Kid Retainer Help

[VillainV]

C (10) got his phase 1 braces off on Friday. He had a retainer now. Ortho said he should be wearing it as close to full-time as possible, but he probably doesn’t need to wear it at school (to avoid the risk of losing it) as long as he for sure wears it when he’s asleep and as much more of the day as he can.

1) What hours do you make your kid wear their retainer? I’m trying to decide if I should just stick to my guns about overnight and hope we eek a few more hours each day? Or should I build a habit where he puts the retainer in as soon as he gets home from school and wears it all night/overnight? I want to pick my battles, but I know the outcome is better the more he wears it.

2) How do you manage to not lose the thing and make sure it goes back in the case? I’m trying to figure out where the case should live so it’s always there when he places it and removes it. Of course it’s clear plastic with a thin metal wire, so I’m worried we’re going to lose the thing.

Any other suggestions?

[polarbearfans]

I lost my clear “day” retainer and with only the night retainer my teeth shifted too much, and was told to wear my metal “night” retainer all the time, and then I just let it go since they wouldn’t give me another clear one for day. So my teeth shifted and are not straight anymore. Pretty sure I threw the clear once away with my lunch trash at school. I would suggest having them put it in as soon as they get home because just sleep time was not enough.

[1confused1]

My son wears his retainers only at night. He puts them in right after he brushes his teeth before bed and takes them out when he get ready in the morning. They live in the containers in the bathroom so they won’t get lost. If we are traveling, he makes sure to keep the containers in his toiletry bag so they don’t get lost.

He has never worn them during the day and hasn’t had an issue with his teeth moving.

[mccallister84]

Honestly as an adult who had to go through a second round of braces and still didn’t learn her lesson and wear her retainer after the first year or so and can tell my teeth have shifted I would encourage as much as possible for the first 6 months - a year and then at night for literally the rest of his life.

[expectantsteelerfan]

My kids both have invisalign right now, which I know is not the same as a retainer, but they are supposed to wear the trays for a min. of 22 hours a day (so take out only when eating really). They are 12 and 14, and wearing it all the time, taking out to eat, rinsing mouth with water if brushing isn't an option, then putting it back in became a habit and hasn't been too hard. I did order them each a multi-pack of retainer cases so they can keep one at the table at home, in their lunch boxes, in the basement where they often snack, DD keeps one in her belt bag, I keep one in my purse, etc. But honestly, ds puts his in his pocket when he takes his out, and DD often just sets hers on a napkin at the table at home and I'm guessing just tosses it in her lunchbox at school while eating.

So I can't weight in one whether it's really worth it to make him wear it as much of the time as possible, just saying that it's possible (and my ds has ADHD so I really thought he'd be losing and forgetting his constantly). I think each kid did leave theirs somewhere once (DD left hers in her belt bag but left her whole belt bag at a friend's house, ds lost one set of his somewhere, I can't remember where), but since they only wear each tray for a week, we are told to just move on to the next week's set if they do that, so it hasn't been an issue for us at all (ds is one week 36 I think, DD more like 24).

[cereal K]

DS (9) finished phase one earlier this year. When he first got his retainer, our Doc said to wear it 24/7 except for brushing and eating for the first month or so (until our next appointment). The teeth have been so used to being moved, that they’ll move right back into the “wrong” space until they “set”. We’re down to wearing the retainer at night only.

As far as wearing the retainer to school, DS was very fastidious about making sure he kept up with it. We got a second retainer case for his book bag so he always had a place to put it. I know he used it for the first week or so - after that, I think he was just used to it, so he would put it on his lunch tray while eating.

I guess, unless you KNOW your kid is going to lose that retainer, I’d really try to have him wear it all day, every day, until you get the all-clear to move to nights only.

[minzy]

One of my girls has Invisalign and is supposed to wear it like 23.5 hrs a day. She is not that vigilant about the time after she eats, but she is overall pretty compliant. For school, we have her keep a spare case in her lunch box so she has somewhere to put them when she eats.

