Vivera Retainers in Toronto 2013: An Update from your Top Invisalign Specialist

As discussed in a previous blog entry on Vivera and retainers, one of the most important parts of orthodontic treatment is how to maintain the beautiful results that were achieved using braces or Invisalign.  There are many different types of retainers, and one of the popular types is Vivera retainers from Invisalign.

Here are some of the important points to understand about Vivera:

1.  You receive 4 sets.  The first is fit at the office and three more are sent to you about 1 month later.  Prior to this year, the additional 3 were sent at 3 month intervals, but this is no longer the case.  Part of it is likely to help Align reduce shipping costs, but from a patient standpoint, it is also to realize that they do not need to be changed every three months, but as needed.

2.  Our patients are finding that each Vivera retainer is lasting at least one year, with many keeping them quite a while longer.  To draw a parallel with Essix retainers which also can last several years, the Vivera retainers are much stronger and can last longer than that.  Therefore, your subscription for Vivera can last you many, many years if cared for properly.

3. The cost for Vivera is often not included in your original financial plan (we do, include it as part of the treatment for our Invisalign patients at MCO Orthodontics).  The range of fees for the subscription can go from about $400 to $1600.  If you consider a fee to be around $800, that would be $200 per set, or $100 per retainer, so there is quite a lot of value there.  Other factors to consider are whether a scan/impression needs to be taken, and the cost of the visit to insert the retainer.

4.  Vivera retainers can be created with a new scan, new impression, or from any stage of your ClinCheck.  If you have attachments on your teeth prior to your original scan (as in refinement, mid-course correction, or custom attachments placed by your doctor), you may be better off having a new scan than asking Align to virtually remove those attachments.  If you have braces on, the brackets can be much more easily removed virtually, and it is possible to get a scan with your brackets on.

5.  Vivera retainers can be used in combination with fixed lingual retainers.  They are not always a substitute for them and in some cases, both may  be required.