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Do Retainers Hurt?
To keep your teeth straight and your smile charming, you wear braces for months and years. But the job is still not done once you get those braces off as you need to keep retainers on for a few months to keep those teeth in their new positions.
Retainers are temporary and removable mouth appliances that prevent teeth from shifting to their original positions after braces are out. Since braces do hurt initially and as and when they are tightened, a normal question would be whether retainers also hurt the same. We will give you answers to this question in this article.
Retainers – Do They Hurt?
Retainers work similarly to braces in changing the physical landscape of your teeth.
They might feel tight and uncomfortable in the beginning and also cause a lisp.
- Just like when you start a new exercise program, your body initially feels sore. But once it gets adjusted to the new regime, the pain goes away. Retainers work similarly.
- Your teeth which are newly freed from the tight braces are unsettled in the beginning. Your mouth does not yet have new bone tissues to keep your teeth in place. Since retainers do not let your teeth move back to the place they came from hence, they do apply slight pressure which might hurt in the beginning.
Retainers Hurt Even After A Few Weeks Of Wearing Them
If retainers hurt even after they have been worn for a few weeks, then there could be the following possible reasons:
- You did not wear your retainers as prescribed (such as at all times for a while) – If you do not follow the instructions properly the teeth might shift back, and retainers can start hurting again.
- You are not careful in inserting or removing retainers – Your retainer might bend and change shape if not inserted or removed carefully, which could cause pain.
- Your retainer is broken or damaged – If your retainer gets damaged it might have rough edges, or pieces of plastic or metal may be out of place. Hot water can also change the shape of the retainer and bend it.
Wearing retainers is a lifetime commitment, and if you do not wear them as prescribed, your teeth will come back to their old positions. Not wearing retainers consistently will cause you pain since they will not fit your mouth properly.
Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!