Can you straighten teeth with just a retainer?

Question

Both my canines have shifted to the front and sides of my mouth. These shifts created four gaps on both sides of both my canines. These gaps are a couple millimeters wide. I know that I would only need minor corrections because I have been accepted to wear invisalign (Which is for only minor corrections). Is it possible that I can just use a retainer to straighten my smile? Has anyone used only a retainer to straighten their teeth?

Answer 1

There are retainers and then there are "retainers." You are talking about actual tooth movement and not simply holding your teeth in place after finishing with braces. It is true that you could probably get a replacement retainer for little more than the lab costs, but you need an evaluation with a diagnosis and treatment plan in order to get the active appliance you are talking about. This will require office time, impressions, probably x-rays and diagnostic skill, care and judgment on the part of the dentist. It will also require many office visits to adjust the "retainer" so that it continues to move your teeth. Your teeth themselves might need to be trimmed down ever so slightly in just the right places to allow the movement to occur. For this kind of service, which could take from a few months to over a year, you can expect to pay an appropriate fee. In my office, for one arch, this would range from $600 to as much as $1,000, depending on the complexity and length of treatment.

The thing is, Invisalign can move ALL of your teeth JUST A LITTLE BIT, if necessary, to make room for those canines to be dropped back into alignment. A retainer could be used to just move the canines, if there is still enough room, but it would be difficult to move all the other teeth just a little bit, if that is necessary.

In other words - and I'm sorry to say this, because you already know - your own dentist or orthodontist would have to answer this question after looking at your mouth and your models and making a few measurements. We can tell you that it is "sometimes" possible, but not whether it is right for you or not.

Answer 2

Yes if you are still growing and wear it as your mouth or teeth are forming it will space your teeth.