when i was young my left front tooth was pushed to side by acsident and now i am 12 years old and i still have a gap in my front teeth. the gap has gotten smaller but i think it will take about 3 more year untill it will close completly. i was wondering what is the best option to fix my gap?

umm not tottaly sure cuz im dealing with a simualar sition i got a gap in my teeth to but im almost 17 years old. so iom going to to go talk to a dentist.. you should to..

The cheapest way to do it is to either have the gap bonded by a cosmetic dentist or to wear teeth effect bands and when the gap is closed go and have a plastic retainer made from any orthodontist so you can wear to stop it reopening. Teeth effect bands work if you use them properly but not long term as the constant back and forth motion if the gap reopens can damage the roots. The plastic retainers for each arch cost about £120 but they are worth the investment and will last years if you are willing to cooperate with them.

in the phillipines ,how much is the retainer??thankss.more power.

Will I have to pay for new retainers due to wear and tear of my current ones – small hole and substantial cracks.

Hi It is more than likely there will be an additional payment, but this maybe reduced if your dentist or you have your finished models (or simulation if you had Invisalign). I definitely recommend having some new retainers made as soon as possible as it sounds like your current set may not be holding everything in place as they are worn, plus as you have probably invested some time and money into getting your teeth straight it would be a shame to let things relapse! Good luck

Yeah Damien Giselle is right. When you get tears and holes and cracks in your retainers this is a sign you need them replaced. Usually most practices who offer orthodontic treatment will replace your retainers for free up to a year after treatment but after this time you have to pay. Each arch for an Essix plastic retainer costs around £120 -£150 but if worn right (and you don’t grind your teeth on them) they should last a very long time. As Giselle says, its worth the investment as it will keep your smile straight and you don’t want to be undoing that!.

I’ve had to have my Essix retainer replaced to maintain orthodontic results but despite showing the orthodontist my old one, the retainer the orthodontist is making is making my gums severely iritated and causing them to recede. I’m getting fed up as i’ve never had a problem with them before and i’m having to pay £150 each time for him to do them again for me as he just can’t get it right. The practice are getting fed up with me going back to complain but I cannot wear something that is damaging my gums and feel I am wasting my money. Whats the best thing to do? If I complain again I know they will refuse to treat me anymore.

I have recently had my fixed braces removed and given an essix retainer to wear full time. I have, however managed to snap it in half. I have been looking everywhere to try and find a price for a replacement one. I’m guessing my orthodontist have kept my mould used for my current, snapped retainer. Could you please tell me how much a replacement could cost me?(Even a guess would be great,thanks!)

Anything from £100 to £200 depending on quality and speed of delivery Usually a new impression is required You’ll need one immediately so I@d go back to your dentist asap! best wishes

Hello I completed Invisalign treatment about 3 months ago and have a wire bond fixed to the back of my front teeth. I have also been given an Essix retainer that fit over the wire. Unfortunately, the Essix retainer has split and I cannot afford a new one just yet. I did feel as though having both retainers gave me an extra guarantee that my teeth wouldn’t move back. I rang my dentist and the reception said that even with a fixed wire, I would need a retainer. I’m not sure whether this is true. Please help Many Thanks

Yes the advice you have been given is absolutely correct. You should ahve both retainers, ideally for life Kind regards

Yep for absolute assurance that your teeth will not move for the rest of your life, get a bonded wire upper and lower and an upper and lower essix retainer. It’s like a double lock for your door. I would get two Essix’s made so if you lose one you can use the other till you can afford another replacement. No matter how many years since your braces were off, wear the Essix 3 nights a week long term for the rest of your life and if your bonded breaks wear it 24/7 till you get to an orthodontist. I am very passionate about retention but I do worry when I go on holiday as if I lose my Essix then i’m stressing as I fear my teeth will move!! Oh and if you can, its a good idea to just put a bit of money on the side purely for dental stuff if you are passionate about retention – if you do need assistance, the funds will be there! Stay safe People.

i’ve accidentally stood on one of my aligners and now it is bent out of shape. I can get it into my mouth but it feels a little strange. I was meant to have another week wearing this aligner, should I continue with it or should I move onto the next one? thank you for any help you can give

It would not be a problem to change to the next one and wear it longer

i had a brace when i was about 15 and I am now 27 and all the hard work made seems to have been lost, because i wasnt given a retainer. My front tooth gaps have appeared again, making me feel incredibly self conscious once again. Would invisalign be a good brace to solve my problem and does it come with a retainer? thank you

Invisalign would be a great alternative and should come with 3 retainers

hello i’ve lost one of my aligners and i still have about a weeks left of wearing. do you think i will be ok moving on to the next aligner even though i have lost this one? thank you for any advice you can give

yes you may move onto the next one

Hi, i had braces back when i was younger but after my wisdom teeth came out my teeth became messed up again. I really don’t want metal braces again and really like the idea of invisalign would they be suitable for me, as there’s only been a slight amount of movement with my teeth and also when the treatment is over would that last for the rest of my life? many thanks

Hello, the Invisalign brace system would be suitable for your case and to ensure that it lasts for a lifetime once your treatment is completed you would have to wear retainers to ensure that your teeth do not relapse
hope that helps

Yep absolutely. After any orthodontic treatment, whether it be invisalign or with traditional metal braces we MUST wear the retainers for the rest of our lives to prevent relapse. A lot of people have orthodontic treatment, wear their retainers as instructed by their orthodontist but after a time when its up to them how often they wear them, they seem to forget or neglect to wear them and so inevitably the teeth move and then treatment needs to be redone (spending alot more money and your time!). Teeth unfortunately are not set in stone in our mouths and with aging and the changing of the face they can move (even if we haven’t had orthodontic treatment!) In fact, after discovering this information alot of orthodontists now are trying to get people to purchase essix retainers purely so that their straight teeth in thier 20’s will not change as we age!

