Retainer & Overbite

[arlenev23]

I had braces to correct gaps in my upper teeth, overcrowding in the lower teeth and an overbite. I have a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth and an invisalign style retainer for my upper teeth. I have not worn my clear retainer in over a year. I recently started wearing it again and immediately saw a diifference in the spacing of my upper teeth. My question is will the retainer help my overbite as well.

Any input would be helpful.

[Phantom Muse]

Did your retainer still fit after a year?!

My daughter has been out of braces for a few months, and her ortho is concerned that the plastic retainers might open her bite, so she is seeing him again next week to consider a switch to a Hawley retainer for her upper arch. So, it does seem as if retainers do help maintain a proper bite (and can contribute to messing up a good one with the wrong retainer).

As far as your situation, I suspect a trip to the ortho is in order if your bite is not as it should be. Maybe elastics can be used with retainers for this purpose, but I wouldn't try to self-prescribe any of this! If you have only been out of your retainer for a year, things may not have gone too far astray to be fixed more easily.

I suspect someone else on board here will have a better answer for you! Good luck!

[arlenev23]

Yes it still fits,uncomfortably, but it fits. Thanks for you response.

[Sunny]

I agree with PM ... visit an ortho so you can have a professional comment on you case. It may be a case of getting a new retainer, or you may be doing just fine with the one you have. I'm not sure how it will help your overbite, but that's a great question for your ortho!