Orthodontics for slackers

January 21, 2005 10:40 AM

Orthodontics for slackers; I have a lower retainer (metal wire affixed at each end to a tooth with a metal band, behind the teeth) which was installed around the age of 14. It was supposed to be in place for six months or a year, something in that vicinity. My family moved and it was never taken out; I'm now 21. Is this harmful or just annoying? How painful and expensive will it be to have it removed?
posted by IshmaelGraves to health & fitness (16 comments total)

I have one of these, too, and I've had mine for about ten years. As far as I can tell, it's fine if you brush well. My dentist doesn't seem too worried, and this is the same man that gave me the first dental cleaning of my life. When you get your teeth cleaned next time, just ask your hygenist or dentist for their opinion. It shouldn't be too terribly bad; I certainly wouldn't think it would be any worse than the removal of your braces.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:44 AM on January 21, 2005

mine fell out on its own after about two years. actually, it popped free on one side and my mom yanked it the rest of the way out with pliers. i lived with the residual dental cement on my teeth for another couple of years and eventually had it removed when i had my molars sealed. my teeth have shifted noticeably, so i say, preserve your orthodontics! leave it in!
posted by crush-onastick at 10:46 AM on January 21, 2005

My dentist took mine out on request, although he said it'd be okay to leave it in. I was having trouble cleaning under it.

I also made him grind all the methacrylate off; I had a nervous habit of rubbing it with my tongue. Man, I was glad to get that obnoxious thing out of there. I don't remember what he charged me on top of the usual visit, if anything.
posted by ikkyu2 at 10:49 AM on January 21, 2005

I had the exact same thing (including moving and never following up!) from age 14 till it broke at about age 22. A dentist removed the rest of it and cleaned off the cement -- can't remember exactly how much it cost, but it certainly didn't seem expensive (and I was a starving college senior at the time, so the bar for "expensive" was set pretty low back then).
posted by scody at 11:06 AM on January 21, 2005

You know, I had the same thing - it was put in when I was around 12, told that it would be in for a couple years, and then taken out. By that time, I had stopped going to my orthodontist/pediatric dentist and to the dentist who is still my dentist today (I'm 26 now). I always had trouble cleaning around/behind it, and every time I went, I asked if they could take it out. They told me that these types of retainers were meant to be left in forever, and even if they wanted to take it out, they couldn't because they didn't officially have say over whether or not it came out since they weren't the ones who put it in. I suppose I could have gone to my orthodontist, but he was a jerk, and the retainer didn't bug me THAT much, so I never bothered.

So anyway, a few years ago, I was at the dentist for a routine cleaning, and I started talking to the hygienist about how bad I'd like the retainer to come out. I explained to her everything that my orthodontist said (it was temporary, should have come out when I was 14/15), and that I didn't want to go back to the orthodontist because he was a jerk, etc. She then talked to the dentist, and they said that they'd take it out, only under the condition that if my teeth started to shift again that I'd come in IMMEDIATELY, since they didn't want to be liable for any tooth screw-ups. I think the fact that I had a hard time cleaning around/under it was a factor as well.

Of course, it helped that my entire family has been going to this dentist for the past 15 years or so. They know us fairly well, and they knew that I wasn't the type to screw them over.

They took it out, and ever since then it's been fine for me. The most bizarre thing was how much room I felt I had in my mouth - at that point, the retainer had been in for around 10 years!

Also, it doesn't hurt to have it removed AT ALL. I didn't even feel it. Did you ever have braces? Remember how the tooth brackets just kinda popped off and you didn't feel a thing? It's the exact same feeling, except it's a little more awkward and cumbersome for whoever's doing the removing since the dentist will be going at your back teeth instead of popping them off the front teeth.
posted by AlisonM at 11:54 AM on January 21, 2005

I'm 24 and I've had the thing since I was 12 or 13. I've never had a problem with it, but I also brush my teeth compulsively. I haven't seen the orthodontist since he put it in and my dentist has never asked me if I wanted to take it out.
posted by milkrate at 12:17 PM on January 21, 2005

Mine has also been in for over 10 years - I'm 27 now. My dentist has asked if I've wanted it out, but my jaw is small and I'm afraid of my teeth shifting if its gone.

