4 weeks left (retainer inquiry)

[mathyou9]

At my appointment yesterday, my orthodontist gave the go-ahead to get my braces off in four weeks. Up to this point, I have not really thought about what kind of retainer I want.

So on-the-spot, he basically said, "[If you want Hawley, we need to make the molds today. Or if you want Essix, we'll do all that in four weeks. I'll give you a couple minutes to decide.]" I usually take 2 or 3 days when I'm making such a decision.

So the orthodontist left and I asked his assistant for a price differential. I was told they charge the same amount for either. So I opted for Essix since they are more aesthetically pleasing.

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Anyway, it was all kind of rushed. Naturally after leaving the office, I wondered if I should have opted for Hawleys. And then even later I thought, What about getting both?

If money is no factor, is there any reason not to get both? Or am I better off just sticking to one or the other?




Thoughts? Opinions?

[moonie]

I've heard some people do get both. Essix for day wear and Hawley for night wear. I don't care about the wire, probably go towards Hawley's myself when the time comes (a long time from now....)

[Sunny]

One type is usually best, so that your teeth continue to settle with how the one type are holding them.

Most ortho's have moved to the essix style due to patients being more compliant with wear due to how it looks and feels.

Be confident that if your ortho didn't mind what type of retainer you get, this will be a great choice for you!

[josie]

I think I will opt for Hawleys as well. When I was a kid, I had a removable appliance top and bottom, so I imagine it will be something like that and I feel I've experienced that. I don't mind the metal wire. I am a bit worried my speech will be more affected by the plastic inside my mouth, rather than it will be with an Essix though.

There was also a thread on here recently about Invisalign causing cavities because saliva couldn't continually bathe the teeth, being closed in, in plastic. That makes sense to me, and has kind of put me off the Essix type of retainers as well. Besides which, I do grind my teeth a bit at night and I worry I will just shred the Essixes and they won't last long!

[Sunny]

Josie salvia fills any gaps in the aligners and keeps the enamel on your teeth well protected.

Most ortho's prefer the aligner type retainers due to the ability to enclose around all your teeth and mould to their needs. With the wire bar, nothing is actually shapped to fit around each teeth, so it's good, but doesn't have the 'holding' ability. Also the aligners have little or no affect to speech due to them only fitting over your teeth, whereas the hawley type retainer has a piece that sits on the roof of your mouth, which affects your tongue more and can be nasty for those with gag refluxes.

The bonded retainers with one of the removable retainers for night time only wear ... has been found to be the most successful combination for most people.

[josie]

Hmm, ok…. I'm a little anxious about the essix style retainers after that thread on here with loads of people posting they had cavities during Invisalign! There is a difference between static saliva and a continual change of saliva as happens in your normal mouth...

[Sunny]

Cavities during treatment with aligners is not the due to invisalign. Invisalign is a treatment process. A problem that many patients wearing aligners for treatment have, is that they need to wear them 22 hours a day for the best outcome and they the only thing you should in your mouth when you have the aligners in is water.

Wearing the aligner style retainers is very different, due to active treatment having been completed.

[Zach2k]

Is there any reason why you're not considering bonded (attached 'permanently' to the back of your teeth) retainers?

After having a lot of doubts and apprehensions before having bonded retainers (and during the first week or so of having them), its probably one of the best decisions I made with regards to my teeth.

[mathyou9]

Is there any reason why you're not considering bonded (attached 'permanently' to the back of your teeth) retainers?

My orthodontist deemed that my situation didn't call for a bonded retainer.