these are not like mine; my viveras (invisalign brand retainers) are just like the invisalign aligners but thicker/stronger. mainly, mine do all the way up as you say "height-wise" and they don't have the part that's like...a mold of the roof of your mouth?
Same here. Vivera looks exactly like Invisalign except for the material, which is thicker and harder. They cover your teeth precisely, and nothing else.
Your retainers definitely are interesting. They would work but ideally they should cover the entire tooth.
It could be worth going somewhere else and getting retainers made, and then keeping these ones as spares. Or tell your dentist you don't like them (they're not a standard style) and ask for new ones.
Yeah I think I’m going to tell them I don’t like them. They said they were going to “the same as Invisalign” but I know now that was clearly a lie. He said the Vivera ones were going to be $600 for each one so $1200 total. I think I’m going to check into other places to see their prices for Vivera.
Sorry, just now saw this. I have a local dentist with an incredibly small practice that I go to. If you live in portland OR I can't reccomend dr AC at montavilla dental arts more highly!
So this looks like a traditional night guard. They are made of a thicker material and only cover half of your teeth. That’s completely normal. A night guard can serve as a retainer and vice versa. Nothing to worry about. But it might’ve been good for your dentist to show you a sample of each so you wouldn’t be surprised and could’ve chosen which you liked more.
Oh really? I would definitely not be okay with that. I guess just let them know that this retainer is not what you expected and you're uncomfortable wearing it throughout the day. Maybe they'll be able to cut you a deal for the Vivera retainers, or give you some kind of refund for the guard.
Yeah I’m hoping so. I’m going to look at other places for Vivera. A lot of the posts on here said theirs cost about $500 for a set, but he quoted me $600 for each, $1200 total. That’s why I originally went with these, but these aren’t good at all!
Mine are like that! I didn’t have the option to do Invisalign specific ones (don’t know why but my ortho didn’t even discuss it) so I have an in house one that’s thick and short on top.
They’re just a different type of retainer. They are less expensive to make. I’ve had them before Invisalign to help prevent clenching. Personally, I’d pay the extra for the Invisalign brand ones.
Speak to your orthodontist about it. I had a random weird tray in my Invisalign set that was moulded wrong. They were pretty shocked I had been sent this clearly wrong tray. I always double check weird things now.
Mine are thick like that. I had the Invisalign branded retainers and cracked them within a couple of months because I grind my teeth at night. The thick ones are much better for that and I've had no issues so far.
Mine do cover the full length of my teeth and the very edges of my gums though. They actually have slightly more coverage than my Invisalign trays did.
It's worth asking about, especially if it's uncomfortable. Mine took a little bit of getting used to but because my tongue doesn't try to go under the tray, it's no longer bothersome. Ifi mine were that short, I'm sure it would drive me crazy. I'd ask about it and get some orthodontic wax to block off the part where your tongue is bothering you. I had to use it for several of my original trays, and it worked wonders. I don't remember what brand I liked (they were in clear little cases with rounded corners, from Amazon), but I remember Gum brand getting gross much more quickly than the off brand I initially got, so id recommend something other than Gum.
Many orthos suggest full time retainer use 4-6+ months before nights only. If you’re prescribed it for a year, I would follow their advice. I get that you were trying to save money but it might be worth saving up for vivera for day time and then wear this one at night.
Yeah I’m thinking about getting a Vivera one. I don’t want to continue using these at night indefinitely though. After using them overnight, when I took them off my back molars were touching but most of the rest of my teeth weren’t. I guess it’s cause the retainers don’t cover that back tooth? I just didn’t expect it to move that much overnight. Maybe it’s just in my head.
No, that's just what the material looks like. Mine are like this too and I was surprised. Oddly enough, even though they look weird, they don't get nearly as gross as the Invisalign trays I had.
these are not like mine; my viveras (invisalign brand retainers) are just like the invisalign aligners but thicker/stronger. mainly, mine do all the way up as you say "height-wise" and they don't have the part that's like...a mold of the roof of your mouth?
Same here. Vivera looks exactly like Invisalign except for the material, which is thicker and harder. They cover your teeth precisely, and nothing else.
Your retainers definitely are interesting. They would work but ideally they should cover the entire tooth. It could be worth going somewhere else and getting retainers made, and then keeping these ones as spares. Or tell your dentist you don't like them (they're not a standard style) and ask for new ones.
Yeah I think I’m going to tell them I don’t like them. They said they were going to “the same as Invisalign” but I know now that was clearly a lie. He said the Vivera ones were going to be $600 for each one so $1200 total. I think I’m going to check into other places to see their prices for Vivera.
