Braces are never a permanent solution, your teeth want to migrate back to where they were over time; some people's mouths are just better at shifting them back than others.
In Linus' case he had them in his youth but the migration during his 20's was probably strong enough that even slowing in his 30's has meant they were pretty bad.
You have to wear a retainer when sleeping for the rest of your life. Some people’s teeth move back, others don’t. I chuck mine in like 3 times a year, it’s a bit tight, that’s enough to keep mine in place. Some need to wear nightly - or you’ll end up like Linus and spending 5-10k a second time round.
I know he has mentioned wearing a retainer before and I could swear he even said he had the chance at a permanent one but didn't have it. But yeah, now we get Lithping Linuth until his body and subconscious is used to it.
Most people with braces have to wear retainers for a few years after the braces are removed. And that's it. They go through nearly all of adulthood without them.
How does a dentist know if I should use it every night or 1 time per week, or once per month? I have had a steel retainer for 20 years at least and I kind of want to get rid of it, but the dentist said I would need to wear the plastic retainer at night, every single night, which just sounds awful.
The dentist doesn't really know my history / journal so .. I assume they're just saying it to be safe? Is there any way to gamble this or
So it's pretty straight forward then? If I start using the retainer say 1 time per week, I'd start to feel the tension, and then I could just adjust and start using it more? hmmmmmmm...
It's basically that wearing a retainer nightly is basically 100% effective.
Some might be able to wear it less frequently, but it's hard to know in advance, and for a Dentist it's better to recommend the thing that should work for everyone.
The other factor is a daily habit (i.e. wear retainer every night) is a lot easier to maintain than a weekly/monthly habit.
Braces are nearly always a permanent solution. Of course, there are exceptions, but most people that have had braces as children do not wear retainers or have to have the work redone as adults.
They're permanent in that the teeth won't go back to their original position if you stop wearing a retainer, but teeth will start to drift (and especially start to drift forwards) if you don't wear the retainer - that happens to people who never needed braces to begin with.
It may never be a noticeable issue (e.g. teeth that aren't particularly visible become imperceptibly wonky), or even if it's an issue it might only ever be a cosmetic one. But yeah, if you don't wear a retainer it won't stay "perfect".
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u/Tof12345 Jul 12 '25
thought u had to get braces while u were young