To keep things clean, I thread floss under the wire and floss my teeth and around the wire itself. I also have a dental pick to scrape at any plaque that builds up.
posted by Sangre Azul at 12:29 PM on January 21, 2005

I had one for 10 years. It eventually broke. It was replaced with an Invisalign retainer.

Apparently that retainer technology is obsolete. You may get a remark to that effect from the orthodontist. I think the last round of people to get those are probably now between 25-30.

The Invisalign is something to get used to, though. Makes you feel like you're teething.
posted by pieoverdone at 1:57 PM on January 21, 2005

I popped mine out with pliers. My teeth did shift though, when my wisdom teeth came in, but they still look ok.
posted by astruc at 2:33 PM on January 21, 2005

I've got one too. I'm 24, and I've had it for probably 8 or so years. This thread has given me the courage to ask the dentist to remove it next time I go to one. I also moved away and never followed up and haven't been to the dentist since. I'm hoping that since my top teeth never moved even without wearing my top retainer ever, my bottom ones won't move when the permanent one is finally taken out. Man, it's going to be great to feel the backs of my bottom teeth again!
posted by zsazsa at 3:06 PM on January 21, 2005

I had a lower retainer from age 14 to 22 or 23. I went to my orthodontist while I was home for summer vacation, and he gave the okay to take it out. Took maybe five minutes, didn't hurt at all. (It did take a while to get used to feeling just my teeth again, but that wasn't painful, just weird.) I have no idea what that would normally cost; mine was included as part of the package my parents had already paid for. My teeth haven't moved at all since then.

If you brush and floss really well (under the wire), you'll probably be fine. The biggest problem with leaving it in is that it makes the teeth around it harder to clean. I second Medieval Maven's suggestion to ask your hygenist for their opinion next time you have a cleaning.
posted by Aster at 5:39 PM on January 21, 2005

ATTENTION: YOUR TEETH MAY BE IN DANGER

I had abandoned orthodondia in my mouth for years and years. It was installed in the early 80s. I ignored it until the bands started to fall off on their own.

Then one day as I ate a peanut butter sandwich, my left rear molar shattered. I went to a dentist, who told me that the cement used at the time my braces were put on had the effect on enamel, if left in contact for more than a couple of years, of CHEMICALLY LEACHING THE CALCIUM FROM THE TOOTH.

Go and get that shit outen yer mouth right this secont. It ain't natcherl.
posted by mwhybark at 6:15 PM on January 21, 2005

also, I may have misinterpreted what the thread's about. Please ask your dentist about the cement issue, then feel free to panic as appropriate.
posted by mwhybark at 6:17 PM on January 21, 2005

I'm 30, and have had my retainer in since I was 17. Every once in a while, I'll flash a toothy grin and someone will comment, but other than that, it doesn't bother me. A few years ago, I took a bad spill while mountain biking and landed on my mouth - hard enough to extrude lip bits through the (nonexistent) gaps in my top teeth. However, none of my teeth moved a bit - to my mind, thanks to the retainer. It's a pain to floss under, sure, but I figure it's insurance - my parents paid a lot of money so I could have nice straight teeth.
posted by notsnot at 6:49 PM on January 21, 2005

I still have the wire cemented in place as you mention. I'm 32 and it was put in when I was 14. However, if it starts to come out, I'll have it removed. I even wore my regular retainer (for my upper teeth) at night up until I was 27. (I was never told when to stop wearing my retainer.) I had some shifting of my upper teeth now as a result of not wearing it anymore, but it's hardly noticeable.
posted by cass at 10:02 AM on January 24, 2005

Thanks all very much — this thread's made me feel better (and apologies for not having posted to it in a more timely fashion; my Internet died on me a few hours after posting this and I haven't been online all weekend). Much appreciated.
posted by IshmaelGraves at 12:46 PM on January 24, 2005