i got my retainers today, and i think its far worse than braces at times. for one i keep getting the gag reflex such that i have an urge to retch from time to time. and the worse thing is that my lower jaw seems to protrude out further; not to forget that my speech is impaired, its like i lisp very badly with a short tongue.wah... very uncomfortable. jaw's so tight and cannot shut mouth properly. its a struggle to speak clearly so after trying tediously to make every word sound normal, i cant be bothered and just string all the words together. they come out funny. the worse thing is that i have to wear it all the time save during meals and brushing teeth for ONE WHOLE YEAR and then only during the night for the second year....

for those people considering going for braces, i strongly advise against it. its simply not worth it; the discomfort one has to put up with, not to forget the time and inconvenience caused... unless your teeth are really up and down and in and out, if not, save up your 3-5k and splurge on other stuff that would bring about greater satisfaction. speaking has never been such a chore till now.