question for orthodontists please

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

My lovely orthodontist who did my fixed braces has left the practice, and I had a different one at my last appointment to remove the braces. He was very very unwilling to let me have fixed retainers as well as removeable ones as "you'll just forget to use the removeable ones" (to which I replied "I've spent £4k on these braces, I'm fifty years old, and this is my second round of braces, I'm not going to forget to wear the removeable retainers").

Are there actually any benefits to just having removeable retainers, or was he just being difficult (he was also being awkward about some other stuff, I got the impression there was some "issues" between him and the lovely orthodontist as he made a big deal about how he was doing everyone a favour by "stepping in to help out a colleague")?

Also, I go back in 18 days to get my retainers (couldn't get an appointment any sooner), and it's only today I'm starting to worry that my teeth will have moved; I had assumed I'd get fixed retainers put on in the same appt as having the braces taken off, to stop any movement before the lab could make the removeable retainers, but that didn't happen.

Before I ring up (and potentially make a fool of myself!) - is this standard procedure? DC2 got their fixed retainers put on in the same appt, and the removeable ones later on that day, but they were made on site (hospital orthodontics), which is my only experience.

It may be I'm just hacked off about being patronised, but it would be good to get some outside opinion about the pros and cons of fixed retainers, if anyone can help?

My DH had his fixed braces off a few months ago and got removable retainers about a week or so later. His retainers are like a clear mould that fit over his teeth (nothing like the wire on a pink plate that I got as a teenager) and I cannot see how you could have anything fixed in conjunction with his so maybe yours will be like his? Maybe ring if nothing other than to stop worrying about it. You've paid them a lot of money!

Following my experience 20 years ago I would definitely make sure I had fixed retainers. I wore a brace for 2 years as a teenager and then had a removable retainer for a while (can’t remember how long - standard time). Teeth seemed fine until a couple of years after stopping wearing the removable retainer, when I was about 17.

My teeth suddenly started to move, so I had to have train tracks back on my teeth for another 6 months. After that my dentist immediately put a fixed retained on my top 4 teeth. No movement since! I don’t remember having a removable retainer at all the second time round, just a fixed one.

No idea if my case is unusual? But it’s a real pain having to have another brace when a simple fixed retainer would have prevented it.

Hi @MyVisionsComeFromSoup, I’m a dental nurse but in a regular practice not an orthodontist so I can’t comment on the length of time to get the removable retainers made, however for the fixed retainers a lot of dentists/orthodontist won’t recommend them as they can make cleaning harder and can lead to people getting more decay because if this. X