What is worse: drinking beer w/retainers or not wearing retainer...?

[ezyr1der]

i have had them on forever and finally just got them off. So now i want to go to the bar and show off. i have heard all the horror stories of not wearing your retainer. My dentist said i have to wear them 24/7 for 6 months. so is it worse to go to the bar w/o my retainers for 4-5 hours or to drink alcohol with them in?

[Sunny]

Congratulations on getting naked teeth ... fantastic news for you!

What type of retainer do you have ezyr1der? If it's one of the clear variety, that looks like an invisalign aligner, than you're definitely best to not wear it, except when drinking water. These type of retainers hold anything that gets in them, against your teeth, which means you risk damaging the enamel of your teeth ... which can result in nasty problems for your teeth. I think it would be tragic to go through orthodontic treatment and then put your teeth at risk by wearing retainers that hold food with acid and/or sugar, against the enamel.

Good luck with working out what's best for you and your new smile!

[ezyr1der]

i have the clear retainers. so not wearing them for a few hours is the better choice?

[Sunny]

For the health of your teeth, I'd definitely say it is. You probably should phone your orthodontist and ask what they recommend ... as that's the person who's the expert.

Where I work, we tell our patients with those type of retainers, that they must remove them when putting anything other than water in their mouths. Then we show photos of teeth that have had the enamel damaged, which show discolouring and cavities on the surfaces of the teeth. We also give them brochures that include information about damaging tooth enamel.

Hope that helps!