Braces/retainer

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freesolo

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hi, just have some general questions with my braces/retainer. How long does a person have to keep wearing their retainer? Ive worn mine for 2 years, and everytime i take it off the gap between my front teeth grows bigger as the day goes on. The orthodontists says its because of a muscle there.. im glad i paid him $3500!
Oh and one more question, how harmful is bleaching your teeth? and how much does it usually cost?
Thanks :D.

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the new dogma is that retention is for life.
so if your gap grows, keep that retainer in all the time!
once you can go a day w/out the gap growing, maybe you can go to just wearing it at night
but they reccommend lifetime wear at night
i wish i knew that b/c i am in braces for the 2nd time, but this time my parents are not paying!
bleaching is relatively safe, some younger people can have sensitivity.
the best is a custom tray from your dentist, but a lot of over the counter products work alright as well.
 
Just a ? On your front teeth, did anyone ever mention that you may have a large frenulum? That would keep your teeth trying to move away, and if so, you need to get that thing out so your teeth can have time to "set" which means give all the fibers that are holding your teeth apart, time to remake themselves and not put SOOO much tension on your teeth pulling them apart. I would say you will be in them for life, but probaby just at night in a year or so!!! MAKE SURE YOU GET THAT FRENULUM CHECKED, I helped with a frenectomy yesterday!!!
 
The muscle part is quite accurate.The frenum can play an important role in de-rotation or rather re-rotation of the front teeth.So youmight want to get that checked out.

Another thing is the Supra-crestal fibres,or the fibres above the crest of the bone.When a rotated tooth is de-rotated using braces,the fibres change direction too.What happens in such cases is that the fibres try to go back into their original position resulting in re-rotation of the teeth.So for some patients a surgery called as Supra-crestal fibrectomy is performed,to pervent the fibres from pulling the teeth back.

Permanent retainers are also an option,and they don't look that bad as they are permanently bonded to the front teeth on the inner aspect.You just got to keep your teeth clean.

If you have just had braces,then I would not advise bleaching.If the adhesive used for the brackets is still on the teeth giving them a yellow appearance,just get a thorough cleaning done from your orthodontist or dentist or their hygienist and the yellowness will be taken care of.

Bleaching can lead to sensitivity specially if done just after ortho treatment.So I would suggest that your avoid that for some time.

A semi-bleaching toothpaste like Periogard might help,but don't use it all the time.MAy be alternate nights only and a good anti-bacterial one like Colgate Total all the other nights and every mornings should be a good combination.

Do let us know what happens to your front teeth.But you should see your orthodontist asap!
 
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