Retainer - How long can I leave it off for?!


Question: I got my retainer (plastic one that goes over my teeth) yesterday so I'm still not comfortable wearing them yet, and I'm going out today for about 3 hours - will it be ok to leave them off till I get back. I'm just worried cause I don't know if they'll move in 3 hours! I'm probably just being paranoid but I want to be sure before I take them off!


Answers: I got my retainer (plastic one that goes over my teeth) yesterday so I'm still not comfortable wearing them yet, and I'm going out today for about 3 hours - will it be ok to leave them off till I get back. I'm just worried cause I don't know if they'll move in 3 hours! I'm probably just being paranoid but I want to be sure before I take them off!

Honestly you should keep them in at all times for the first few weeks. 3 hours isn't going to kill you, although you might have some discomfort when you put it back in afterward. Just make sure to put it back before bed or it could cause some problems and you'll have to pay for a new retainer. Nobody wants to wear a retainer, but it's better than getting braces again. Just make sure to wear it EVERY night at the start to save you some grief.

If you just got your retainer, you really should wear it all the time except for when you're eating. Over time, your need for it should lessen and you won't have to wear it as much. If you leave it out for a few hours right now, you probably will feel that your teeth moved while you had it out but the retainer will guide them back to where they were previously.

Unless you want your teeth shifting around, you need to wear your retainer all the time (unless you are eating) until your dentist tells you otherwise. I wasn't comfortable wearing my retainer when I first got it either. You will get used to it. The first 2 weeks are usually the most annoying when it comes to retainers.





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