upper braces and retainers
By hereandthere
@hereandthere (45628)
Philippines
February 14, 2019 5:31am CST
i've met or seen people with nice smiles, but when they start talking, only the upper teeth are straight and close together.
the lower teeth are crooked or crowded or with small gaps.
you can't help noticing the contrast - or maybe i'm just too observant for comfort.
i began to wonder if they only had braces for their upper teeth to give them a nice smile.
i guess it also saves on cost.
the pain and discomfort are probably lesser, too.
but wouldn't it result to an imbalance or something?
i notice this in people aged 20s to 30s.
also, is it true that if you don't wear your retainers, your teeth will move back to its crooked positions?
how long are you supposed to wear them to make them stay straight permanently?
19 people like this
20 responses
@toniganzon (77084)
• Philippines
16 Feb 19
It all depends on the condition of the teeth of whether a retainer is needed or not. Only an orthodontist can actually answer this question to your satisfaction.
3 people like this
@toniganzon (77084)
• Philippines
17 Feb 19
@hereandthere That's right and an orthodontist know way much more better as they know all cases of the teeth. They studied that.
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
21 Feb 19
i never wore my retainer-and they never moved.if anything,after 5 years of braces they were so close i had a hard time flossing.
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
22 Feb 19
@hereandthere yea they were on way too long.my dad had to threaten stop payment to get the guy to remove them.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
21 Feb 19
5 years? wow. i guess you'd have to have regular cleaning if they're that close you can't floss them
1 person likes this
@much2say (57760)
• Los Angeles, California
26 Feb 19
My dentist told me that even if you had braces, as you get older, your teeth want to go back to its original position. My upper teeth seem to be ok . . . but the bottom ones I can tell are beginning to crowd. She says older teeth also tend to crowd inwards apparently . . . in fact she told me I should go see an orthodontist to fix that because it may affect my bite down the road (oh help). You are supposed to wear your retainers . . . but really who wants to do that all their lives, right?
1 person likes this
@much2say (57760)
• Los Angeles, California
26 Feb 19
@hereandthere Interesting! Maybe it's in the genes, or how much was actually done to the teeth. I have a small mouth and had a lot of permanent teeth removed before I had braces . . . maybe I have that extra room for the remaining teeth to move around in 
?
?1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
26 Feb 19
i thought so, too, but some never did/never told to as some of the responses here show.
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23660)
•
26 Feb 19
Thankfully I have a fine set of teeth that needed no retainers or braces. I wouldn't really know as my boys also have good teeth. However, it looks painful to me.. I have never noticed anyone with just the upper teeth straightened out. Most people have it on both the upper and lower teeth.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
26 Feb 19
in the past, i also saw both - upper and lower. this trend of perfect upper teeth, but crowded lower teeth seems to be recent here.
i do appreciate that we all seemed to have inherited our father's teeth. not perfect, but very sturdy - for lack of a better word.
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23660)
•
26 Feb 19
@hereandthere Maybe I am not a keen observer as you are. 
Yeah those darn things are really expensive.
Yeah those darn things are really expensive.1 person likes this
@cupkitties (7421)
• United States
14 Feb 19
Maybe some sort of trend, like Japanese yaeba?
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
15 Feb 19
i remember that trend, but it didn't catch on here.
what i see here are nice straight upper teeth, but crowded lower teeth.
1 person likes this
@jobelbojel (36796)
• Philippines
23 Feb 19
I am not sure if it is going to go back if removed.
1 person likes this
@Letranknight2015 (52665)
• Philippines
22 Feb 19
Never had braces, I guess it's too late to have those now.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
22 Feb 19
i never had them, either, but now you can have them even if you're older.
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
14 Feb 19
really? i thought retainers were required.
and now i just learned you have the option of permanent retainers behind your teeth.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381837)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Feb 19
@hereandthere I really don't know. I only know our son doesn't have retainers.
1 person likes this
@janethwayne (5191)
• Philippines
24 Feb 19
My daughters teeth are not straight but I did not agree to put braces or retainers because they said it is painful for you to wear.But they have a good teeth but just not really straight and not that bad either.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Feb 19
it depends on how supercrowded they are. what's more important are dental hygiene and regular checkups.
@simplfred (20641)
• Philippines
14 Feb 19
Since I am not using one. I just don't know what's the use of retainers.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
14 Feb 19
i never had them also.
i was just wondering because in the past, braces were put in both upper and lower teeth, so maybe it's now okay to just fix the upper, but leave the lower crooked or with gaps
1 person likes this
@jvicentevalera (13671)
• Santiago, Chile
14 Feb 19
depends on every person's case. I wore them for a year and a half, I must say my orthodontist was a good one! I had braces on the upper and bottom teeth. I also have retainers, but they are behind my teeth so people will never notice them. Now I smile comfortly and my self-steem has increased noticeably!
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
15 Feb 19
so you're already an adult when you had your braces?
is it true the retainers behind the teeth is permanent?
1 person likes this
@jvicentevalera (13671)
• Santiago, Chile
15 Feb 19
@hereandthere Yeah I was an adult, i was 20 years old when I wore them. And yes, they're there forever, every now and then you have to go to the orthodontist so they check them out. In addition I have to say retainers are neither bothering, nor uncomfortable when speaking, totally recommended!
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
14 Feb 19
only our youngest sibling had braces because her teeth were very crowded.
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
14 Feb 19
They say it really hurts when you have braces. Young people usually have it if they ca afford it.
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20254)
•
21 Feb 19
I was attracted to a man once until I came closer one day and found out that he got discolored & bad teeth. Isn't that interesting? (people with retainers, told me that they have to keep wearing them to bed every night forever and ever 
.)
(people with retainers, told me that they have to keep wearing them to bed every night forever and ever .)
@Black16bunny (1)
•
15 Feb 19
I had a braces up and down, I had glued retainers. I peeled off from up, I still have it on my down teeth. Unfortunately, the lower teeth curved themselves, despite retention plates and wires. It probably depends on the nature of the teeth
