You should call us as soon as possible!
And what NOT do to: Stop wearing it and assume “everything will be ok because my teeth look fine.”
Sometimes the problem is simple: the retainer has gotten loose from normal in-and-out use or a baby tooth has fallen out and the new one is growing in. Dr. Laurent has some pretty high level retainer fixing skills to adjust that for you.
Other times, the problem is more difficult: the retainer doesn’t fit because your teeth have moved. Dr. Laurent may be able to adjust the retainer, but many times we need to make a new one, or even discuss retreating your teeth by putting braces or Invisalign back on. Hopefully we don’t get to that point!
If you’ve been wearing your retainer every night, it shouldn’t all-of-a-sudden not fit. More commonly, you haven’t been wearing it as much as you should’ve and things have shifted. Or something “happened”, the retainer got dropped or the wire got trapped in the case hinge or the new puppy found it (we’ve heard a million excuses!).
Regardless of the cause, if your retainer doesn’t fit – come and see us! We’ll let you know the next steps. Give us a call at (707) 938 – 5255 if we need to check your retainer.