I'm 55 years old. I wore braces and head gear for severe overbite in my early teens and wore my retainers into my early 20's.

Dear linamrud,Thank you for posting your question on Real Self. I will do my best to answer your question with the information given. First, I would highly recommend visiting an orthodontist who can gather the necessary information to provide you with the treatment options that suit your...

A lot depends on what the condition of your teeth were before orthodontic treatment and what type of orthodontic treatment was utilized to straighten your teeth. But my experience (25+ years) has shown that if you don't wear a lower retainer, the lower front teeth will begin to shift over time....

Yes, it is possible to rotate a canine 180 degrees. However, it will take a significant amount of time. The process would involve bonding brackets or "buttons" to the front and/or back of the tooth. Elastics would be tied to these attachments to help rotate the tooth. Periodically these brackets...

First off, I am thrilled to hear that you are still wearing your retainers -- this is wonderful!  You can try to clean it by soaking it in a glass of water with a denture cleaning tablet (for example, Polident). This is usually the best way to clean it. You can even do this once a week to...

It sounds like you are dedicated to wearing your retainers which is great. Most likely, a week won't cause any problems. If you feel like the retainers are tight when you put them on, wear them more often until you get back to that normal retainer feeling. Some people have teeth that tend to...

While he is correct to be removing teeth to try to achieve this goal, it is HIGHLY unlikely that braces alone will work.  Also, constricting the size of the arch of teeth normally results in less space for the tongue and causes sleep disordered breathing (sleep apnea).You are MUCH better...