Invisalign: The Retainers

Hallelujah! I just picked up my retainers. I have been wearing the last set of my Invisalign aligners for literally two months, since my attachments were removed in December. They were in an awful shape. I was afraid that they were so loose from all the cracks and being chewed on - they were not supporting my teeth enough to prevent them from moving back to their original spots. So finally holding my retainers in my hot little hands was a cause for celebration. ;)  

I think my case - when it comes to the super long waiting period - was not a typical one. I believe typically the retainers are ordered based on the last set of aligners, and the attachments are removed on the same day you pick up the retainers. But of course - as you may have noticed - nothing is normal in my world. I had to have the fillings replaced before the retainers were ordered to ensure that they fit over the new shapes of my teeth. I have to tell you - the dentist did a brilliant job. These fillings are on the outside of the teeth as a preventative measure. After he was finished, I had two works of art in my mouth. There is no comparison to what they looked like before.

I had to have new impressions of my bite taken and waited for another three weeks for the retainers to arrive. Luckily, they fit. Yay! 

According to the doctor (strangely enough, no one gave me any instructions, when I came to pick them up), the retainers should be worn for longer periods of time than just during sleep for the first two years after the completion of the Invisalign treatment. This is because the ligaments supporting the teeth are weakened and need time to get back to their before-Invisalign shape.

The retainers are almost the same thing as the regular Invisalign aligners, only a little sturdier. They come in a set with another case, some cleaning crystals, and three booklets of instructions. 

Once you run out, you can reorder the cleaning crystals online. However, all along I have been using denture cleaning tablets from the 99cent store to clean my aligners. They actually work much better than I expected, so I am sure they will work for the retainers just as well. Retainers are to be replaced about once a year, depending on the condition they are in.

One of my biggest fears was the fact that the retainers may not fit, if I need to have dental work done in the future. However, the dental assistant assured me that minor dental work, such as a small filling, usually does not affect the shape of the teeth enough. However, if I need to have major work done, such as a crown, I should bring the retainers and the crown can be shaped to fit the retainers. 

BOTTOM LINE: I am happy this process is done and over with. There were way too many bumps in the road and the entire journey took much more and much longer than I expected. So… now that the project is in the post-implementation phase, it is time to document lessons learned...

You may also like: 

     Preparedness: Wisdom Teeth Extraction

     Invisalign: Let the Journey Begin

     Invisalign: Getting the Attachments

     The Challenge of Invisalign: What no one tells you
     The Challenge of Invisalign: One Year Update 
     Invisalign: Removal of the Attachments
     What to Expect When You are Getting Zoom-ed