My wonderful 24 hours of appliance free mouth was soon to be disrupted with the collection of…’The Retainer”. Yes, it was a stunning purple glittery number, resplendent with teddy bear sticker embedded in it….but it seems to take up a very very large amount of space inside my mouth!
Add to that the lower retainer that is plastic front and back with wires that clip over the rear teeth and, well lets just say that this normally Chatty Kathy quickly found herself with very little to say. I was assured that I would get used to the retainer and my speech would improve over time…I firmly believe that these are the biggest hugest retainers EVER made and this is some cruel trick being played on me. I am completely assured that I will get used to them.
Well after nobody noticing my lack of braces I ‘had them at hello’ with regards to the retainer. That night the entire family kept asking me to repeat myself, mimicked me and laughed…oh yes…they had their fun. And I have to wear these full time for 9 months, except for eating and sport. Looks like I am going to spend a lot of time eating and playing sport then…
I understand completely why they must be worn. Once your braces have been removed and your teeth are in their ‘ideal’ positions, it is the job of the retainer plates to keep them in that position while the bone hardens and the tendons firm up and everything just sets into place, and that takes time.
The alternative is to have spent 16 months in braces only to have some of the more stubborn teeth gradually move back to their old familiar positions. So believe me, I will do the right thing and wear them. You would not believe how many adult patients contact MOG to discuss a retreatment because they did not wear their retainers long enough as teenagers.
