Hello Dr Hughes. I am 65 years old and have noticed that over the past few years, that the upper right teeth appear to be moving forward. I can see that now one front tooth appears to be beginning slightly to overlap in the middle. I do not want the tooth to move any further. At my age, I do not want to wear a permanent brace. My dentist thinks that a brace worn just at night may halt the teeth overlapping further. Would you kindly give me advice on this? Many thanks for your help.
Hello, I’m currently having treatment for minor relapse on my upper row. My two front teeth overlap slightly. Currently I have a spring retainer which I feel is working really well for me.
I was wondering which type of retention option do you consider to be the best? There are so many types now with many different pros and cons available.
Also, a friend of mine needed a new Essix retainer so I recommended the dentist who is currently completing my treatment. My friend has advised to me that the retainer she has just received is of very poor quality. How can I tell/ find somewhere that will provide me a good retention option?
Thank you in advance for your time.
I had the metal braces for about 3 years and a half (crowded teeth and over jet/bite problem) then I wore my Hawley’s regularly for 2 years (24/7 and even while eating!)but my teeth shifted (lower canine and front teeth) so I had to go again with braces but this time with the Invisilign system and it worked pretty well for 5 months or so then my doctor suggested I get the permanent or bonded retainers because he is fearing that my teeth may shift AGAIN but I want the Essix one to keep the new 3D position of teeth intact or unchanged .I do not what to choose. could you help? And do you suggest bonded and essix together at the same time? Is that possible?
Hi. I had adult braces and when they came off, I had to wait five days to receive my essix retainer. In this time, my front tooth has shifted forward whereas it was totally straight when braces were removed. I have been wearing essix retainer religiously but the gap is exactly the same and shows no sign of closing…what can I do? I’m so paranoid the gap will keep opening. Will th essix retainer not push the tooth straight back into position? My impressions were taken the same day my braces came off so should be perfect. Also the essix only came halfway on teeth and they still don’t cover all the teeth and there are spaces between the bottom of the front teeth and the essix retainer. About 3 or 4 millimetres. I have been using aligned chewies but to no avail. How do I know if the tetainer is fitting me properly and doing its job. Also is it necessary for the retainer to cover all the front teeth? Even if my retainer for bottom of teeth to bottom of retainer, the top of my teeth would still be exposed……should this cover the gums too? Please help
Hi Mark. About 6 months ago I chipped a small part of the inside biting edge of one of my front tooth and it still hurts which is a concern. The chip isn’t major or visible from the front, only if you look under it at the inside of the tooth but I would like to get this fixed. I also have had orthodontic treatment and it has been going very well. So I am very concerned that if the chip is fixed then my orthodontic essix retainer won’t fit any longer which would mean I would need a new one, which again means more money! As I am in easy access to you, is this something that you could look at for me? It is the fact that it still hurts that bothers me so much. Is there anything you can recommend to help minimise the pain? Many thanks.
Mark, if an Essix retainer splits or is cut down, does that affect the effectiveness of maintaining the teeth positions? My Essix retainer has split quite badly now after several years and so feels a little loose as parts of the plastic on it are missing, my bite feels a bit off when i take it out now and it doesn’t feel as ‘tight’ as it were. I don’t have an orthodontist now to replace it as he is now retired but am nervous about my teeth moving.
I live in the London area close to you. How much approximately would you charge to make a replacement Essix for me if I saw you? Many thanks.
Hi Mark. In your experience, can Essix retainers used to maintain orthodontic treatment give you fungal infections? I’ve had to have a replacement Essix retainer made after my old one has worn out but when I am wearing it, even for 10 minutes I am getting these white rings at the gumline, receding gums and white spots all over my gums from it. My new orthodontist has tried adjusting it and remaking it but the same thing keeps happening. I’ve never had the problem before as I have been wearing Essix retainers for 10 years now. The orthodontist won’t make me a new one and my general dentist is telling me to stop wearing it but I need to wear it to continue to keep my teeth straight but i’m damaging my gums in the process. What do you recommend? Many thanks.
Hi, I just got my braces removed on Monday. I got my retainers and put them in. They’re essix. I have a few concerns about them.
1. why didn’t i get a hawley?
2. what are some pros and cons about each type of retainer?
3. can my teeth still move even though i wear them 24/7 except when eating?
4. roughly how long does it take for teeth to shift without a retainer on?
My teeth were kind of hard to correct, since i had a couple of gaps and i feel like when i floss i can see the gaps appear again. is this normal?
greatly appreciated!
hi i had braces when i was about 13 after i had them take off i was told to wear my retainers every day , and fter about 2 years i can wear them a couple times a week with out my teeth moving i have done wat they said but my teeth have all moved and now my retainer wont fit , is there any way i can get braces fitted again on the nhs i have a maternaty exemtion certifcate ?
Mark, I have some questions regarding keeping teeth straight after orthodontic procedures and would be really grateful if you could answer them for my records!
1) When you straighten teeth and the process is complete, is it realistic to say that you can retain them for life using Essix and bonded retainers? Although I finished my treatment 7 years ago, I’ve noticed that although I wear my Essix retainer 3 x a week, my lower incisors get tender and keep spacing apart back and forth. This makes me really nervous knowing that despite my commitment to retention, my teeth can still move – I like them the way they are!
2) Does the quality of Essix and bonded retainers affect the teeths retention and if so, how can we be sure that we get quality retainers to keep the teeth straight?
3) As many of us live well into our 80’s and beyond, when we have orthodontic treatment when we are younger, can we really only have it done once for life? I don’t really want to repeat orthodontic treatment just because i’m going to get older but like your philosophy I believe a good smile throughout our life is worth investing in so I want to keep mine that way. Can we really keep the same results we get when we are in our 20’s in our 80’s too?
4) As I believe retention is a lifetime commitment, I want to keep my teeth straight as best I can but I know we can’t keep with the same orthodontists for life (as they retire) so are we still able to have retention appliances remade for us by other orthodontists elsewhere down the line of life? What should we do if our teeth do shift and we see a change and we don’t have an orthodontic practice anymore?
5) And finally, is there a way we can stop our teeth shifting apart from wearing our retainers religiously? I know our teeth shift with age but can we really defy the process?
I’m just thinking of the future as my teeth are top priority for me so your advise would be a gem! Thanks