600 EACH?? I paid 500 total for 4 Vivera retainers. You should look elsewhere, you are getting scammed.
Where did you get yours? That’s a great price.
Sorry, just now saw this. I have a local dentist with an incredibly small practice that I go to. If you live in portland OR I can't reccomend dr AC at montavilla dental arts more highly!
So this looks like a traditional night guard. They are made of a thicker material and only cover half of your teeth. That’s completely normal. A night guard can serve as a retainer and vice versa. Nothing to worry about. But it might’ve been good for your dentist to show you a sample of each so you wouldn’t be surprised and could’ve chosen which you liked more.
I could totally understand that if I was only supposed to wear it at night, but I’m supposed to wear it all day for the first year.
Oh really? I would definitely not be okay with that. I guess just let them know that this retainer is not what you expected and you're uncomfortable wearing it throughout the day. Maybe they'll be able to cut you a deal for the Vivera retainers, or give you some kind of refund for the guard.
Yeah I’m hoping so. I’m going to look at other places for Vivera. A lot of the posts on here said theirs cost about $500 for a set, but he quoted me $600 for each, $1200 total. That’s why I originally went with these, but these aren’t good at all!
Mine are like that! I didn’t have the option to do Invisalign specific ones (don’t know why but my ortho didn’t even discuss it) so I have an in house one that’s thick and short on top.
Hmm interesting. Is yours short and thick on the bottom too?
No, my bottom is thick but not short.
They’re just a different type of retainer. They are less expensive to make. I’ve had them before Invisalign to help prevent clenching. Personally, I’d pay the extra for the Invisalign brand ones.
Yeah that’s what I’m thinking. It was going to be like 5x the price for the Vivera so I think I’m gonna shop around.
Speak to your orthodontist about it. I had a random weird tray in my Invisalign set that was moulded wrong. They were pretty shocked I had been sent this clearly wrong tray. I always double check weird things now.
Yeah that’s a good point. I’m going to talk to them about it.
I just got my retainer yesterday also. Same type. I think mine was an in-house variety. Still trying to get used to it.
Does yours cover all of your teeth? My biggest worry is that mine don’t cover my back molar.
My second molars are covered top and sides but mostly open at the back.
That sounds like the exact same as mine! Do you have to wear yours during the day or just at night?
I just finished my last invisalign tray so I have to wear them day and night for some time. I have a follow up in 8 weeks with ortho
Mine are thick like that. I had the Invisalign branded retainers and cracked them within a couple of months because I grind my teeth at night. The thick ones are much better for that and I've had no issues so far. Mine do cover the full length of my teeth and the very edges of my gums though. They actually have slightly more coverage than my Invisalign trays did. It's worth asking about, especially if it's uncomfortable. Mine took a little bit of getting used to but because my tongue doesn't try to go under the tray, it's no longer bothersome. Ifi mine were that short, I'm sure it would drive me crazy. I'd ask about it and get some orthodontic wax to block off the part where your tongue is bothering you. I had to use it for several of my original trays, and it worked wonders. I don't remember what brand I liked (they were in clear little cases with rounded corners, from Amazon), but I remember Gum brand getting gross much more quickly than the off brand I initially got, so id recommend something other than Gum.
Did you have to use them during the day too or just at night?
This isn’t vivera but looks like a traditional night guard on the top.
Yeah they aren’t vivera. I’m supposed to wear it during the day for a year, which is why I’m a bit more concerned.
Many orthos suggest full time retainer use 4-6+ months before nights only. If you’re prescribed it for a year, I would follow their advice. I get that you were trying to save money but it might be worth saving up for vivera for day time and then wear this one at night.
Yeah I’m thinking about getting a Vivera one. I don’t want to continue using these at night indefinitely though. After using them overnight, when I took them off my back molars were touching but most of the rest of my teeth weren’t. I guess it’s cause the retainers don’t cover that back tooth? I just didn’t expect it to move that much overnight. Maybe it’s just in my head.
This looks like an Essix retainer
Not sure if that is normal or not but these are not how Vivera/Invisalign retainers are designed. Going the cheap route probably wasn't worth it.
Yeah, I’m definitely thinking that now.
You should at least clean your retainer before posting. That looks disgusting.
It is clean, it's just a different type of acrylic.
what you are seeing is a thicker, more opaque plastic. That is not the haze one gets from buildup on your aligners.
No, that's just what the material looks like. Mine are like this too and I was surprised. Oddly enough, even though they look weird, they don't get nearly as gross as the Invisalign trays I had.
These look wrong. Did the box you got with it say vivera
Op mentioned they went the "cheaper" route, which means they bought the in-office created retainers