“I forgot my retainer for 2.5 weeks will it still fit? ”
I’ve had my braces off for about 3.5years now. Usually I wear my retainer every 3-5 days and it fits perfectly fine. Sometimes I’ve forgotten to wear it for a week+ and it’s been a little tight.
I’m on holiday for 15 days and I didn’t wear it a few days prior to leaving.
Will it still fit when I get back ?
I’m on holiday for 15 days and I didn’t wear it a few days prior to leaving.
Will it still fit when I get back ?
Male | 19 years old
Complaint duration: 20
10 Answers
You will feel it’s a little tight because the teeth start to shift. Try to force it inside so the retainer can return the teeth to the right place.
It may fit or it may not. If it does, wear if every night for a week and then go to your normal routine and if it does not, get a new retainer made ASAP
You should wear your retainer as instructed by your professional Orthodontist. The standard is to wear them every night (8-12 hours) for life time. If you forget to wear retainers for 2.5 weeks you might feel pressure when you place your retainers back into your mouth because your teeth have memory properties and they will always try to move or shift back. Recommendation are to try to wear the same retainer and try to force it in in order to make the retainer fit all the way in and take some pain medication (ibuprofen) to alleviate the pressure or slight pain for a couple of days and at the same time wear the retainer full time for a couple of days until all comes back together. If the retainer does not fit well it means that teeth have shited or moved more than expected and now you have to contact your Orthodontist to evaluate you if you need a re-treatment or a new pair of retainers.
I would hope it would still fit but I would expect it to be tight. You may need to use chewies to help seat the retainer all the way incase it does not sit on your teeth all the way (if you have the clear retainers).
I recommend that you set up an appointment with your orthodontist and have them evaluate the retainer fit if you feel that the fit has recently changed.
I recommend that you set up an appointment with your orthodontist and have them evaluate the retainer fit if you feel that the fit has recently changed.
Dr. Yoram Kohanzadeh
Orthodontist
It depends on the type of retainer.
Usually if you try to wear it a solid 2 weeks (20 hours a day) and it is a
clear retainer, you should get a good amount of improvement, but there is
Usually if you try to wear it a solid 2 weeks (20 hours a day) and it is a
clear retainer, you should get a good amount of improvement, but there is
After 3 + years post-treatment, your retainer should fit OK after 2 weeks off because you have been tapering off to several nights/week without a problem. If it does not quite fit perfectly go back to your orthodontist and have him/her do the minor trimming of the acrylic to make it fit, if it is a clear tray retainer keep it in all day for a day or two until it seats back to normal, kinda bite it back in place. sounds like you are a conscientious patient.
Hello! Most probably it will not fit as good as it should. It is better to let your orthodontist check and fabricate if needed new retainer.
It’s possible that retainer still fits. You can try them and find out.
I would just try seating them as soon as I get back. It will probably be really tight at first but I would wear full time for about a month and go back to wearing them nightly after that. Youi want to wear them nightly so that you form a habit of putting them in daily so you won't have these gaps in wearing them. It's easy to forget something that is not in your normal daily routine and realize weeks later that you haven't worn them. Good luck!
Hi!
Thank you for you questions.
Basically, as we get older our teeth move, that is mother nature! There is a high chance the retainers will be a bit tight due to mild movements (teeth feel comfortable were they were before braces and teeth will be fighting to go back to their original positioned). If retainers are too snug, my advised will be to wear them full time (remove them to eat, drink -unless cold plain water- and brush) for a whole month; this will move them back to the retainers final positioned, and then switch to nights only for lifetime. Hope these help. Thanks!
Thank you for you questions.
Basically, as we get older our teeth move, that is mother nature! There is a high chance the retainers will be a bit tight due to mild movements (teeth feel comfortable were they were before braces and teeth will be fighting to go back to their original positioned). If retainers are too snug, my advised will be to wear them full time (remove them to eat, drink -unless cold plain water- and brush) for a whole month; this will move them back to the retainers final positioned, and then switch to nights only for lifetime. Hope these help. Thanks!
