Getting braces off...?!

Getting braces off...?

I'm supposed to be getting my braces off (YAY!) next thursday. My sister got hers off a few years ago and now she has one of those transparent night braces that are like a mold of her teeth, to keep them in place. It works for her, but the dentist said those are old news and that nowadays they put a kind of wire on the back of your teeth to keep them in place. Has anyone got this wire or know of anyone with it, and does it work? Is it comfy?

I'm speaking from a professional viewpoint being an orthodontist. The clear plastic retainers are the way forward and I use them almost exclusively these days. I used to fit the wire ones but they had a habit of coming adrift and my patients would not realise until they noticed a tooth had drifted out of position, by which time of course it was sometimes too late to do anything about it. If you break or lose the other type of retainer then obviously you know straight away and you can get some new ones rom your orthodontist. The wire retainers (or bonded retainers) are more difficult to keep clean, and can sometimes cause a build up of calculus (tartar). Removable night time retainers puts YOU firmly in control of your own retention regime. All my patients accept it happily and thee is very rarely a discomfort issue - if there is then it's generally due to the retainer not being worn as instructed. With some people, you can scale down the amount of wear after a few months to maybe a couple of times a week but obviously you need to be guided by a professional as everyone is different. I always tell my patients that retention should continue for as long as you want to keep your lovely new smile. We have a great advantage in orthodontics that we can virtually guarantee our results long term with the simple expediant of popping a retainer in overnight.Hope that answers your question.