What to use after Invisalign?

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My dentist has said I can either have removable braces that I just wear at night, or permanent ones (thin metal behind the teeth). Not sure what to choose as don't like the idea of having the permanent ones.

I have the plastic ones you wear every night. I hadn't realised they need redoing because the plastic gradually stretches and doesn't hold your teeth as well. My ortho has said once/year, so budget for that too.

I didn't like the idea of the permanent metal wire, but I also think you might need retainers overnight as well ?

I don't wear them every night - most nights, but I have a night off sometimes.

Yes that's what I'm currently doing, wearing the plastic ones at night. They had cracker a little so the dentist has made some thicker ones. Put them in last night and this morning I have such pain in my teeth, so they've obviously moved from just having the other night time ones. Which has made me think maybe I need the permanent wire but I'm the same as you, I don't like the thought of the wire always being there, I'd probably keep playing with it with my tongue, like when you have a mouth ulcer and can't stop prodding it. 🤦🏻‍♀️ but I don't know how much you notice the wire, and I don't want to undo all the good work the Invisalign has done.

I have a wire at the back which is fine. I do play with it with my tongue at times but it is very discreet and doesn't bother me in any way. I also have a retainer I wear at night

That's good to know. And will the wire have to be in for years?

Any retainer has to be worn for life , so removable retainers will have to be replaced every few years and wires will need replacing less often.
Wire retainers are often used when teeth are at high risk of relapsing or relapse quickly .

Yes the wire will be for life or for as long as I care about keeping my teeth straight.

I've had a permanent retainer/wire behind my bottom six front teeth for thirty five years 😳

I wore a wire retainer behind top and bottom teeth from age 14 (after braces) until roughly age 38 when I started invisalign (for teeth not attached with the wire). Only had to redo the glue on one bit of wire as it wore away.

Honestly you just don't notice it and it doesn't hurt. I only notice it if talking about it.

I did invisalign then have had the wires put back on. I'm also still wearing the plastic retainers every other night or so which is mich more annoying. If ever I don't wear them for 4 or more nights then they do hurt my teeth.

The wires don't hurt at all and I've happily had them on my primary aged DC after their braces.

I have the plastic Invisalign branded retainer (Vivera) which I wear 20hours per day at the moment until I get to 6 months from end of Invisalign. I'm 4 months out now, so should be able to move to nighttime only in a couple of months. I was given 4 sets of Vivera retainers and advised to wear for 1 month at a time, then swap to another so that it ensures any wear/tear is minimal across all 4 and they'll stay strong and prevent teeth moving. Advised each retainer will last around 1 year of wear in total.

I was offered the wires too but my orthodontist really isn't keen on putting wires on the top set as they are known to break a lot. My hygienist advised to avoid if possible because even with good oral care it can make flossing and keeping teeth plaque free hard - I have x2 hygienist appointments per year on my dental plan so I expect it would have been fine for me, but I went with just plastic anyway.

I had my train tracks removed in 2014 (aged 13) had a plastic retainer but continually chewed it in my sleep, would pull it out and cause ulcers on the tip of my tongue. Also would wake up with bloody teeth. Extremely painful too. At that point I had received 3+ years of treatment and was just fed up with being in pain. After 2 months of use the orthodontist wanted more money because it was now too slack to support.

Had the metal wire top and bottom since then. It’s about £50 where I am for it to be re glued, my dentist does a year coverage on the glue so if it needs topped up again within the year it’s no cost. Over 10 years I’ve had the top replaced twice and the bottom once. The last time it was 2021 and cost me £330, it’s still perfect. My teeth haven’t moved in 10 years.

Flossing no problem with the little disposable brushes rather than the traditional string.

I have the wire retainers and also the removable retainers which I wear every second night. I was offered either or both, went with both to be safe!

Same as you for me except I only got three sets of Vivera. My orthodontist didn’t mention rotating the retainers just said I would know when they needed to be changed as they will feel looser. I rather like your approach though and will swap them at the end of this month. I’ve to wear them 22 hours a day until March before I move to night time, but I actually only wear them about 20 as I like the evening off.

Wire - you just set it and forget it!

my orthodontist says he isn't keen on the wire as it makes it more difficult to clean well between your teeth so i have the nighttime retainers only. i'm not totally convinced he just doesn't want me back in 2 years to make another £3k off me, he was big on the up-sell

DD had Invisalign a few years ago - the gold standard is to have both a removable and permanent retainer. Originally she just had a removable one but found that her teeth were shifting during the day. Her orthodontist agreed after a few months that permanent as well would likely benefit her because of this. She’s had it in for nearly 2 years now and it doesn’t bother her at all - no movement whatsoever so it’s definitely doing it’s job!

Thank you all. I think I may need the wire. I finished my Invisalign in may so just wear the retainer at night. But putting a new retainer in last night has made me realise how much my teeth have moved as the pressure is painful!!!!

Can you have the wire removed if you really don't get on with it?

Think it depends how bad your teeth are. I had mine done as a teenager as they were bad, I wore my retainer religiously every single night and they still moved. I ended up then getting Invisalign and then a wire behind and it's been about 6 years now and they haven't moved at all. You soon get used to the wire and don't notice it's there.

I had just the wire after train track braces. Everything was fine for a decade or so - then after one side came loose & was reattached (slightly too high i think), my teeth went wonky on that side. Very very annoying. Then had invisalign & now have a wire & wear the invisalign retainer every single night.

Yes, you can easily go back to your orthodontist and get it removed if it really bothers you. I doubt it will though - DD thought that she would struggle as she wasn’t used to having any metal at all in her mouth due to having Invisalign. She found it a bit annoying for the first few days but soon got used to it! She only realises it’s there when she thinks about it, doesn’t even cross her mind nowadays

I was told that having both is the “gold standard”. The permanent wire will hold them in place constantly but that even with this, you should wear a plastic retainer every night for the first year. Following that you should use the retainer once or twice a week. I’ve followed this and my teeth haven’t budged. The plastic retainer still fits perfectly and there is no pain after wearing it a night.

My orthodontist recommends both. I have the wire and plastic retainer, as teeth still move. If don’t wear the retainer for a week or so, it’s tight to get back on for the first few nights. Usually wear them a couple of times a week now (6 years later). It took me a good few months to get used to the wire. It’s never broken; I have it in on both top and bottom teeth.

I had a removable - then COVID, no dentist, retainer stretched... Money down the drain as teeth buggered again. Definitely go for permanent!

Thank you everyone, I'll contact my dentist after Xmas.

My husband wants to know if I have the wire, will he notice it? 😜🤣