How old are you now? 24

Do you still wear your retainer? no

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? My top teeth are fine, but as I noted above... my bottom teeth moved very quickly.

When did you get your braces off? I was 16 when I got my braces off. They were put on when I was 14.

How old are you now? 23

Do you still wear your retainer? No

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? I pretty much stopped wearing my retainer a few months after I got my braces off because I hated it. I don't think my teeth moved. If they did it's not noticable.

If you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it? N/A

When did you get your braces off? I was 17.

How old are you now? 25

Do you still wear your retainer? Yes....but only the bottom one. I also have a permanent wire on my bottom teeth.

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? My top teeth have moved slightly...not too bad though.

If you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it? The bottom one will probably stay on permanently.

When did you get your braces off? When I was 10

How old are you now? 20

Do you still wear your retainer? Nope, and I haven't for about 6 years

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? No, they haven't, but my teeth were never very bad to begin with, I only had my braces for 18 months.

When did you get your braces off? When I was 15

How old are you now? 26

Do you still wear your retainer? No. I had the clear kind on top (looks like those invisilign braces, covers the entire surface of your teeth) and I stopped wearing that when I went to college. The one that was glued in on the bottom was removed 6 years ago because my professor told me that it was screwing up my trombone playing!

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? No, my teeth have not moved significantly at all. But, once my teeth were straight, my orthodontist left the braces on for months and months...I think he wanted to make sure they were REALLY stuck there :) On the other hand, my brother and sister's teeth have moved. They had the traditional wire retainers though, so maybe it was the kind of retainer I had that kept them from moving.

Re: retainers - do you wear one?
 

When did you get your braces off? 11

How old are you now? 25

Do you still wear your retainer? I just started to wear it again at night.

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? Yes. Originally, my teeth were fine, but then I my wisdom teeth came in. They ended up messing up my bite before I could get them yanked.

If you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it? I am not sure. I guess until my bottom teeth are straight again.

When did you get your braces off? Off they went at 15.

How old are you now? 24.

Do you still wear your retainer? I have a wire retainer for my upper teeth, and a plastic one for my bottom. There's a small piece of wire behind my two front teeth, but no...I rarely ever wear them.

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? There's a teeny tiny gap between two of my teeth, but for the most part, they're still very very straight.

If you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it? I can't stand wearing it, it's damn uncomfortable.

When did you get your braces off?
18

How old are you now?
31

Do you still wear your retainer?
Yes, when I sleep for my upper teeth. I have a wire glued to the back of the bottom teeth.

If you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it?
I think the wire will be permanent, but one orthodontist (sp?) told me that I could have it removed. I am somewhat scared of having it done. As for my retainer, I think I will keep on wearing that when I sleep for as long as I need it.

When did you get your braces off? I got them on when I was 14 and had them taken off when I was 16.

How old are you now? 28

Do you still wear your retainer? No, my orthodontist actually broke my retainer when he was adjusting it. He is now in jail for tax evasion so I haven't exactly had a chance to make another appointment.

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? My teeth were really messed up before I got braces on. I have only had problems with one tooth moving since I got them off.

I still have to wear my upper one at night and you don't even want to know how many years it's been. The dentists said that apparently, there are many, many more people than they'd previously thought who have to do that or their teeth will move.

Re: retainers - do you wear one?
 

When did you get your braces off? when i was 13... i had them for a year... but i had 4 years of work done before i got them on- a thing to make my top teeth seperate.... head gear... bottom spacer thing to make them all move back... it was bad.... it was definately an awkward phase...

How old are you now? 21

Do you still wear your retainer?... no it doesn't fit anymore and gives me a headache when i try to make it fit

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? not wehre they were because they were really bad... but they def moved so i can notice it...

I'm glad to know I'm not a total freak (or at least that I have company)
 

When did you get your braces off? At 16, after two years of them

How old are you now? In my 30's. Can I leave it at that?:o

Do you still wear your retainer? Every night. I kept thinking I would give it up in college, then when I got married. Nope, here I am, still wearing my same crappy retainer.

If I skip a night, I can tell that my teeth have shifted. My mom had braces and her lower teeth are a mess now. My DH had braces, and his teeth are the same way now - bottom teeth all scraggly.

I need to get a new set of retainers - I've had these for at least 1/2 my life. But I live on the other side of the country now, and would have to actively hunt for an orthodonist....what a hassle!

I never had braces BUT let me warn you...wear that retainer! I'm serious. I knew a guy who had the worst teeth ever...we're talking crooked as could be. Imagine my shock when I learned that he had had braces when he was younger! He showed me all these pictures from when he was an undergrad, and lo and behold, his teeth weren't that bad then. He never wore his retainer, so I guess they just went back to the way they were before. So I'm telling you...listen to your orthodontist! ;) By the way, my sister just got her braces off a while ago and she's heard this lecture from me many, many times before.

When did you get your braces off? Sophmore year of high school....so I think that is around 98ish...sounds about right

How old are you now? 21

Do you still wear your retainer? No. I got my wisdom teeth out about a year after my braces were taken off, so I couldn't wear it for like a month. During that month, my teeth moved

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? Not totally. But my teeth weren't really messed up to begin with...my problem is my jaw is too small for all the teeth that I have, and it was creating speech problems and THAT was why I needed braces/retainers in the first place(for all you speech pathaologists and audiologist out there- I had a tongue thrust). I had a retainer and/braces from 2nd grade to high school. THe only tooth that moved was one of the eye teeth, by IMHO as long as the teeth in the 6 front that show when I smile are straight, I don't care about the other ones.



ETA: I never had the one on the bottom. It didn't fit in my mouth. Apparently, there is no bottom retainer small enough to fit me, cause while the top jaw got spaced out thanks to the retainer, the bottom never did.

When did you get your braces off? May 23rd,1998 (I still remember the date)

How old are you now? 21

Do you still wear your retainer? If I can find the top one.

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? Yep, I have a gap now.

If you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it? Until my othodontist says my teeth are in the clear.

When did you get your braces off? I was 16...I had the worst time with my teeth that it took forever :( And I was a NERD and had not only braces, but head & neck gear, a retainer (while wearing braces) and rubber bands. URG, I hated that!

How old are you now? 24

Do you still wear your retainer? Yes, only because it's a permanent retainer for my lower teeth. I will never be able to remove it, but it prevents my teeth from moving (and I don't even feel it really.

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? My upper teeth have moved slightly. The only reason I know is because my mother, who is an Orthodontist assistant, gripes about them all the time :mad:

you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it? see above

When did you get your braces off? 8th grade

How old are you now? almost 25

Do you still wear your retainer? when i remember

If you don't, have your teeth moved/changed back to what they were? they did at first, and now sometimes do making this my third set i have since i dont wear that like i should

If you do, how much longer do you plan on wearing it? probably forever or until i finally say screw it, but i try to wear them for like a week straight and then go a week without it at night.