(…And this is a good reminder to me to wear my retainers tonight. They are almost 30 years old.)

[cereal K]

Oh - adding about the cases: we ultimately had three: one for his bathroom (that’s where he put it when brushing), one for his book bag (for lunch at school), and one for my purse (for other meals out of the house).

Mornings at home - he would brush, come down for breakfast, then go back up to brush again and put the retainer in.
Lunch at school - retainer case in his pocket for storage while eating until he was confident he’d remember without the case.
Meals out - retainer went in the case in my purse
Dinner at home - he would usually run upstairs and put the retainer in the case in the bathroom before eating, then would go brush after dinner and put his retainer back in.

[FastHands]

DS is 9 and about to get his post-expander retainer, and his ortho said after dinner/overnight is enough. Our plan is for them to just live by his toothbrush etc and we'll have him brush and pop them in right after dinner.

If your son is like mine in that he'll absolutely need braces again anyway, and shit is still shifting all over as it is, I just can't imagine that it would make a drastic difference to do it after school vs after dinner.

[lilac05]

May 5, 2024 22:12:30 GMT -5 FastHands said:

DS is 9 and about to get his post-expander retainer, and his ortho said after dinner/overnight is enough. Our plan is for them to just live by his toothbrush etc and we'll have him brush and pop them in right after dinner.

If your son is like mine in that he'll absolutely need braces again anyway, and shit is still shifting all over as it is, I just can't imagine that it would make a drastic difference to do it after school vs after dinner.

I’m guessing this advice was specifically for your child knowing that a second round of braces were coming. I had to wear my retainer essentially 24/7 for a year (minus meals and special occasions). 4 years later, I still wear it every night. If I skip a night, I can feel that my teeth shifted, even if just a little bit. This was my third time with braces.

If this is a final round of braces, this is a hill I would die on. Likely with a reminder that I *will not* pay for a second round of braces if they don’t wear their retainers as instructed by the orthodontist.

[VillainV]

May 5, 2024 22:12:30 GMT -5 FastHands said:

DS is 9 and about to get his post-expander retainer, and his ortho said after dinner/overnight is enough. Our plan is for them to just live by his toothbrush etc and we'll have him brush and pop them in right after dinner.

If your son is like mine in that he'll absolutely need braces again anyway, and shit is still shifting all over as it is, I just can't imagine that it would make a drastic difference to do it after school vs after dinner.

Yes, he is absolutely going to need a Phase 2 in 1-2 years when more of his permanent teeth have grown in. But I imagine that the more he wears the retainer now, maybe he won’t need braces for quite as long next time?

[orval]

When my ds had to wear his 24 hours, he got a retainer case like this that he clipped in his lunchbox. That way he wouldn't forget it while at school.

www.amazon.com/Xxerciz-Orthodontic-Carabiner-Protective-Invisalign/dp/B09Z616BYF

[sent]

May 6, 2024 4:43:01 GMT -5 VillainV said:

May 5, 2024 22:12:30 GMT -5 FastHands said:

DS is 9 and about to get his post-expander retainer, and his ortho said after dinner/overnight is enough. Our plan is for them to just live by his toothbrush etc and we'll have him brush and pop them in right after dinner.

If your son is like mine in that he'll absolutely need braces again anyway, and shit is still shifting all over as it is, I just can't imagine that it would make a drastic difference to do it after school vs after dinner.

Yes, he is absolutely going to need a Phase 2 in 1-2 years when more of his permanent teeth have grown in. But I imagine that the more he wears the retainer now, maybe he won’t need braces for quite as long next time?

Since he will need Phase 2 (most kids need phase 2), it's good to get into the retainer habit now. I would encourage wearing it after school and at night time now so it becomes routine. Besides retainers, braces (and aligners) require lots of compliance with other things like spending time brushing and wearing elastics. So picking the battle now would hopefully help it click for him that dental health and dental care are important parts of our health and taking care of our bodies. 

