what r the best lasting retainers out there?

[invisaligngirl85]

Following the end of the treatment, what type of retainers did you use? which ones are best to use? I want to do the clear aligners, the ones like invisalign, but i hear that those ones break easily and are not effective? Can anybody give me some feedback on those? I was also thinking about the permanent retainers, but the cons with those are, they can break too.. I heard that its very painful if the permanent retainers break.. Anyways i was thinking that maybe i can wear permanent retainers for about a yr, or whatever the amount of time is before i can switch to just once a night. Is this even possible? i heard that the permanent retainers dont retain as well as the regular ones, and with wearing these, i will never be able to switch to just just once a night, to a few times a week..

which brings me to another thing.. my dentist is telling me that he doesn't know when i will be able to switch to just wearing them at night, he says it varies from person to person.. what kind of dentist doesn't know this ?

Anyways please tell me your experiences with retainers, which ones are best, how long you had to wear them full time , before switching to once a night, to even less, and how many hours a day should u be wearing retainers? how long can you leave them out when u brush your teeth or eat? how do you clean them, how often do you clean them? the whole shabangbang.. lol i want to know as much info as possible. and i will very much appreciate any help thats given.

[Zoso]

The orthodontic texts still suggest 24/7 for a year, but clearly a lot of people are given retainer-wear instructions that do not involve such a protracted period of full time wear, and yet still have good retention. This is, after all, the human body we are talking about, and I am afraid that means that what is true for one peron might not be true for another, so it's not a failing on your dentist's part that he cannot give you a cast iron answer.

As to which retainer lasts the longest, that is the Hawley, and for most patients, a Hawley is also a better choice than the invisible tray type of retainer. As to bonded retainers: they are generally only attached to the front four or six teeth, so if you need to consider the back teeth, they are not enough on their own. They are, though, the best in terms of preventing teeth from rotating back if they needed to be rotated to be correctly positioned, and they are also good for situations such as canines that have had to be brought down through a considerable distance to be in line.

[mikedatooth]

I also like hawley retainers. They can be adjusted and fitted appropriately...

[coolestSamantha]

Most people wear their retainers 24/7 for a year just like Zoso said. Your orthodontist may recommend you wearing it less or more depending on your type of treatment. The retainers I'll be getting will be hawley retainers & I already suspect I'll be wearing them for a year. The invisible retainers that you want only hold the postition of teeth that they are currently in. But hawley retainers can be adjust to move one or two naughty teeth back. Just talk to you orthodontist they will know what retainer is right for you.

[mariahfromchicago]

I think the essix retainers can be adjusted as well. They put some sort of bump on the back of the aligner I think.

The hawley lasts longer.

[HappyHeart]

Wow, what is the Hawley retainer? I know nothing on retainers and my doctor hasn't discussed it yet. Probably too early. I have 7 more sets to go thorough, 14 more weeks. Wow, that's not very long!

[mariahfromchicago]

Originally Posted by HappyHeart

Wow, what is the Hawley retainer? I know nothing on retainers and my doctor hasn't discussed it yet. Probably too early. I have 7 more sets to go thorough, 14 more weeks. Wow, that's not very long!

It is a type of retainer that is visible. It is more common than the essix. I will post a picture. It is a wire that surrounds the teeth on the outside and an acrylic plate (the colourful part) on the roof of mouth. Well, here is a picture if you can't picture one: