In this blog post, we’ll be talking about removable retainer options. Your dentist can discuss the best retainer for your smile as there are pros and cons to each type. This is something that you may want to discuss with your dentist even before you start braces or aligners.

A retainer keeps your teeth from moving after they’ve been straightened with braces. Several decades ago, dentists recommended retainers for only 3-6 months, but we’ve found now that retainers should be worn for life to ensure the best long-term outcome.

Hawley Retainers

Lab Fee: $80-150

Biomaterials: plastic or acrylic with metal wire

Longevity: 1–50 years

Characteristics:

• adjustable

• can choose plastic color to personalize

• doesn’t stain easily

• easily removed for eating and oral hygiene and won’t likely need replacement unless major dental work is done.

• metal wire visible in front of teeth

• can be lost or damaged

Also called wire retainers, these are removable retainers made of thin metal wire and plastic or acrylic and are shaped to fit the roof of your mouth or along the inside of your lower teeth. The attached metal wire runs across the outside of your teeth to maintain alignment. A local lab usually makes these unless the dentist has an orthodontic technician in-house.

The retainer is adjustable if you need a better fit when you first get it or if your teeth need slight realignment later.
It’s more durable than a clear plastic retainer.
It can last for years if used and cared for properly (note: the author has had hers for 25 years and it has never needed an adjustment!)
It allows the bite to settle fully and balance because the teeth can touch, which may be better for the TMJ.
Its disadvantages:

It affects your speech more than other retainers.
It’s more noticeable than the other types of retainers.
It initially costs more than a clear retainer, but it is more economical over a lifetime.
Clear Retainers

These are removable retainers that are molded to fit perfectly within the new position of your teeth. To make this type of retainer, a mold or scan of the teeth is created, and that image is 3D printed. Then, very thin plastic or polyurethane is heated and sucked down around the mold. It is not advisable to use your last aligner as a retainer because it isn’t thick enough to hold the teeth straight long term.

Essix®, Vivera®, Zendura®- Lab Fees:

• $275 for four upper/four lower for Vivera

• Essix $30-$70 per retainer from an orthodontic lab. Or, make your own Essix or Zendura A in-house if you have a Biostar and 3D printer at $3 a retainer.

Biomaterials:

* plastic or polyurethane

Longevity:

6–12+ months

Characteristics:

• fitted so that teeth stay in place better

• thin and easy to talk

• clear/invisible

• convenient to have multiple back-up pairs made

• easily removed for eating and oral hygiene

• may need yearly replacement so this can get expensive over a lifetime

•may need new impressions and retainers if any dental work that changes shape or size (filling)

•easier to lose or damage

A clear plastic retainer has the following advantages:

It’s invisible.
It’s less bulky and may be more comfortable than a Hawley.
It’s less likely to affect your speech than a Hawley retainer.
Disadvantages of a clear retainer:

It’s not adjustable if you need realignment or if you get new fillings or dental work. It would need to be replaced every time. Often the doctor will charge not only for the new retainer but also the new scan/impression. This will get expensive over a lifetime.
If it cracks or breaks, it can’t be repaired.
It can warp if exposed to heat (e.g. left in a car.)
You may need five, ten, or more retainers PER arch in a lifetime. Each one lasts an average of 6 months.
It tends to become discolored (and more visible) over time.
Top and bottom teeth don’t touch naturally with this type of retainer.
It can trap liquids and bacteria against your teeth, which can cause cavities and periodontal disease.
The main difference in the three common brands of clear retainers is the type of plastic material they are made of. The brands are Vivera®, Essix®, and Zendura®. Vivera is sometimes incorrectly called Invisalign®. The same company makes the two products, but Invisalign is an aligner used to straighten teeth instead of metal braces. It is not a retainer.

There are pros and cons to each retainer type. Your orthodontist will recommend the best type for you based on your teeth and why you need braces. But don’t forget to consider your preferences on the look and amount of time and effort you are willing to spend on it. You will most likely be using and maintaining your retainer for a lifetime, so it’s important that you have the retainer that works best for you. Dentists: If you have questions about setting up your retainer options, please visit us at www.straightsmilesolutions.com

I’ve written quite a few blogs on retention.

