Near the end of my treatment, a bonded retainer was permanently attached to my lower teeth from canine to canine two decades ago. I never had any problems with it until recently. A few days ago, I went to a dentist for a regular cleaning. After the scaling, I noticed that there was some discomfort between my lower two front teeth – it felt like there was something stuck in between there. I addressed this issue with the dentist, but she cannot find the reason for my discomfort, and she also claimed she did not damage my wire.

It has been three days since my cleaning, and I am now experiencing some mild soreness around the retainer area (ie. the same type of tightness one would feel when a wire is changed on one’s braces), especially near the left canine and the neighbouring incisor. Chewing gum and eating vegetables is a bit painful. I cannot find any damage, but is it possible for my wire to have been bent during cleaning? Has this ever happen to other patients of yours, and if so, what was done about it? Can an orthodontist, who has never seen me before, know if my bonded retainer is damaged or not? Or, can there be a different reason for my symptoms?

(For clarification: the wire is held in place by a dop of glue on each tooth)

Thank you for taking the time out to read my email. I am a bit anxious at the moment since I do not want my teeth to become misaligned again. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,