Did you wear braces as a kid? Do you wear a retainer now?

[archcommus]

I'm 20 years old. Back in early high school I had braces for about 2 years. Fixed a lot of problems, got nice straight teeth, got my retainer. Not exactly sure what the wearing instructions were, but it was something like all day for a couple months, then every night for 6 months to a year, then a few nights a week after that for basically forever. I don't exactly remember how I wore them, but I think I might've done 24/7 for maybe a few weeks, then every night for a bit, then gradually dwindling over a few months to none at all. From talking to people it seems many others have done this as well. Have you?

Fast forward to today, my teeth are still straight except for one on the bottom row is pushed back slightly, and the surrounding teeth are just barely encroaching on its space (maybe 1-2 mm of overlap). It got like this almost immediately after not wearing the retainer daily and has been the same ever since. I'm debating investigating into something like a new retainer to maybe fix it, or just forgetting about it.

 

[Jhill]

Can you add, did any mean kids call you "metal mouth" to the poll?

 

[legoman666]

I had braces for 3 years (I think); 7th grade to 10th grade. Straightened my teeth out nice and good. After the braces were removed, they gave me a retainer to wear for 4-5 years (lol?). I think I wore it for 3-4 months and never wore it again. I'm 20 now and still have the little metal bar on my bottom teeth in the front. I would like to get that removed because I'm tired of food getting stuck in it. My teeth are still perfect.

 

[FoBoT]

never had braces, braces were only for rich kids back then (70's)

 

[pontifex]

haha, brace face!


I had braces in elementary school and then had to wear a retainer for awhile. it got extremely annoying so i stopped wearing it.

 

[Juno]

never had braces.

 

[compman25]

train tracks

 

[daniel1113]

I stopped wearing my retainer when I was 20 or so, and since then, my teeth have moved a little as well. However, I'd rather have a permanent, imperfect set of teeth than perfect teeth that I have to control with a retainer for the rest of my life.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: daniel1113
I stopped wearing my retainer when I was 20 or so, and since then, my teeth have moved a little as well. However, I'd rather have a permanent, imperfect set of teeth than perfect teeth that I have to control with a retainer for the rest of my life.

Haha, yeah I was thinking something similar.

 

[KeithTalent]

I wore braces for a few years then a retainer for a while after that.

I had one problem tooth at the end that did not want to stay in place, so my Ortho put a small wire in behind the tooth to keep it in place and it has been there ever since. Never had to wear a retainer again and nobody knows the wire is there unless I tell them.

If your Ortho can do this for you I highly recommend it.

KT

 

[imported_yovonbishop]

While I need them to fix some crowding in the bottom and an overlap on the top, I never got them as a child (poor dental insurance and no money). Once I start working at a good job with good insurance, I'll be able to afford something like Invisalign so I don't have to look weird with a mouth full of metal at 20.

 

[meltdown75]

nope. my parents just assumed my teeth would straighten themselves and be just like my siblings' perfect yappers.

 

[paulxcook]

I did the same. Braces, then retainers for a few months, then nothing. Every once in a while I'd put them in again (my bottom teeth had the glued wire but it kept breaking, so I got a removable one) and they hurt like hell for a day because they'd force the teeth back to where they should be. Then they'd feel fine, and I'd stop wearing them for another 4 months. Now I don't even know where my retainers are, and I don't care. my top teeth look perfect, and all but 2 of my bottom teeth do too.

I also had head gear, and those stupid rubber bands. It was an awkward time. I didn't wear the headgear to school, though.

 

[effowe]

I wore braces back in middle school and started wearing my retainer. I as well didn't keep it in for the recommended amount of time, so there is one crooked tooth along the bottom row, right in front, that sits about a millimeter across the tooth next to it. Other than that everything has been the same.

 

[Canai]

Where's the 'had braces, wore retainer like I was supposed to for 6 months after braces were off, am fine now' option ?

 

[daveymark]

never had braces, although I get asked all the time if i did, as my teeth are naturally perfect and straight

 

[CptCrunch]

never had bracers, not perfectly aligned teeth, but close enough for no braces.... i'm happy

 

[indamixx99]

Never had them, although I needed them. It was a financial thing back then. Now at 26, I wish I had them earlier since I don't know many people my age that have braces now.

 

[Electric Amish]

Never had braces. Dentist said I didn't need them.

 

[PingSpike]

Right, so I had braces from like 6th to 9th grade? I had decided to get them since one of my front teeth partially overlapped the other front tooth. That was all I was concerned about. I ended up with a full set of braces, a god forsaken headgear and I was, while wearing braces, expected to also wear this motherfucking half retainer thing called a "bite plane". This was suppose to correct an apparent overbite that I never really noticed or gave a shat about.

So, of course, I didn't really do any of that torture shit to the expected capacity. I mean, the braces aren't terrible...but that bite plane retainer was fucking nasty. The thing required to much work, always tasted like ass, made it difficult to talk and was easy as hell to lose. The headgear was created by some sick motherfucker to push depressed teenagers over the edge into to killing themselves. Who doesn't love the feeling of a metal system locking into place attached to your skull? I know I love how much drooling it caused and how I could barely sleep with the thing on since I slept on my stomach and therefore the side of my face.

And then you go to the orthodondist, and they've got the headgear cards up on the walls from the real dork jobs that wear the thing 24 hours a day so they can win a gold star and become captain of the antenae head club or something. And of course there's me, who fills in the card with the minimum hours, most of that a lie and jams that damn bite plane into my skull once a month (since it doesn't really fit anymore). Usually this was preceeded by a frantic search for the stinking thing.

Anyway, I finally get the damn things off and they gave me another fucking retainer. I think I wore that for like two weeks and then I put it in my desk and forgot about it. Never went to the follow up appointment. My bottom teeth went back to the way they were and my top teeth are straight. (Fine with me! I never even wanted those fixed!) If I could do it all over again I would have skipped the whole shebang and just got invisalign for my top teeth. Beats the scorched earth policy that was employed...they should have just replaced all my teeth with veneers and then shot me. Did I mention these sadistic motherfuckers tried yanking my remaining baby teeth out (with no pain killers! yes, seriously!) in like 5th grade so they could speed up the process? Must be their kids were in college or something and needed beer money so it just couldn't wait.

 

[ravana]

no, no

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Had braces. Twice. Including headgear I only had to wear at night.

Got a retainer. Ditched it when I went off the college 14 years ago. I'm too lazy too get up promptly in the morning first thing and go to the bathroom and brush the gross retainer and put it in a case and put that away knowing I get to do that same damn thing first thing next morning. And you can't just lounge in bed with your wife on a weekend morning when you can only mumble.

Bottom teeth are still perfectly straight. Top teeth are fine other than one of my front teeth being slightly crooked. I'll take it for avoiding the daily hassle.

I tried on my retainer the other day and could almost get it on, but it was a little wide.

 

[Anubis]

had them, wore my retainer for as longas they told me to, as basicially when i was sleeping, i havent had to wear it in liek 8 years

 

[Crucial]

32 and never had braces. I need them and am getting them put on in March. I'm lucky though, I work with an orthodontist and will be getting it all done for free.

 

[austin316]

Wear your retainer. If you're still happy with how your teeth look now, get a new retainer and wear it. If you don't, you might regret it. My teeth shifted a little, and then shifted a lot. Some will get lucky and not need to wear one, I was not lucky.