I was put out for my wisdom teeth as well, but only had the bottom two pulled. Apparently they were both stradling nerve. Tricky. Signing the little waiver about probable permanent loss of feeling wasn't fun either.
Four years of braces for me. All at once. I never got a retainer when the came off. More of a "thanks, here's the door, you don't need to come back". They've pretty much stayed put.
