Make your own Essix Retainers on Amazon - Much cheaper - Anyone tried them?

[BracedUK]

Hi All,

Ortho has quoted me £150 for Essix replacement, I wanted a second as a back up so £300 total!

Searching for better value I found the below, I could get the two lowers that I need for just £100!
Decent reviews on Amazon but would appreciate any input from the forum? Thanks


UPPER - 19 REVIEWS
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orthodontic-De ... B00N99CI4U

LOWER - 1 REVIEW
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orthodontic-De ... B00BSR1YHC

BOTH - 5 REVIEWS
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orthodontic-De ... B00LNE86QM

[jem]

The issue is the quality of the impression taken to make the retainers. These will be DIY impressions which can't possibly be as accurate as those taken by a dental professional.Assuming the impressions you take are even slightly out of true, the retainers made from them will also be out and if worn consistently may well move your teeth from their current position which you have worked so hard to achieve.

I think £150 sounds an excessive amount to charge for a straightforward essix retainer. Why not shop around amongst dental professionals? Your general dentist will be skilled at taking impressions. They can send them to a lab to make you new essix retainers, just the same as your orthodontist. I expect they will charge you much less. My general dentist ( albeit a friend and now retired) charged my daughter £30 for a new essix. That will presumably have been the lab fee he incurred.

I share your idea about having a back up. I got both hawley and essix. When I lost my hawley, it was good to have the essix to wear whilst I had a new hawley made.

Good luck.

Jem

[BracedUK]

Hi jem,

Thanks for the reply.
Being honest my own experience of when my ortho and or/dentist has taken impressions, (four seperate occasions) was that they really weren't adding much value at all, in fact I felt that on the occasion when my ortho took two impressions (for the two Essixs I had made at that time), he seemed to do the second impression with less focus and attention, I was going to complain but I thought let me get the two Essixs back and one of them will likely be a poor fit so I'll bring it up then. In the event I got them both back and couldn't work out the difference. That experience has me feeling that I could do just as good a job myself.

Good idea there on getting a regular dentist to give it a go.

Thanks