Will I ever be able to bin the retainer?

[BlackLipstick]

I got my braces off when I was 16. That's 13 years ago now.

I still have my retainers and wear them occasionally. My teeth have still moved in spite of this.

I'm fed up about it and worried about what will happen when the retainer eventually breaks. Will my teeth ever stop moving?

You get a new retainer. At about £90!

I stopped wearing my retainer as soon as my fixed braces came off, my teeth moved a bit but not much and still look absolutely fine. Braces came off 10 years ago.

I thought you are supposed to wear the retainer at night forever, not occasionally?

DS stopped wearing his & his teeth look fine. 🤞

I had my braces off 18 years ago. I wore my retainer at night / around the house for a few hours for 4 years. Since then my teeth have maybe moved a tiny amount, but not noticeably. Have your teeth really moved that much?

I had my braces off 10 years ago, I asked the orthodontist at the time "do I need to wear this every night forever?"

"yes but perhaps not on your wedding night"

I wore my retainer for about 4 years and then stopped, my teeth have now moved almost completely back to where they started ... annoying!

Had my braces off 17 years ago. Wore my retainers for a few years. Teeth stayed pretty much in place for the next 10-12 years but then move quite a lot. I’m now a year in to Invisalign to sort them out again. I plan to wear my retainers every night for the rest of my life after having to pay out again!

I'm an orthodontic dental nurse- you have to wear your retainer for ever. Just a couple of times a week Is enough

Dentist here. You need to keep wearing it. However if probably look at getting a new one made

I am not from the UK but from Europe. I wore braces in my teens. They have now been off for over 30 years. I had never even heard or retainers until my kids had braces in the UK. My teeth have not shifted - maybe because they didn’t know about retainers?

I had my brace off about 25 years ago, I was never given a retainer neither were any of my friends, don't think they were a thing.
My teeth have never moved.

@kutess I haven't worn mine for 12 years I think. Am I risking my teeth moving after this amount of time? My dentist knows I had fixed braces but has never asked about my retainer, so I assumed I would be ok after this amount of time 😬

Get the fixed retainer, so so much less hassle

I wear mine every night! Except if I'm drunk... get new ones made if they get too scruffy. I feel them move if I skip a day so daren't not continue

@CurbsideProphet It's case dependent. Hard to tell without looking. As a general rule I'd say retainers stop your teeth moving. You are lucky!

@kutess phew thank you! If I think about it properly I prob wore my retainer for 8 or so years after the braces came off. I will definitely keep an eye on this and talk to my dentist about a possible retainer. I'm sure my sibling never wore their retainer at all and has not had any issues with their teeth moving, so maybe it's genetic 🤞🏻🤞🏻

I had braces I think I wore a retainer for a year after. Stopped wearing when I was discharged from orthodontist. Never realised it was a thing to wear them after this

I had braces about 30 years ago and wearing retainers after wasn’t a thing. My teeth have moved and are now a mess!

Instead of a retainer my DS has a wire fixed behind his teeth and cemented in. It’s been in for over 2 years now. Does anyone know how long he should have this for?

No, you need to wear ir forever

If it breaks you get a new one made? Your teeth have nof moved in spite of your retainer wear theyve moved because you havent been wearing it enoigh

Fixed retainer can be a hassle - if bits break off and are spiky. I have a fixed one behind my top teeth - occasionally requires a visit back to the orthodontist. But I also wear removable retainers every other night.

@GinWithASplashOfTonic

I had braces I think I wore a retainer for a year after. Stopped wearing when I was discharged from orthodontist. Never realised it was a thing to wear them after this

Snap! There was no suggestion whatsoever that I was supposed to wear a retainer for the rest of my life, pretty sure the orthodontist took it off me. I was discharged about 30 years ago.

I had a brace fixed in 1973 when I was 9. Wore it for a year and a half then another year night times on,y.

Took it off and was discharged.. Never given a retainer of any sort, teeth never moved!

DS had his braces off 12 years ago, aged 15. He certainly doesn't wear it now, I found it recently in a heap of dust under his bed when I finally cleared out his room after he moved out a few years ago.