There is no one size fits all protocol.

The Orthodontic Aftercare Opportunity

Esthetic Bonded Fixed Retainers

Bonded Retainers

Choosing the Best Type of Retainer after Orthodontic Treatment

There is also a lot on our youtube page.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZQDILf1sP5qR4p78673bzA?view_as=subscriber

Basically, you need to pick the right retainer to fit the case clinically.

I love positioners and hawleys the most and essix and bonded retainers the least. The pros and cons are listed above in the blogs and YouTube.

Hawleys and Essix need to be worn full time for at least 6 months and can be tapered after that but the exact tapering schedule needs to be customized for each patient or relapse occurs.

Here is my scripting, let’s say I am talking to my hypothetical patient, Sarah, who is 13.

“Sarah, you’ve been doing a great job with your retainers. Let’s talk about phasing your retainers down. I know you’ve been wearing them 24/7 but you do take them out for eating and sports. Tell me a little bit about how that is for you. What is the longest you’ve left them out? Did they feel tight or achy when you put them back in? If so, that was too long. Your teeth have already moved and if we do that too often, they won’t move back. Try to find how many hours you can leave them out without feeling any discomfort. That is your sweet spot. Each month try to add one more hour. Some patients can safely go to nights after 6 months of full time wear and some may take years to taper back. Listen to your body. It is a marathon, not a sprint.”

It blows my mind how many of my www.straightsmilesolutions.com doctors don’t take the time to idealize and optimize their Invisalign Doctor Profile. If you want help, please visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com and click on “contact-us” to schedule a free call.

This is a free, no-brainer, five-minute exercise that can get you referrals.

Here are the steps to rise the ranks and hopefully be displayed on the first page of the doctor locator in your city:

Go to this page: https://www.invisalign.com/get-started/find-a-doctor
Put in your zip code. Search and see where you are. If you aren’t on the first page, you have work to do! Be sure to look at teens and adults.
Make sure you are treating at least 5 teen patients per year to stay on the teen locator.
Now log in to you Invisalign portal. Did you accept the advantage TOS this year? If not, accept it. Go to the top, right corner under your name and click the tab to the profile section.
Take a professional picture and upload it. Also take some time to fill in all the blanks to update the hours, insurance and other important sections of the profile.
That’s it! As you rise in the ranks (bronze, silver, gold..etc) you’ll also rise within the doctor locator. If you get an iTero you’ll also rise.

Note- the following is the interpretation of codes and billing by Dr. Amanda Wilson and StraightSmile Solutions. Please consult your own dental practice act in your own state or country and the insurance company you are partnering with. For a 1:1 coaching session by Dr. Wilson to optimize orthodontics in your practice, please visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com and click on “contact us” to schedule a complimentary coaching session.

Limited: (D8010-D8040)

Not all orthodontic treatment is equal. In its simplest form, limited treatment would focus a single tooth or a few teeth or on all the teeth in just one arch. It may be directed at the only existing problem, or at only one aspect of a larger problem in which a decision is made to decline comprehensive therapy. In other words, let’s say a patient comes in with a 9mm overjet and 100% overbite but she doesn’t want bite correction. She just wants a diastema between her top teeth corrected and no lower braces. That would be limited. Most DTC (direct-to-consumer) care like Candid® and SmileDirectClub® is limited, but not all. Six Month Smiles® is also limited because they only use round wires and they don’t correct bites or torque teeth. Most Invisalign® Express and Lite would be considered limited.

Comprehensive: (D8070-D8090)

Comprehensive treatment would involve idealizing the bite, smile, alignment of all teeth, and soft tissue esthetics. It may or may not involve taking and interpreting a cephalometric x-ray. Most Invisalign Moderate and Comprehensive treatment would be comprehensive because you can correct transverse issues, vertical issues and AP (anterior-posterior) issues. Straightwire braces would also be comprehensive as long as you are taking the patient up to rectangular wires and expressing torque and improving the bite.

