About retainers?

Okay. My teeth are VERY healthy and VERY straight. The only flaw I guess you could say are the gaps between my teeth. Now, my family could NEVER afford braces even with insurance. My dentist said I could get a retainer for my top teeth and those are not expensive. How much does a metal single retainer cost, only like for your upper teeth? And also, when you get a retainer, will the Ortho try to lead you into getting braces? Or can you just wear the retainer until your gaps pull together? This is what I want- JUST a retainer, no braces, how much it is, and ALSO- do they work?

About retainers?
The retainer your dentist was talking about is called a spring aligner. It would probably cost a couple hundred dollars. Go to an orthodontist and ask if that would fix your problem. Since your dentist seems to think it would work, it probably will.





The way a spring aligner works is the ortho takes a mold of your teeth and sends it to a lab. The lab then cuts the teeth off the mold and sets them in the position where you (and the ortho) want them to be. Then, they make the spring aligner (which looks very similar to a regualr retainer) to the corrected tooth positions. Then, when you get the aligner, it will slowly move your teeth to their more ideal positions. It's possible when you close gaps with a spring aligner, there may end up with some space (but further back in your mouth). Go for a free consult and ask your questions. If the ortho pushes you for braces without any good reason, go to another ortho.





The spring aligner will work but you have to wear it 24 hours a day while you want your teeth to move, then once they're moved you'll wear the same aligner at night as a retainer.
Reply:about $300. and im not sure if they would work because braces need to be adjusted every month and your retainer will stay the same the whole time. From what i know, retainers just keep your teeth straight.