I got a hawley retainer in my 30s

As a warning to make sure that it won't happen to you: Due to my strong clenching, the posterior occlusal coverage intruded all of my molars resulting in a posterior open bite. My bite planes were removed from my lower plate and an anterior bite plate added to my top one to extrude the molars again.
Even that one resulted in my incisors intruding quite quickly, which means my ortho now told me to only wear my braces at max 12 hours per day. RIP my fingernails, which are suffering strongly since then.

Although my ortho said that she has never seen anything like that in her whole career before, as a word of advice, if you notice that your teeth / molars not fitting together perfectly anymore, be sure to make an appointment and let your ortho check it as soon as possible.
 
If you simply want to stop your nail biting (yeah, ok, I realise that was simply the EXCUSE!!) then a pair of simple Essix retainers will stop you biting your nails! Not as nice as a fancy removable appliance though :-(
 
Essix are easily breakable. I was offered that first ad discussed with the dentist but I thought they would break too often and be more expensive in the long run.
 
If you add up the time wasted with non fitting Hawleys, the essix is probably no worse!

 
I still have the same retainer though, so it’s hopefully going to be cheaper. Fingers crossed it won’t break whereas, having spoken to the dentist, the essix one would be more prone to breaking and easier to lose it so could end up costing more. Hawley Retainer felt like the stronger and last longer
 
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 chickened out asking for a new retainer. The one I have is ok it is doing the job and although slightly uncomfortable I can live with it. I figured as long as it is working and not adversely affecting my teeth/jaw then it’s ok. I wish I hadn’t chickened out though as there was no harm in asking for a new one. It’s for another 12 months so I would have been ok to ask. Anyway I haven’t bitten my nails and that is the first time in many years so I am happy with that. I would recommend it to anyone who has the same habit as me who has tried all the other things and it’s not worked. It’s not an ideal thing to do because it’s obviously embarrassing to wear a retainer like this but it has worked and is the only thing that has done so each to their own but it does work so if you do have the habit it is worth a try.
 
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 retainer with occlusal coverage doesn’t sit right and my bit is more open than it needs to be. As my dentist won’t go with my idea of asking the lab to make a schwartz brace top and bottom with occlusal on the top I’ve decided to go to another ortho to see if they will do it. My appointment is today. The reason I think this will work better is they will make both appliances together and hopefully take more care than when just making the retainer. I might be wrong, in which case it’s a waste of money but if I’m right it will really help as I’m not wearing the retainer because its so uncomfortable
 
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!
 
Had the appointment to get my moulds and photos done and all systems go now. Have my appointment to get the braces fitted on the 10th Aug assuming the appliances arrive in time, if not might be a wait as the ortho is on holiday for a couple of weeks after that.
 
Was supposed to have my appointment on Wednesday but they made the braces without the occlusal coverage so they had to be sent back and now my ortho is on holiday so have to wait 4 weeks until 7th September. Bit annoying but these things happen.
 
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
 
Luckily the pub was quiet but still got asked by the bar staff twice about my braces. It’s so weird. Has anyone else had braces like these as an adult? Feels so weird being so old with removable braces. I know it gets easier but such a strange thing to go through
 
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?
 
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