I Haven’t Worn My Retainer In Months And It Hurts: What To Do Next
Your orthodontic experience does not end once your braces come off. Instead, now is the time to focus on wearing your retainer according to the orthodontist’s recommendations. If you haven’t worn your retainer in months, your teeth can revert back to their original positions. What should you do next if you have neglected wearing your retainer?
What Happens If I Don’t Wear My Retainer For Months?
If you have not been wearing your retainer for an extensive period of time, even for months, you should start wearing it again immediately. At this time, your teeth may have already begun to shift back to their original spots, meaning you risk injuring yourself if you try to force your retainer in. Your retainer should always fit comfortably. So, if your retainer does not fit over your teeth normally, it’s time to replace it.
Discomfort can occur just a few moments after wearing your freshly discovered retainer. If this happens, remove your retainer as soon as you can and do not attempt to put it in again. This pain indicates that your teeth have changed significantly and that continuing to wear the retainer will only result in tooth damage.
It’s recommended to schedule an appointment with your dentist to have your teeth realigned. The longer you wait to do this, the more expensive this process will be. Wearing an uncomfortable retainer can permanently harm teeth and result in the death of its nerves. This may make oral surgery a necessity.
How Frequently Should I Wear My Retainer?
While each and every orthodontist may offer different instructions, it is usually suggested that you wear your retainer every night during the first year after braces have been removed. After that time period, you can wear it 3-5 times per week instead of every night. It’s ideal to put it in at night since you will not be eating, drinking, or talking. Make sure you wear the retainer long enough to not cause any discomfort.
If you choose to wear your retainer after months of neglect, and it still fits comfortably, then you are quite fortunate. The best case scenario here is that the retainer fits – even if it’s a little tight at first. Unfortunately, if you neglect your retainer for a long time period, it’s far more likely that you’ll be unable to properly place it over your teeth.
What Is Tooth Relapse?
Unfortunately, neglecting your retainer for months may result in relapsing. Patients that lose their retainer or neglect it may notice a few things, including your bite that reverts back to its pre-orthodontic state.
For example, your teeth may squeeze forward, resulting in a noticeable overbite.
What To Do If Your Retainer Hurts
If you lose track of your retainer, your best option is to schedule an appointment with your dentist to get a replacement as soon as possible. Your teeth may shift without the presence of your retainer, but fortunately this is a very slow process.
The shifting that occurs during this short period shouldn’t be significant enough to require braces again. As long as you get to the dentist for your replacement quickly, your teeth shouldn’t experience too much shifting overall.
If your retainer does not fit once you find it, contact your dentist to make an appointment immediately. They can construct a new retainer to properly fit over your teeth.