‘Retainers For Life’

Have you ever wondered what retainers think about when you lay them down to rest in their case at day? It is not pleasant! Think about the most chilling night terrors that you have ever had. Like the one where you were just laying there in your case. You hear the case pop open and think that its off to work I go! Until….”why is this tongue extra slobbery today? It’s a dog! (Crunch, crack)…..my leg!”

Or the one where your human takes you out and puts you to rest but then you realize that this isn’t the nice hard bed that you are used to. It’s the soft, fluffy bed that you can’t get a wink of rest in. The one your human calls a napkin! You think to yourself, “this will all be over soon. Think happy thoughts.” But then your happy thoughts run dry and you never see the light of day again.

Terrifying, I know! This is the harsh reality that many retainers out their face on a daily basis. Here are the top 5 reasons we hear that our retainers need to be replaced.

1. My dog ate it
2. I wrapped it in a napkin and accidently through it in the trash
3. I was playing with it or chewing on it and it broke
4. I lost it while on vacation
5. I didn’t wear it for a while (likely on vacation) and now it does not fit
6. Bonus one we heard yesterday that was quite interesting: My mom ran it over with the car

With anything in life, I always seek to understand. Placing myself in this mindset has helped me to identify and adapt to a lot of the challenges that come with getting an adolescent to cooperate during orthodontic treatment. I can even recall my own adolescent years and will admit that with sports, school, girls, and the rest of the high school happenings; proper retainer care was not a priority for me. I said it! I’ve lost retainers. Plural! I remember the fear that sunk into my heart when I had to tell my dad. Then the hours of chores that I had to do to pay it off (yes, my dad is an orthodontist as well). And let’s not act like we as adults have not had slip ups and lost or broke our retainers. What I’m trying to say is, I understand. We worked hard to get you that beautiful smile. We, meaning the LTO team but mostly YOU! I know the discipline and sacrifice that goes into successful orthodontic treatment. I want your teeth to stay straight as much you (or your parents) want them to. Pointing my finger at you, the patient, would be the easy thing to do but I know we can do better. This is why we created our ‘Retainers For Life’ program.

‘Retainers For Life’ is like an insurance plan for retainers. When you have your braces removed, we deliver you one set of retainers that are included in your comprehensive fee. With proper care, these retainers should last you at least 3 years. I often see people back that have the same retainer 10 or more years later. However, things happen, and the retainer may become lost or broken. In the event that they do, you would normally have to come in and pay to have new ones made. To have a single retainer made would cost between $200-$300 depending on the type that is needed and if any minor tooth movement corrections are needed. If you need both upper and lower retainers replaced, then this would put you at $400-$600 for a new set of retainers. To enroll to our ‘Retainers For Life’ program cost only $680! With enrollment, you are able to replace broken or missing retainers up to four times each year and at a copay of only $20. This becomes a no-brainer as it nearly pays for itself in the first replacement.

Why do we love ‘Retainer For Life’?

This is not a money maker for us. We take a lot of pride in the work we do here. We want nothing more than to have you bring your children here 20 years later and see that your smile is still as pristine as we left it. With ‘Retainers For Life’

• We can avoid WWIII in your household as retainer replacement is not such a big deal anymore.
• Since retainer replacement is not as big of a deal, your child will not be afraid to tell you that the retainer is broke or lost and you will be able to get them in to see us promptly.
• Now that you are able to get in to see us right away, your teeth will not shift because we can quickly make you a new retainer to preserve your smile.
• Note that ‘Retainers For Life’ does not cover any tooth movements that may have occurred if you do not wear your retainer or if you wait too long to get back into our office
• Also note; feel free to make your child feel as guilty as you wish. You can tell them it cost $1000 if you like. Chores are also optional and recommended 😉
• We get to see you again and hear about all the great places that you have taken your smile.

There is tremendous value in this program, and we are excited to extend this opportunity to all of our LTO family. If you have more questions regarding ‘Retainers For Life’ please contact us here or call/text us at 586-286-5520.

Gerald W. Wesley, DDS,MS