Interceptive: (D8050- D8060)

Phase I is performed during the early mixed dentition (when a lot of baby teeth are present) to address a functional or skeletal issue. This procedure lasts for about 6 – 18 months. After this Phase 1, a child may or may not need further orthodontic treatment (Phase 2). If a child does need further treatment with Phase 2, a new contract will have to be signed and new payments will have to be made. Phase I Treatment can often simplify or eliminate the need for full comprehensive orthodontic treatment because it is designed to encourage jaw growth and correct problems on its early development, reduce crowding and likelihood of impactions. Phase 1 may just be removable or fixed appliances to fix a bite and may or may not include some braces or aligners on the front teeth. It is designed to fix functional issues. Cosmetic issues may be addressed in Phase 2.

Other Codes:

That being said, there are some codes that fall under the orthodontic section that are procedure-specific. There are codes for fixed and removable habit appliances (D8210, D8220) such as those used to break a thumb-sucking habit. It is important to know that codes for these appliances include their removal. There are also codes for exams (if you charge a fee for those), diagnostic records, and even new codes for CBCT images. These codes for procedures such as gingivectomies, or surgical exposure of an impacted tooth. These should only be submitted once the procedure is performed, not at the beginning of orthodontic treatment.

Please join our webinar on January 9th to learn more!

www.straightsmilesolutions.com/media

Step #1- Send your impression to a lab to get your PVS impression digitized to a STL file.

There are 2 labs that I use here:

1- The Orthodontic Lab

2. Specialty

TOL is half the price of Specialty so let’s start there.

Step #2- TOL sends the STL to the Aligner Design Company.

There are 4 aligner design companies I work with. Email me for a personal introduction for a StraightSmile Solutions discount. Prices are $90 to $299 per case for design.

Step #3- Manufacturing

Once you approve the case, the design company sends the case to the lab you choose for manufacturing. Cost starts at $15 per aligner.

We offer anyone currently in the dental industry a 20 minute complimentary consultation. Visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com to schedule your phone call by clicking in the top, right corner.

