Vivera retainers in Edgware: a set of three, made by Invisalign

Vivera retainers at Toothi in Edgware are £495 for a set of three, made by Invisalign from an iTero 3D scan. Vivera is Align Technology’s own clear removable retainer. You get three identical ones, so there’s always a spare if one is lost or cracked. You don’t need to have had Invisalign with us, and there’s no separate fee for the retainer scan.

If you had Invisalign at Toothi, your package already included removable and fixed retainers. Vivera is an optional upgrade, or a way to replace a lost retainer with a set that comes with spares.

Vivera is the retainer made by Align Technology, the company behind Invisalign. It’s a clear, removable tray that covers the whole arch and holds your teeth where they’ve been straightened to. Rather than a local lab making them one at a time, Align makes Vivera retainers from your digital scan and sends them as a series of three.

You wear one retainer at a time and keep the other two safely in their case. If the one you’re wearing cracks, goes missing or just wears out, you move straight on to the next. No waiting without a retainer while a replacement is made. That’s the main practical difference from a single clear retainer: the spares are already in your drawer.

• ✓  Made by Align. The same company that makes Invisalign aligners makes them, from your iTero 3D scan.
• ✓  A set of three. Three identical retainers, so you have two spares from day one.
• ✓  Clear and removable. Taken out to eat, drink anything other than water, and clean your teeth.
• ✓  No putty impressions. Made from a quick digital scan taken here in Edgware.

Vivera retainers at Toothi are £495 for a set of three. There’s no separate fee for the retainer scan. Here’s how that compares with our other retainers.

Prices are fixed and taken from our fees page. The retainer scan appointment is for the retainer only and isn’t a check-up. If you’d like an examination as well, book a check-up separately (£55).

All three do the same job: they stop straightened teeth drifting back. Vivera and Essix-type retainers are both clear removable trays. The difference is who makes them and how many you get. A fixed wire works differently.

Many people wear a fixed wire on the lower front teeth and a clear removable retainer at night, because the wire protects the front teeth around the clock while the removable retainer holds the whole arch. Vivera can be that removable retainer. Read more in our fixed retainer guide and our overview of Invisalign retainers.

Vivera suits anyone who wants a clear removable retainer and likes the security of having spares. You don’t need it. A single Essix-type retainer holds teeth just as well, and plenty of patients are happy with one.

• ✓  People who have lost or broken a retainer before. With two spares, losing one doesn’t leave you without a retainer while a new one is made.
• ✓  Frequent travellers. Keep a spare in your bag or at a second home.
• ✓  Anyone who finished Invisalign or braces elsewhere. We can scan you and order Vivera whoever straightened your teeth.
• ✓  Toothi Invisalign patients who want an upgrade. Your package already includes removable and fixed retainers; Vivera is an optional extra on top, not a requirement.

If your teeth have already moved since you stopped wearing a retainer, a new retainer made from today’s scan will hold them where they are now, not where they finished. In that case we’ll talk you through your options, which may include a short course of Invisalign in Edgware first. Our guide to teeth moving after braces explains more.

Wear one retainer at a time, as instructed at your fitting, and keep the other two in their case somewhere safe. Care is the same as for any clear retainer.

• ✓  Rinse in cool water every time it comes out, and brush it gently with a soft brush. Hot water can warp clear retainers.
• ✓  Skip the toothpaste on the retainer. It’s abrasive and clouds the plastic.
• ✓  Always use the case. Most lost retainers were wrapped in a napkin.
• ✓  Move to a spare when you need to. If the one you’re wearing cracks, stops fitting snugly or goes missing, switch to the next one and let us know.
• ✓  Plan ahead for your last spare. When you’re down to your last retainer, book a new scan. Don’t wait for it to break.