Wearing a Retainer

Put me on retainer!

After my speed braces came off there was still some adjusting to do, as my teeth weren't perfectly aligned just yet. So my dentist continued to move my teeth we an invisalign-like retainer. The first was pretty heavy duty - I felt like a football player wearing a mouth guard. I wore it all the time (except when eating) for a few weeks. Then I went back to the dentist and was fitted for another retainer, to move the teeth a bit more. This retainer was thinner and more like the regular retainer you wear after braces. Again, I wore that retainer for a several weeks until my teeth were finally in the right position.

Then I got my final retainer. It's nearly invisible and I wore it all day for about 6 months.

Tips on Wearing a Retainer
1. Remove Your Retainer in Private
Something about the plastic or just having some thing in your mouth makes for a lot of slobber. Like a hungry bulldog amount of slobber. So as you pull your retainer out of your mouth long strings of spit will cling to it.

2. Keep the little plastic carrying case the dentist gives you and store the retainer there when you eat or during the day once you're only wearing it at night. Don't just put it in your pocket or throw it into your purse. It can be damaged and you don't want that.

Keeping teeth straight after braces
Now I wear my retainer only at night. But every once in awhile if I find it feels a bit tight when I put it in at night I'll wear it all day the next day. Just making sure those teeth stay straight. I've come to far to be lazy now! See video below of what happens if you go for a long time without wearing your retainer...