Invisalign and fixed retainers

[charliebear78]

I have just finished my 6 month course of Invisalign.
I went to the Dentist to have the attachments removed and they fitted a wire behind my front lower and upper teeth, I was a bit shocked because I was not expecting it!
It is something they do as standard now.
I am going back soon for whitening and composite bonding and am happy with my teeths appearance.
However, I really do not like the feeling of the fixed retainers-the bottom one isnt a problem but the top one feels really uncomfortable-it aches.
I am also aware of it in my mouth,my tongue brushes over it all the time, it feels like a build up behind my teeth.
Has anyone else had this? does it get easier?
They have said I can have them removed if I really cant cope.
It also hurt having them put on, so worried it will to remove them

Would it be to retain the teeth and prevent you from having to wear retainers at night for life?

It does get easier. They feel massive to begin with, but over time it just becomes what the inside of your mouth feels like.

Make sure you use interdental brushes to clean properly where you can't floss with them attached –that's one of the 'risks' with permanent retainers –a lot of people forget the extra hygiene required.

But it does get better, I promise.

It is to retain the teeth. I've 10 weeks left of invisalign treatment. Did they give you a retainer to wear overnight as well? I wanted a fixed retainer but my ortho isn't keen so won't let me have one!

The reason your top teeth ache is probably because they are trying to move back and this is stopping them. You need to make sure you check it because they can break and then your teeth can move.

I've just had my attachments taken off because I needed a rescan. So I'm wearing the same trays for 3 week whilst I wait for new ones to be made and sent over. They feel weirdly loose without the attachments.

@charliebear78 you'll get used to them really quickly so you won't even notice them after a while. They're really important to have in addition to the aligners you continue to wear every night. My ortho said theyre you're safety net in case you ever forget to take your aligners away on holiday for example. They'll ensure your teeth stay roughly in place

Ds has them and a moulded retainer. You do get used to them.

My dentist hasn’t mentioned this. He just said about the aligner that will need to be worn overnight for life. I’m happy with that. If he tries to add a fixed retainer I will say no.

I've had my fixed retainers for 5 years now, completely forget they are there. You get used to them and I personally feel they are worth it.

I got these after my Invisalign braces. You pretty much forget about them over time (apart from cleaning them properly). Defo worth it

I know why I have them-I just was never made aware I would be having them.
I will also have to wear a retainer at night.
My retainer went away to be made so I wont be getting it until my next appointment, so at the moment I only have these fixed ones on..I was scared my teeth would move but they said it would be ok for now!?

Apart from tooth brushing, it's really important to clean between the teeth daily with dental floss or inter-dental brushes especially before bed at night. If I'm happy with the appearance of my teeth, I will not do whitening. Everyone is different. Best wishes.

I'd love to see your finished results!

I’ve been for two consultations for Invisalign and one has recommended a full set and the other has said express! I’m confused as to which one to go for! The express would be a shorter timeframe but I just want to go for the most suitable. Did anyone else have this issue?

I’m surprised you’ll have to wear a retainer too.
Wire are pretty effective.

From experience, I can tell you the wire is much better. If you had opted for the retainer only, eventually you would become relaxed about it and you stop wearing it a night here and a night there and trust me, the teeth move back to where they were.

my wire had like a hard gel over it though so it didn’t hurt at all.

I’m sorry to be a downer with my experience!

I wasn’t expecting the fixed wire either and it was so uncomfortable to start off with. My tongue was awfully ulcerated for what felt like a really long time and I kept getting my lip and tongue caught in a gap underneath it so I needed it resetting a couple of times. I was miserable but it does get better in terms of it eventually feeling like part of your mouth.

My biggest issue was hygiene. It’s essential to use interdental brushes (and I recommend a water flosser too) because you can’t use floss. Every time I visited the dentist or hygienist, I was told everything was hunky dory until one day it suddenly wasn’t and the rise of gum between my two lower front teeth just peeled away a shocking amount. It’s now completely detached and flaps around and I’ll need gum surgery if it gets worse. I was told it was because of plaque gathering beneath the gum line in a spot where I couldn’t get in to clean because of the wire cement but nobody had picked it up on my previous visits. I can see it’s starting on some other bottom teeth too now, it’s quite depressing.

To make matters worse, my Invisalign treatment was terrible. My upper teeth were filed down more than was necessary, so I’m left with gaps where I didn’t have them before (I whistle and spit through the upper two front teeth) and the gum specialist told me that despite the Invisalign treatment having been signed off and “completed”, my lower teeth were in no way straight. After a year and a half of it, I couldn’t go through with any more treatment and to fix it would have been classed as a separate treatment plan and another chunk of money anyway, so I gave up.

I hope your treatment has been successful and you don’t suffer any side effects but I have to admit that I regret having it done. The one protruding tooth I wanted to fix is definitely in a better position, so I’m now able to smile confidently for photos, but on the whole I feel I’ve traded that cosmetic issue, which in truth I could have tried to accept, for a different set of very real and irreversible problems.

I've got a fixed retainer and it's fine. I also have a removable one but my dentist only advised me to wear this if my fixed retainer broke. I use a water flosser to floss around my retainer.

Interested in this thread/ my ortho had recommended just the vivera retainer at night for life with no fixed wire. I did ask about the fixed wire as want to make sure but said wasn’t necessary as I wear a retainer ( and always have done) for grinding I couldn’t sleep without one so assume il wear my vivera nightly without issue.
Following treatment were u told to wear the retainer in the day or just nights?

Persevere with it! It will get better I promise! I was exactly the same as you. The combination of the wire and the night retainer is the best way to ensure your teeth will never move and it’s the “gold standard” for after teeth straightening. Your dentist should have told you!

Definitely get interdental brushes for flossing. I also have a water flosser but it’s that action of the brush against the gum that is important. Same with getting your brush along the gums at the back, above the wire.

Don’t worry! If you got through Invisalign, you will get through this.

Meant to also post my before/ after for anyone who is considering it. Best thing I ever did

My dentist said I could choose either fixed wire or nighttime retainers. I don’t like the idea of not being able to floss normally, so have gone with the nighttime retainers, and also plan to wear during the day sometimes when I am not leaving the house.

I’ve had my fixed retainers (top & bottom) for about 9/10 years - they’re brilliant….. you’ll get used to it really quickly and it’s worth it, retainers can get lost/broken etc and these just keep everything you’ve paid huge amounts of money for in the right spot!!

Meant to say though, if there are any jaggy bits then let your dentist know and he’ll file them down. I had that at first, a small loose thread that was catching my tongue. He fixed it in seconds.

@PARunnerGirl amazing result on your teeth!!!

I have a retainer and wires and it's fine. After investing time and money I want to keep my teeth nice. As my lateral incisors were small and needed bonding, the wire didn't stay so I only have it on the top two teeth, but covering more of the bottom. The plastic retainers are good to use as whitening trays too.