Have you ever had a negative review from a patient? I admit – I’ve had a few in my career. All seasoned dentists get them, even if, in your mind, you didn’t deserve it. I had a doozy on Yelp that shook me to the core and haunted me for a good 10 years! It had nothing to do with my skill as an orthodontist but was simply a misunderstanding about retention. This is something that was so avoidable if my whole team had a better orthodontic aftercare program. I was hoping to post it for you, but Yelp has FINALLY archived it! Hooray!
Orthodontic retention is the most underestimated phase of treatment; practices typically have a protocol for retention that involves a single set of retainers and a finite number of retention visits. In residency, we were taught to see the patient at 1, 3 and 6-month intervals and then discontinue treatment. All additional visits were at cost. When things go wrong with the retention phase after all that investment, they go really wrong and feelings can be hurt if they aren’t addressed properly. If you take a few moments to read negative YELP and Google reviews about orthodontists, most do have to do with retention! What an easily preventable problem!
Orthodontists expect that patients will do their part to wear the retainers as directed to allow the teeth to stabilize, but teeth aren’t static; the periodontal fibers are dynamic and things can settle and shift. Patients expect that their teeth will stay in the final positions forever, but that is unlikely.
Retention patients deserve attention and transparency from the practice in terms of fees and replacement options. I think it is important to start addressing this at the beginning of treatment, not at the end. Start the conversation about expectations. Some patients come in with a preference for a certain type of retention, but this doesn’t always coincide with the orthodontist’s practice philosophy.
Let’s talk about the bonded retainer. There is a time and a place for them, but for me, a bonded retainer is a marriage, and unless I feel it is the best retainer for the patient. I’ll usually recommend an upgrade fee and/or require the patient to invest in an in-house insurance policy for breakage and/or relapse.
Retention is also a great opportunity for revenue, through insurance and subscription programs. The lowest cost retainer, the clear essix, isn’t meant to last a lifetime. A child may run through 6-10 essix retainers PER ARCH in a lifetime, so you should clearly set-up a replacement program so that they can be replaced before they warp, crack or break. Be direct about what is included in the cost of orthodontic treatment and what is additional.
Retention Options
It’s important for offices to consider each of these plans in terms of what makes the most sense for each office. Give the patient a copy of the retention menu at the start of orthodontic treatment, and, if possible, build the additional cost into the whole treatment on the front end so that fees aren’t accessed at the end of treatment when they should be celebrating the outcome and posting their praise about you and your team on social media!
Here are a few retention options that I recommend:
1. Replace if needed: This is the cheapest option for the patient but not the best option. If a retainer is lost or broken, they are replaced, as needed, by the office. This is the traditional plan and the most basic. I don’t recommend this for new patients, only for trusted patients who understand retention. Give your fee on the front end and honor the fee. It can be a sliding scale that increases over time. Initially, it shouldn’t be a revenue opportunity. It is an opportunity to service the patient. If it is within the first year, you may want to include one freebie. I remember my mom being so angry with my brother’s orthodontist because he lost his retainer at college out of state. She had to fly him back home AND pay $500 for new retainers. Granted, this was back in the 90’s. That is crazy expensive!
2. Retainer insurance: This program is uniquely designed by each office with the goal of lessening the cost of lost or broken retainers. I like the idea of a small monthly or annual fee for this insurance. Think Amazon Prime. $5 a month or $50 a year to lock the retainers in at an affordable rate of $50-$100. This is best if you can store the STL of the finished outcome in the cloud so it can easily be duplicated and mailed without an impression or scan.
3. Lifetime retainers: Programs like this acknowledge that retainers are a lifetime commitment and that they should be replaced periodically over time. In general, this program is presented as an additional service at the initial treatment consultation. Fees range between $500 and $1000 added to the treatment fee, but they are often spread out over the financing term for the treatment fee as a whole. I don’t like this option because I think it devalues your practice if you ever need to sell because there only risk for the new buyer and no production.

A clear, convenient and easily understood long-term retention plan is an important part of a professional orthodontic practice. It is only a matter of time before venture capitalists see the opportunity in retention for DIY, so it is critical that you get a jump on the opportunity to launch it in your office.

Orthodontic sleep, airway, tele-medicine and aligner companies are the hottest tech startups and StraightSmile Solutions® has the experience to to help you scale! We offer anyone currently in the dental industry a 20 minute complimentary consultation. Visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com to schedule your phone call by clicking in the top, right corner.

10 Pearls and Hacks for Better Invisalign and ClearCorrect Outcomes

As an orthodontist, a dental space pundit and the “mama” of the DTC aligner movement, I am often asked for tricks and tips for better aligner outcomes. I have to admit, I am blessed with a bit of a photographic memory. This came in handy on the D.A.T. perceptual ability section, but it also is gift in the prediction of orthodontic outcomes.

Long before A.I., us orthodontists used our own grey matter to predict outcomes. I’ve been in the field of orthodontics going on 18 years now, and I can honestly say that I’ve probably seen tens of thousands of orthodontic cases: my own patients, SmileDirectClub patients and my own StraightSmile Solutions’ client’s patients.

The following is a list of the ten best tips, tricks and pearls for ideal aligner outcomes:

1. Attachments aren’t required. There’s a billion-dollar DTC industry that has proven this concept. For most efficient outcomes and more complex cases, attachments are recommended, though.

2. IPR is very useful in cases of tooth-size discrepancies and perio patients. For me, any perio patient gets IPR. I don’t want to add to their attachment loss by pushing a tooth through the buccal plate. That is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

3. Trim is a personal preference. Don’t stress about it. Higher trim means better retention and less attachments needed but more fit issues.

