Is It Bad To Wear A Tight Retainer?

By: Your One and Only, Online Dental Expert - Writer, Mr. Efrain E. Silva!

A tight retainer that still fits can be perfectly okay in most cases. Just make sure that it does still fit over and is not forced over any tooth. Make sure it is still comfortable as well, which is a no – brainer. It should not be straining you to the point of pain and becoming a non – stop daily nuisance…. common sense, right? But not all people have it. I know you have some common sense, though….

Now, then, when it comes right down to the feeling of tightness being a new thing, with the same retainers you usually wear ( just a new issue that starting to pop up seemingly out of nowhere this last week ) , then keep in mind that it can be a good tightness or a bad tightness, just like the Land of Oz could either see a good witch or a bad witch ruling over it, he he he heh…. I know I got your attention there…..

Now, then, pop culture movie classics’ references aside, he heh heh, I want you to know that the issue can be normal a lot of the time… and it just implies to you that the teeth in that area of the pain have shifted a bit or altered in their position. And this correctioning can be a good thing, meaning that the retainer is doing its job and your teeth are perhaps sticking to old habits and trying to fight the changes, thus giving you some temporary, manageable pain in the mean – time. If however, the pain is unbearable, and it lingers, and it just feels too ‘painfully tight’ to even put the retainer back on, then you may have a bad witch issue, as I like to call it, he heh heh…. which would just simply mean that it now becomes a problem of re – sizing. You may need to get a new measurement and x – ray for a new fit or re – adjustments on the size and fit / placing of the retainer. Yes, it sucks to have to mold and make a new retainer for you, sometimes, but it needs to be done, if that is the case.

Yet either way, if you are not a dental pro with experience, I would always recommend a quick visit with your dental person…. they can tell you, for sure, whether you are facing a good witch or a bad witch, ha hah. Hopefully, it is a good problem, and you just need to stick it out and let the retainer continue doing its job for a bit… if such is the case, then trust me ( and your dentist or ortho guy will tell you the very same thing, too, ha hah, though I’ll tell you it first ) —- the pain will go away. It is only a matter of time. Be patient.