I had braces 15 years ago and didn't wear my retainers. My teeth have slowly shifted, with the bottom ones being the worse. One tooth is even starting to overlap with the other front bottom tooth. The tooth being pushed out hurts. Several other bottom teeth are crooked and the top front teeth are flaring out forward.

I didn't want braces again and Invisalign is expensive. I'm trying to keep the bottom tooth from being pushed out further so it's not damaged. The orthodontist I visited said that I had three options of braces, invisalign, or spring retainers. Spring retainers were the cheapest and are removable.

I had the impressions made a few weeks ago and got the retainers today. The bottom one has two little springs and the top one has one spring. They are very tight when in my mouth. Once placed, I wore them a couple of hours and took them out for dinner. My orthodontist said I just need to wear them at night and a few hours in the day. Most places I look say they are supposed to be worn all the time. The bottom one is especially hard to get in so that the front wire and the back spring fit between the teeth. My teeth are very sore when wearing them even for a short amount of time. I can't bite down or close my mouth all the way with them in, as the metal clasps are in the way. They give me a lisp too that isn't too bad, but is something I have to adjust to. My jaw gets sore and tired with not being able to close my mouth all the way. I hope this doesn't cause issues.

I'm going to try to wear them all night tonight and I know my teeth will be sore.

Hi Rachels,

I had a fixed brace nine or ten  years ago and thought I had been diligent with retention, wearing my hawley retainer most nights. However, I had not replaced my retainer for several years. I went to the orthodontist for a new one a few weeks ago. The old retainer had gone rather slack and my new one is much stiffer and hurt a bit when I put it in each evening. I thought this would resolve in time, but after perhaps 3 weeks, I found I was spitting blood in the morning.

I went back to the orthodontist who told me that I had loosened my teeth by pushing them in one direction every night then allowing them to drift back each day. I have now been advised to wear the new hawley retainer as close as possible to 24/7 for at least 6 months to allow my teeth  to settle and firm up in their correct position. I only remove the retainer for cleaning and very briefly for eating so that I wear them at least 22 hours per day. We will review the position in 6 months.

Orthodontics is all about the application of light but constant forces and I would urge you to wear your spring retainers as close as possible to 24/7 so you achieve the best result and  don't end up in the same  situation as me.

Good luck with your treatment and keep us posted!