As I am told retention is for life, I do have a funny image of myself at 80 years old hobbling into an orthodontist with a walking stick and asking a retainer to be made using my precious pension pennies but by that time I think I will have most of my teeth being false!

But yes, to all questions regarding keeping the teeth straight after treatment, they will only stay straight if you wear the retainers forever – it will be very rare to get a case where the teeth have never moved since finishing treatment and even if they don’t move for a year post treatment they can move eventually.

My invisalign aligners are fitting really weirdly at the moment and feel slightly looser on one side of my mouth in comparison to the other. Is this normal? I am a little worried and just thought it best to ask just incase the invisalign isn’t working properly and my teeth aren’t being straightened completely. Do you think I have anything to worried about? thanks

As long as the aligners are fitting very close to your teeth then it is ok if you are worried go and see your dentist.

Hi, I have recently been to an orthodontist, and have been given a quote, had moulds etc taken and yesturday they put a couple of elastic around a couple of teeth to make some space. I have to go back in a few days to have another impression for soemthing for the roof of my mouth, will this be like a click in brace that will make me talk funny? I have a complex case and have 3 appointments until I actually have my train tracks put in, will the orthodontist take any of the teeth out or put fillings in, or will I have to go 2 the dentist for these?

Sorry you’re better to speak to your orthodontist regarding specifics

can i get a set of fixed aligners, once i have finished my invisalign treatment? and does that come as part of the invisalign price? I would prefer a fixed retainer to a removable one, if that is possible. thank you

Hi, Fixed retainers can indeed be used after your Invisalign treatment is complete. Whether they can be used to retain both the upper and lower arch is very much dependent upon the final tooth positions achieved but your Invisalign Doctor will be able to advise you of this. Retainers may or may not be included in your Invisalign fee depending upon your Invisalign Practice Policy.

I read on a blog that you have to wear retainers at night for the REST OF YOUR LIFE!?!?! This surely can’t be true.

Well sort of. Your teeth can drift naturally through processes such as pen biting, clenching, grinding etc. Overcrowded/spaced teeth have some memory so when straightened, they may drift naturally. I recommend a good fitting Invisalign retainer worn at night once a week at least, or fortnightly 2 years after treatment has finished. Why do I say this? Because 80% of my consults that walk through the door, have had metal braces and only short term retainer wear.

Teeth can shift with age even if you have’nt had treatment so someone who has perfectly straight teeth in their 20’s can find they have changed by the time they reach their 60’s. Research has shown that the only way to reduce this process is to retain the teeth for life. It’s not that difficult really. I’ve been doing it for 10 years now. It’s a bit like how if you need to wear contact lenses and when exercising the more you do it the easier it gets. It depends on the wishes of the individual though. If they want to keep the teeth perfectly straight you’d need to continuously wear a retainer say once a week for as long as possible but if not retained there will be some movement which the individual may be willing to sacrifice. To me it’s easier to just get into the habit of wearing the retainer. It’s not worth the emotional and social upset by letting the teeth go crooked again.

Hello Is it possible to straighten teeth that are crossed over with invsialign braces? My two front teeth have slowly put surely began to move, which i think is due to my wisdom teeth coming through. I was very happy with my teeth before and although it is only a small problem i would like to get my smile back to what it once was. Do you think invisalign is the treatment for me? thanks for your time

Hi Yes it is possible to uncross front teeth with Invisalign and it sounds that they have only just crossed over so shouldn’t take too long. You’ll need to be assessed for where we get the space for these tooth to move into….I recommend a consult with an Invisalign Platinum Elite dentist to discuss all of this. Good luck

Can I drink water with my retainers? and how do I clean my retainers? Can I just use a normal toothbrush and brush it gently? My gum got cut when they took off my braces, its a little piece just dangling, should I brush my teeth normally?

You can drink water with your retainers and do brush your teeth normally. You can clean your retainers with a nailbrush and liquid hand soap, rinse them and then let them soak in water with a retainer cleaning tablet. Hope that helps, Vasileia.

Hi, I got braces taken off three years ago.I got the braces when i was 16 and got them taken off just before i turned 19.However, I had a slight gap in between my front two teeth when the braces were removed. Since then (now 21) I have noticed my teeth have moved and the gap is now very much visible and i can see a gap forming beside the next tooth to the front one also. I did not get braces in the UK but however Ive been living here over a year studying. I am considering looking into maybe getting a brace again on my top teeth. Would 6 month braces be the correct option? If so how much would it cost?

Alijah, I think the best thing to do is to go to a couple of orthodontic consultations and see what they can do for you, if it’s just gaps you may only need a short treatment of invisilign which can close the gaps OR you can use teeth effect bands to close the gaps and then get a retainer made to keep the teeth in the positions they are in. As a word of advice though, be sure to wear your retainers on a continous basis if you want the teeth to stay in their completed positions when you are happy with them. They’ll shift if you dont – good luck!