I am so frustrated right now. My teenager got his braces off exactly three weeks ago. He has a clear Invisalign type retainer he is supposed to be
First question: Does he have a retainer case to place it in when he's eating, or was he just hiding it in a napkin? When I got my braces off, my orthodontist gave me a case -- but my kids' orthodontist didn't, so we stopped and bought one at the drug store on the way home. The bright colored case is a reminder: NOT TRASH, whereas a napkin (especially during a busy lunch, when their priority is on friends and talking) just gets tossed with the rest of the garbage. Often proper organization can prevent a problem.
Someone suggested a permanent retainer. This isn't a bad option, especially for a young teen who isn't particularly compliant with wearing the retainer. However, the permanent retainer makes it impossible to floss properly, which leads to other problems. You can have the permanent retainer for just a few months, then switch to a removable one.
Neither of my kids ever lost a retainer, but my oldest was VERY irresponsible with her glasses when she first got them. We were not particularly forgiving, probably because -- just like your son -- she didn't seem to see it as a big deal.
Glasses? What? Do they cost money? She was only in elementary school, so working around the house was the only option. I don't remember what we took away until she'd earned the money to pay for the replacements, but I remember that she whined and cried, and it was a major source of frustration for us all. It was even worse when, only months later, she lost the replacement glasses. We found them later, laying out in the back yard -- yes, ruined. So we repeated the whole process.
She learned the second time, and from that time 'til now I can't remember her being irresponsible with any other expensive items.
See I would have laughed if he said that to me! I think it is funny. And to a teen his phone is more valuable, and in actuality depending on what type phone he has it could be more valuable. Is it? was he correct? How do you punish for being correct?
He's not correct -- not about the money, certainly not about his attitude. The retainer is the last step of orthodontic treatment that probably cost 5-7K. Failing to use the retainer is throwing away all that money (and pain and time). The phone is worth perhaps a couple hundred dollars. He's being a teen: Immature, failing to grasp priorities. Instead of laughing, I'd set him straight on the cost of things. How else do they learn?
There's a time to laugh with your kids, and there's a time to be serious. Losing an expensive item is a time to be serious.
my daughters dr told her it was a lifelong deal- stop wearing the retainer at night and teeth go back. She really only wears it every other night. At one point she didn't put it in for 2 weeks and they had to force it back onto her teeth because they had already shifted in that time so that was the last time she did that!!
