I’ve got an appointment with my dentist next week just a checkup but I’m going to ask her to shave a little bit of the occlusal coverage off my brace as it’s not the most comfortable at the minute. If that doesn’t work I might ask her to make a new one. Currently my teeth don’t all touch the occlusal part, just the back ones and it’s making it hard to wear. Also finding it hard to speak still and it’s been 6 months. Other than that it has been working wonders so I’m really happy about that.

I asked for a Schwartz brace top and bottom from my dentist and she said no. The retainer with occlusal coverage is ok and has 100 percent stopped me biting my nails but becuase of my bottom back tooth it means I can’t bite properly and so it’s very uncomfortable. I suggested if she makes a top and bottom brace but effectively would be the same as the retainer only with a screw I think they would make it better, maybe make it in congunction with my bottom teeth better. She was having nothing of it sadly.

My new dentist is happy to do what I asked for so I’m going in for moulds on Tuesday. Upper schwartz with occlusal and Hawley wire and lower schwartz with Hawley. She was so nice and understood why I was asking for it. Made me feel so at ease. The appliance my last ortho gave me didn’t sit right and I can’t wear it so it’s not going to work to stop me biting my nails and she won’t do the schwartz so I went to this new ortho. I’m convinced making a schwartz with both top and bottom they will make it better fitting and I can actually wear it!! My ortho seems to get it and completely understood why I was asking for this. Slightly nervous for Tuesday though!

@Retainer101 Looking forward to hearing how the appliance is and seeing some pics

Just had my appointment to get the new braces with occlusal coverage. Was very nervous going in but again my ortho made me feel a bit more relaxed by the end. Very hard to talk in these, the bottom one randomly feels particularly bulky

https://dereferer.me/?https://www.imagebam.com/view/MECRTGW

I’ve never had an expansion screw on the lower appliance before and it really makes it a lot bigger which is why I think it’s so much harder to talk. I wasn’t expecting that. The ortho noticed I had two small misalignments on both upper and lower teeth that she said she can correct both by amending the labial bows but she said I need to wear them both full time in order to do that. I was sort of fine with that at the time but now having to speak with them it’s really difficult. I am trying to wear them full time but I don’t really want to go out and about because of my speech

Thanks, I’m sure you’re right. I’m going to the local pub tonight so going to see how that goes

Excellent new braces! I guess they have to be fairly bulky to accommodate the expansion screws. Will the screws be activated as part of your treatment?

Do you have to wear the braces 24/7? if you do, I imagine your speech will adapt pretty quickly.

Did you have a choice of acrylic colour? My first hawley retainer after fixed braces in 2012/3 was clear and it got stained with coffee drinking.  When I got a replacement after losing it on holiday, I asked for transparent pink. By that point I was on nighttime wear only so I suppose staining was not really an issue anyway.

I went for a new retainer late last year and was told I had had some relapse and some loosening of two teeth through intermittent wearing of my retainer . So I have had to wear  a new retainer 24/7 for 6 months to correct the relapse then for retention and now I am gradually reducing my daily hours of wearing it down to 12 by the end of 12 months. The acrylic is pink again. There was no discussion of choice of colour but I am happy with pink and would not want a more obvious colour.  I guess if I had a bite plane or occlusal coverage, I might have asked for clear as being a little more discreet. i have not drunk tea or coffee with this retainer in, but have worn it whist drinking beer at the pub.

I remove the retainer for eating and presume you do the same?