4. Never, ever do single arch treatment. You’ll regret it. Just say “no”. Never, ever discount single arch treatment either if you do. It just takes once to learn why!

5. Always capture your terminal molar fully on your impression or scan. If it is erupted, you need to capture it. Trust me on this!

6. Your cases will track better and get done faster with a scan vs an impression. Stop stalling, just buy a scanner. It is worth the investment! We know companies that are financing for just $500 a month. If you are doing 1 case per month it is worth it and that is just aligners! Patient experience also has a value as well as shipping time, PVS costs and accuracy.

7. The most overlooked key to success is tracking. You can’t believe how many docs just give a handful of aligners to the patient and just roll the dice that the patients will track. I recommend www.GPorthotracking.com for an affordable, HIPAA-compliant tracking option. Have the patients save all their old aligners. Invest $5 in a cheap, tackle box with compartments and label it for the patient and have the patients bring it to every appointment with their archived aligners sorted in their numbered spots. I have pictures of this hack on my YouTube site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMQCYOv7mXM&t=116s

8. Less is more. Invisalign moves by default 0.25mm per aligner. ClearCorrect moves 0.3mm per aligner, but did you know that you can change that default if you do Invisalign Comprehensive or ClearCorrect Unlimited? One of the easiest hacks is to take their treatment plan, once optimized, and double it, thus making your increments smaller and more likely to track. If all goes well you can speed up the treatment plan with 4 day aligner changes for Invis and 7 day aligner changes for CC. You’ll look like a hero and you are still done at the same time! If your patient gets off track just go back to the archived aligners and with smaller incremental changes and less forces, you should never need a refinement! This hack is not at all popular with Align Technology or ClearCorrect Corporate, but my patients also get done quicker and use LESS aligners overall because they don’t often need revisions/refinements or MCCs!

9. IPR= more likelihood of refinements. Anytime you do IPR it isn’t an exact science so anticipate a MCC or refinement. Let the patient know. Check out our IPR webinar at www.GPwebinar.com to learn to do IPR more accurately.

10. Be on the lookout for masseters and low angle cases. I love intra-oral botox for aligner cases because those clenchers and low angle cases tend to get posterior openbites from all the intrusion. Be prepared: Use Invisalign only for these cases and add bite turbos preventively. It only takes one of these cases to learn your lesson! No, Align Technology won’t know your patient is a clencher so they won’t add them unless you ask for them. If you get a posterior openbite, don’t stress! One of the quickest way to eliminate them is an old-school positioner. Check out our webinar on closing iatrogenic, aligner openbites at www.GPwebinar.com

Orthodontic sleep, airway, tele-medicine and aligner companies are the hottest tech startups and StraightSmile Solutions® has the experience to to help you scale! We offer anyone currently in the dental industry a 20 minute complimentary consultation. Visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com to schedule your phone call by clicking in the top, right corner.

As an orthodontist, a dental space pundit and blogger, and the “mama” of the DTC aligner movement, I am often asked to predict future trends. Given my unprecedented experience within this space, I am uniquely qualified to answer these key questions:

Would I invest in SmileDirectClub?
Yes, I did, but I was smart and bought my shares at $9 and change. I still think SDC has some key changes to make in order to succeed. If I don’t see things changing soon, I’ll sell. They are an incredibly innovative team, so I am sure they will make smart decisions soon.

2. Would I invest in Invisalign?

Maybe, I’ve given their exec team directly last month a few key tips. If I start to see implementation and a change in market strategy, I will.

3. What do I think of “all the others” in the doctor-facing channel (eg: Spark/envista, ClearCorrect, 3M Unitek..etc)

I don’t think about them. Negligible. Many will be gone soon. Nothing special there. No innovation.

4. What do I think about the copy-cat DTC companies (eg: Candid, Byte)?

Same answer as above, unless their strategy changes. Given some of the new legislation, there’s a better way to scale and they are doing it wrong.

