First time with dental retainers...

I actually had retainers for 5 years, then went from retainers to braces for a year, and then went back to retainers for another year. But all the years and the pain are worth it, cause now my teeth is nowhere near what it looked like before I started wearing retainers. Now it's straight and looks nice, unlike before where my teeth were crooked and I looked like a vampire with my fangs. LOL. I remembered my first week of using the retainers, yeah it was hard, but in a couple of days you'll get used to it. Don't take off your retainers when you eat because then you won't get used to eating with retainers. Also, I know it's painful but it will pass, and just remember it's for the goodness of your teeth. Hehe!

You know how the saying goes: No pain, no gain. I've worn retainers too and it did hurt at first. What I did was remove it for a couple of minutes to let my gums relax then pop them back on. Unlike you, I don't remember them hurting when I eat though. You might want to ask your dentist about that.

Yah, retainers are a bit uncomfortable especialy during eating and when tiny bits of food get in between your gums and the retainer, but dont worry, there are dental procedures that are much worse. I dread the time when I had a splint on. I had a locked jaw which was so painful so the dentist had to align my jaws and place a splint. I needed it on 24 hours a day so I can only partially close my mouth for one year. If you feel like you are having a bad time because of your retainers, just think that there are people feeling worse than you.. peace

I used to have my retainers but I do not need them now as my teeth are fixed already. It would be uncomfortable for the first week but it will usually get better after that. Is that the retainer which you cannot remove by yourself or is it the mobile one? Because I think that I ate with the immobile one at the beginning of the treatment but ate without the mobile one after one year as told by the dentist. She asked me to take off the mobile retainer while eating but I seldom do so because I was too lazy! Think about the result of having teeth lined up neatly within your mouth might help you to cope better with the retainer. However, do seek the help from your dentist if the pain persists.

I have my retainers in my college days. Like you, I find it hard to chew when I wore it. I find it hard to sleep as well at night with it. I end up not using it. Besides, my dentist told me that retainers have a temporary effect. Meaning that if you would remove it the teeth would go back to the time you don't have retainers yet. She said it's best to go for braces. Since I don't have enough funds for braces, I drop the idea of ever wearing it.