How long to make a retainer? For Jane

[Guest guest]

Jane,

I got the braces off on a Tuesday and picked up the retainers (acryllic

ones) on Thursday. Could have done on Wednesday, except that my ortho

travels all around our great big county, with offices in at least three

different towns, and he was in one about 60 miles away that Wednesday.

I don't remember about Hawleys -- the ones with pink plastic and wires

that I wore in my teens -- but think they take (or took) longer.

Likewise, I never had a positioner (thank goodness!) but they may take

longer, too. And for the fixed ones, the wires cemented to the back of

the teeth, I think they take only the amount of time it takes to

install them, but I've never had that, either.

It may be that if your ortho has to send work out to a lab it takes

longer, too. Mine has his own lab, and his own tech trained to put the

sheet of acryllic over the mold, use a vacuum press to shape it, and

trim it out. Then he makes whatever final adjustments, himeself. I

think.

(And replacements are $100 a pop. Except my sweet guy gave me the first

replacements I needed, when I lost the old ones after 2.5 years. Nice,

nice man!

Cammie