In general, teenage boys are much more difficult for us to motivate as doctors (phase 2 patients are almost always teens or very close to it). It's always a good feeling when the parents have our back and commit to reinforcing what needs to be done at home for successful orthodontic results and then maintaining those results.

I also have a 10 year old at home who was terrible with her phase 1 retainer. So I can also empathize with picking your battles. 

[eddy]

Overnight for a full year is non- negotiable. And then as best as they can do during the day. They did wear it to school and were pretty good of just keeping it in the container when not wearing.

Both of my kids have had braces so we have been through this twice. My second just got his braces off last month so this is all fresh for us as we settle into new habits. 

My youngest takes his retainer out before lunch and leaves in his desk. He keeps one case in his desk. One in his bag and then we have one at home. If we are like going out to eat or he is going to a friends house that might have food he just leaves it at home. We try to minimize the amount of times he will be taking it in and out to help not lose it.

[VillainV]

May 6, 2024 8:53:22 GMT -5 sent said:

May 6, 2024 4:43:01 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Yes, he is absolutely going to need a Phase 2 in 1-2 years when more of his permanent teeth have grown in. But I imagine that the more he wears the retainer now, maybe he won’t need braces for quite as long next time?

Since he will need Phase 2 (most kids need phase 2), it's good to get into the retainer habit now. I would encourage wearing it after school and at night time now so it becomes routine. Besides retainers, braces (and aligners) require lots of compliance with other things like spending time brushing and wearing elastics. So picking the battle now would hopefully help it click for him that dental health and dental care are important parts of our health and taking care of our bodies. 

In general, teenage boys are much more difficult for us to motivate as doctors (phase 2 patients are almost always teens or very close to it). It's always a good feeling when the parents have our back and commit to reinforcing what needs to be done at home for successful orthodontic results and then maintaining those results.

I also have a 10 year old at home who was terrible with her phase 1 retainer. So I can also empathize with picking your battles. 

I tried telling him how much I wish I had worn my retainer as a teen…and that my lack of compliance has resulted in my teeth moving enough that I now feel like I need aligners to fix some of the teeth that have shifted. But at 10, I’m sure none of that really sunk in for him.

[picksthemusic]

Following - DS gets his first round braces off in a few weeks, and I'm so nervous that his ADHD will make it hard for him to remember to put his retainer back in after lunch while at school. He has to wear it long enough so that the teeth we are waiting for to come in actually descend so it will hold his current progress.

That being said, we will be having a 'no braces' party the Friday after he gets his braces off so he can finally eat popcorn, caramel, and gummies without restrictions, haha. Of course, flossing and brushing will follow.

[wanderingback]

Since the doctor recommended for him to wear it as much as possible outside of school, I would do that.

I got my braces off at age 10, never had to do braces again and wore my retainer a lot during the first few years. Interestingly the only time I lost it was when I was out to dinner with my parents and one of us put it in a napkin and it got thrown out. I think that happened when I was 11 and I’ve had the same retainer since after it got replaced. I keep asking my dentist if I need a new retainer and he said nope, as long as it’s not painful, no need to replace! It’s been going strong for about 30 years now lol.

[jg183]

I would do after dinner until the morning

[VillainV]

May 6, 2024 12:05:44 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

Following - DS gets his first round braces off in a few weeks, and I'm so nervous that his ADHD will make it hard for him to remember to put his retainer back in after lunch while at school. He has to wear it long enough so that the teeth we are waiting for to come in actually descend so it will hold his current progress.

That being said, we will be having a 'no braces' party the Friday after he gets his braces off so he can finally eat popcorn, caramel, and gummies without restrictions, haha. Of course, flossing and brushing will follow. :)

Unfortunately C still has an appliance on the bottom teeth, so he still can’t have the really sticky stuff! But his orthodontist does give every kid a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream at the pharmacy next door every time they get braces on or off, which is a really fun treat.