Retainer Insurance Saves You Money and Gives You Peace of Mind

Posted on September 2, 2020 by i-Orthodontics.

You’ve made the investment. You put in the time. You now have a beautiful smile.

We want you to maintain that beautiful smile for the rest of your life. Wearing a retainer every night is the simplest and most effective way to insure your smile investment.

We also know that life happens, and that retainers may need to be replaced at some point in your life.

Though we love seeing our smiling patients in the office, we also want you to spend more time enjoying life and less time in the orthodontists’ chair.

That’s why Dr. Idiculla, i-Orthodontics’ founder, created a unique retainer insurance program five years ago — to address our patients’ need for affordable, flexible options.

Why You Should Wear Your Retainer

It doesn’t matter how old you are, whether you’ve received orthodontic care as a child or adult. If you don’t wear your retainer, your teeth will continue to shift throughout your life.

Out of a kind of “muscle memory,” your teeth can revert to their former positions once the applied pressure from braces is gone. You could eventually be right back where you started.

To avoid this, we have to employ measures to hold or “retain” the teeth in their new positions after the braces come off. That’s why we have you wear a dental appliance called a retainer, which maintains tooth position to prevent a relapse.

Wearing your retainer is an essential part of ensuring that you enjoy a long-lasting, beautiful smile. It’s important to wear your retainers 24/7 for the first 3 months after braces. After that, wear them at nighttime for lifetime!

By integrating it into your evening routine — keeping it beside your bed or in your bathroom for a quick pop in the mouth before bed — you’ll make it even easier on yourself.

Normal wear and tear on retainers from nightly use is expected — in fact, you should consider it a badge of honor. Why? It’s a sign you’re taking excellent care of your smile!

All that wear and tear on your retainer also means that it will eventually need to be replaced.

Because we are committed to giving our patients amazing smiles that last a lifetime, we offer a Retainer Insurance Program.

For a small, annual co-pay, the program gives you unlimited retainer replacements for 10 years. It saves you from paying full price for a replacement retainer, or the cost of re-entering treatment to correct shifted teeth.

It’s insurance on your smile investment.

i-Orthodontics’ Retainer Insurance

You may lose or break your retainer several times over your lifetime. Our retainer insurance program provides you with a decade of replacement retainers to keep your smile intact.

For only $880 you can enroll in our 10-year Retainer Insurance Program, in which you will be charged a small $30 copay per arch to replace your retainers as needed (a $260 value each time!).

When patients are presented with options — enrolling in retainer insurance now, or preparing for a full-cost replacement down the line — “the value of what we’re offering is clear,” says Diane Yamane, Financial Coordinator at i-Orthodontics.

“I would say probably 80 to 85 percent of patients eventually, if not at the beginning, go into the retainer insurance program just because it’s such a cost saver.”

Diane works with every family on a case-by-case basis to craft a payment plan that fits their needs.

Some patients will need to replace their retainers simply because of the nightly wear and tear — remember, it’s a badge of honor when this happens!

And in some cases, life just happens.

When retainers are removed for meals, it’s very easy to forget about them. The habit of discretely hiding retainers in napkins is the easiest way to accidentally throw them away.

Diane says she’s even heard stories from parents about dogs chewing up retainers.

It’s inevitable that at some point you will need at least one retainer replaced.

That’s why Dr. I created a retainer insurance program that would be a fraction of the full cost.

What’s the Price for Peace of Mind?

“I highly recommend retainer insurance, specifically for teenagers, who tend to lose them more often,” says Diane. “I tell parents that they should always have what I call a ‘set in their back pocket.’”

When you go without your retainer, even if only for a couple of days, the teeth can move. It doesn’t matter if you have been wearing them for several years.

“Then, you need to have a backup set to get you back to that perfect spot. Otherwise, their teeth will move too much, and you’ll have to come in and get another treatment, which is obviously more expensive.”

Getting retainer insurance can be especially wise during the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. With a more limited amount of appointments available — to ensure our patient’s utmost safety — it can mean a slightly longer waiting period to get into the office for a replacement retainer.

Tips for Retainer Longevity

We don’t want you to have to replace a retainer for any reason. Neglecting your retainer can also require a replacement.

Here are some tips to help you keep track of your retainer and take good care of them.

Wash your retainer daily. It’s easiest to do this during your daily tooth-brushing routine so you don’t forget. Prevent an unnecessary retainer replacement following these simple steps:

Gently brush with a soft-bristled brush using circular motions.

*Use lukewarm water, do not use toothpaste. The abrasives in toothpaste can scratch your retainer.

*Don’t soak it in mouthwash, it can cause discoloration.

Rinse clean with lukewarm (not hot!) water.
Put it in your mouth or back in its case.

Place your retainer in a safe spot during meals. You should always remove your retainer for meals. Otherwise, food particles can get stuck in it or your teeth.

Don’t wrap it in a napkin or something that will conceal it from your view.
Don’t forget to put it back in your mouth after meals. Keeping it out of your mouth too long can prolong your need to wear it.
Do place it in its case.

Protect it from family (including Fido!). Leaving your retainer out in the open can make it collect dust and germs — gross!

But it might also look like a tempting toy for a younger child or chew-crazy pup.

If it’s not in your mouth, it should always be in a protective case, out of reach of others.

A Unique Service

The retainer insurance program continues to be a major perk of the i-Ortho experience.

“I don’t know of any other office in the area that has a program like this,” says Diane, adding, “It’s something that Dr. I came up with. It’s pretty unique.

It’s just very cost effective… it’s a no brainer. And our patients really appreciate it. We’ve received a lot of good feedback on it.”