Had my braces off about 3 years ago and got stuck with a permanent (glued-in) retainer on the bottom teeth, plus a clear removable one for the top at night. Honestly, the permanent one is kind of annoying—flossing is a pain and sometimes stuff just gets stuck in there. The removable one is easier, but I forget it sometimes (oops). Anyone else have both? Do you find the glued-in worth the hassle, or am I just being dramatic?
I’m in the exact same boat and honestly, I don’t think you’re being dramatic at all. The glued-in retainer feels like a tiny metal prison for my teeth. Every time I try to floss, it’s like a mini obstacle course—threaders, weird angles, and half the time I just want to give up. I’m always worried I’ll mess it up and then my teeth will go rogue and shift overnight or something.
The clear one for the top is way easier, but yeah, remembering to wear it is another story. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night in a panic because I forgot to put it in… then spend ten minutes convincing myself my teeth haven’t already moved.
Honestly, part of me wishes they’d just let me do the removable ones for both top and bottom, but then again, knowing myself, I’d probably forget both half the time. The glued-in one is annoying but at least it’s always doing its job (even if it makes eating popcorn basically impossible). Not sure there’s a perfect answer—just a lot of slightly annoying options.
I hear you on the flossing struggle—threaders are such a pain, and I always feel like I’m about to snap the wire off if I’m not careful. What’s weird is, my bottom glued-in retainer actually popped loose once after a few years, and honestly, I didn’t even notice right away. My teeth barely shifted, but I still panicked and got it reattached. I do miss eating apples without worrying, though. The removable ones are more convenient, but I’d probably lose them within a week...
The removable ones are more convenient, but I’d probably lose them within a week...
Same here. I like the idea of popping retainers in and out, but honestly, I'd misplace them for sure. The glued-in wire is annoying for flossing, but at least it's always there doing its job. I do get nervous about biting into anything crunchy though—had mine come loose once too, and didn't notice until my dentist pointed it out. Teeth barely moved, but now I'm paranoid about checking it all the time.
Yeah, I get what you mean about the glued-in retainer being a pain. Flossing around that thing is basically a mini workout for your patience. I’ve got the same setup—bottom wire, top clear tray. I’m always paranoid something’s stuck in the bottom one after I eat, but at least I never have to worry about losing it or forgetting to wear it.
That said, the removable one is way easier for cleaning and just feels better at night. Only problem is, I’m terrible at remembering to put it in if I’m tired or get distracted. Then I wake up like “crap, hope my teeth didn’t shift.” Hasn’t happened yet, but it’s always in the back of my mind.
Honestly, if I had to pick one, I’d probably stick with the glued-in just because it’s foolproof (even if it’s annoying). The whole losing/forgetting thing would stress me out more than dealing with floss threaders and random bits of food getting stuck.
I do miss just being able to floss normally though. Sometimes I think about asking my ortho if I can get rid of the wire, but then I remember how much my teeth moved before braces and nope… not risking that again.