What are SmileDirectClub and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Aligners?
SmileDirectClub is disrupting the orthodontics industry by providing a generic version of the Invisalign teeth aligned that’s direct-to-consumer. In 2018, the first round of Invisalign® patents expired. SmileDirectClub uses the same clear aligners, but it cuts out the in-person, orthodontist middleman by selling straight to customers. The company relies on teledentistry, which means a dentist looks at your teeth via cyberspace. This makes the process a lot cheaper but also, at times, less reliable and ideal. SmileDirectClub charges $1,895 for its service, versus $5,000 to $8,000 for existing alternatives. SmileDirectClub also has incredible financing that is really unmatched in an orthodontist’s office. You just make a down payment of $250 and monthly payments of $85.

What are Invisalign and Doctor-Directed Aligners (DDA)?
These are braces made of plastic which is fabricated by 3D printed models which are generated from a digital treatment plan. Nothing has to be glued on your teeth or “tightened” which saves time at a doctor’s office. Keep in mind that the average Invisalign case (ASP), according to the most recent Invisalign Q3 report, is $1260. Orthodontists and dentists have to raise that price to cover their own overhead and expenses beyond that lab fee. Most doctors I know are selling Invisalign for $4000-$5500. That is significantly higher than SDC for very similar technology.

Orthodontic sleep, airway, tele-medicine and aligner companies are the hottest tech startups and StraightSmile Solutions® has the experience to to help you scale! We offer anyone currently in the dental industry a 20 minute complimentary consultation. Visit www.straightsmilesolutions.com to schedule your phone call by clicking in the top, right corner. Venture Capitalists, our rates start at $600 an hour for a phone call up to 50 minutes long. Email us to schedule at [email protected] .

There is nothing I like better than an underdog story and boy do I have one for you today!

I previously posted an article about measuring orthodontic efficiency in your practice. If you haven’t taken my challenge, please click here before you read the rest of this blog. If your margin isn’t at least enough on each case, you aren’t doing it efficiently. You should be profiting at least $1500-$2000 on each case. If you aren’t, read on. I’ll be talking about ways to take back control of the profitability of your orthodontic cases by leveraging technology to reduce chair time and lab fees.

I’ve been preaching remote consults and remote aligner check-ins for years with my StraightSmile Solutions® clients. This is not at all DIY or DTC dentistry. It’s actually quite the opposite. It’s just reducing unnecessary chair time and increasing efficiency in your practice.

In response to the frustration of many of my clients pertaining to the high start-up costs to join Dental Monitoring® (DM), my friend Dr. Doug Moorehead of Moorehead Dentistry in Ohio is launching a myriad of programs through GP Ortho Tracking™ to increase the ROI in your aligner, braces and functional appliance patients. With UNLIMITED patients and check-ins and start-up costs as low as $199 for each practice, it is the perfect solution for every general dentist, orthodontist or pediatric dentist who doesn’t have enough volume to sustain the high costs of Dental Monitoring System.

Just to compare apples to apples, let’s say you have twenty (20) active orthodontic patients. Your cost for all your patients for the set-up and support for first year of GP Ortho Tracking is just as low as less than $1400. In comparison, DM would be more like $4000-$6000 depending on which plan and services you choose.

To learn more about GP Ortho Tracking, visit: https://gporthotracking.com/

Looking to scale ortho? You can click here here to schedule a call.

Check out some of the new services we’ve launched in 2019, too! www.straightsmilesolutions.com/services/

Our YouTube site has a ton of great information on all kinds of orthodontics and tip to save money on lab fees, click here to check it out and subscribe!

It is the wild, wild west in the land of clear aligners. StraightSmile Solutions® is the ultimate aligner matchmaker. We help doctors select ideal cases for white labeling aligners to save on average 50-75% on lab fees and still obtain ideal outcomes.

With price points as low as $15 per aligner, now is the time to lower your lab fees!

Give us a buzz to learn more or to be connected to one of these excellent aligner design companies: [email protected] or schedule a phone call by clicking on the link on www.straightsmilesolutions.com

We help doctors and DSO’s through all steps in the white-label aligner process.