2,5 yrs since wearing the braces, 2 yrs since wearing the retainer...

[Dante]

Hello,

Starting from about 4,5 years ago, I wore dental braces for 2 years. Once they got taken off, I was really impressed with the result. I got a cool celebrity smile ( ). Then the doctor told me I'd have to wear a retainer - constantly for 1 month and then only during the night for 4 months.

Even so, I felt the teeth gradually shifting back towards where they had been before putting on the braces, which is why I kept the retainer on for a few more months. Then my retainer got lost, after which my teeth got even more towards their old position. They didn't completely get back to the way they had been though. And since I was on an exchange year to China and my Chinese wasn't/isn't too good, the idea of inquiring about this didn't appeal to me.

Nevertheless, since I'm back in Estonia now, and since I used to have a perfect ( ) smile, I recently started wondering whether there would be any non-braces method to remedy the situation. Therefore, I have a few questions for the knowledgeable:

Several years after wearing braces, in addition to "remebering" their old position, do the teeth also "remember" the position cast forth by the braces? In other words, if my teeth were given a new retainer, would they be more inclined to shift towards the desired position? Or does the retainer simply retain and keep the teeth in their current position? If a new retainer would do the trick, which type of retainer would be best? If not, is there any other type of remedy that could help my teeth?


Any information about this matter would be much appreciated.



Paul

[Zoso]

I'd advise you to consult with orthodontists locally. What steps would be suitable to restore your smile to its immediate post-braces splendour will really depend on your individual case.

This said, the amount of movement that is generally aable to be accomplished with retainers alone is somewhat limited - their function, after all, is to retain - to hold the teeth where they are.

However, you might find that your case could be one well-suited to Invisalign - there are quite a lot of Invisalign patients who are using this type of treatment to retreat their teeth after some amount of orthodontic relapse.

And, next time you're finished my advice if to stick to wearing those retainers every night, or at least a couple of nights every week, for the rest of your life. It didn't used to be what was suggested, but these days it is recognised that our teeth do keep on moving throughout our lives - and that even goes for people who have not had braces.

Good luck, and do let us know what you find out. You can even start a blog here to keep a chronicle for yourself of your journey back to that celebrity smile you used to have

[mikeg]

retainers are for life.... no way around that... if you follow this site you will see all the relapses that happen....mostly because of not wearing retainers...

I agree with zoso that you can probably fine tune with Invisalign.... however braces on again would be certain to get you back to where you are.

I would recommend you see the orthodontist that did your teeth the first time and see if they still have the molds of yoru old retainer... and see how much your teeth has shifted.. my guess if you will never be able to fit into it and need braces on for a year or so to get back to that...

Final note.. your teeth don't need to be perfect...if they look good, I wouldn't sweat it and move on.. don't stress over it.. not even brad pitt has perfect teeth

[Sunny]

Good luck talking to some ortho's to find out what will be the best way to get your teeth back to where they were after your first treatment Dante!

Then ... never forget ... it's retainer wear for life!

Good luck!

[Zoso]

Final note.. your teeth don't need to be perfect...if they look good, I wouldn't sweat it and move on.. don't stress over it.. not even brad pitt has perfect teeth

Oh very nicely said! If your bite is good and your teeth look OK, I'd not worry, were I you.

[Nola]

Oh very nicely said! If your bite is good and your teeth look OK, I'd not worry, were I you.

yeah i'm kind of in the same boat and i get this type of response all the time but my tooth/teeth alignment still bug the crap out of me... so i guess if you're not happy with it yourself no amount of advice can make you feel happy... go with what makes you feel good

anyone ever hear of Spring Retainers? I'd do that before Invisalign if at all possible... I tried the whole Invisalign thing to get my teeth back to post braces and well i lost most of the trays lol i wish i would of known about spring retainers then! i would of saved myself a few thousand bucks!

so you should try to look into spring retainers for sure! i'm currently in the process of finding an ortho in my area that provides them...