Don't let life get in the way of your smile
Keep your smile straight and never need braces again! The aftercare plan is a unique, hassle free way to maintain your new smile at minimum cost
Why do I need to wear retainers after treatment is complete?
Our teeth are constantly at risk of shifting due to the forces generated in your mouth everyday by our lips, tongues and jaw muscles when we eat and speak.
Properly maintaining your new smile with retainers is just as important and will ensure you can keep your dream smile for life.
Future proof your smile
£179 (year)
Get fresh retainers every year to keep your teeth straight. In the event that your teeth move, receive up to 3 sets of aligners to get them back on track. We keep your 3D models on file, so we can create new retainers or aligners for you whenever you need them.
Maximum smile protection. Minimum cost.
One of the top reasons adults seek straightening treatment is because they didn't wear retainers after having braces the first time around, causing their teeth to move back. This is where we urge you to maintain your new smile. Every orthodontic treatment needs retention. Whether it is at the dentist, clinic or online, with aligners or fixed braces.
Basic Plan
2 sets of retainers annually
From £179/year or spread the cost - £37.80 over 5 payments
Premium Plan
3 sets of retainers + 360 Whitening Kit annually
From £399/year or spread the cost - £83.80 over 5 payments
Straight Teeth Direct
1st set of retainers:
FREE
(included with your treatment)
- Easy maintainer plan options starting from £179/year (payment plan available)
- 2 fresh retainer sets shipped automatically every year + extended guarantee
- Option to order extra retainers for as little as £89/set (T&Cs apply)
- BONUS: Join within 60 days of completing your treatment to save £39 on the joining fee
Online competitors
Set of retainers:
from £99
- No aftercare plan for regular retainer deliveries or smile protection
Local dentist
Set of retainers:
£200 - £500
- Multiple appointments required and new impressions based on current position (not final treatment position). No easy aftercare plan for regular retainer deliveries or smile protection
- A single retainer on the NHS is £90
Single retainers set pricing outside of the maintainer plan:
With Maintainer Plan Membership | Without Maintainer Plan Membership | |
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1 extra set (2 retainers) |
£89 | £150 |
2 extra set (4 retainers) |
£159 | £225 |
4 extra set (8 retainers) |
£317 | £425 |
I have finished my treatment and now on the maintenance plan which is 100% worth the money as you get new clean retainers every 6 months.
MartynI am now on the super convenient maintainer plan and am going to keep wearing my retainers at night.
LwandBefore getting started
Basic Plan: £179/year
Or spread the cost with Humm | external credit provider: 5 x £37.80 (due fortnightly)
Premium Plan: £399/year
Or spread the cost with Humm | external credit provider: 5 x £83.80 (due fortnightly)
The above prices apply for those who have just finished their aligner treatment with Straight Teeth Direct™ within 60 days of completing their treatment (calculated from the complimentary retainer shipping date). Those who wish to join 60 days after the end of their treatment need to be checked for suitability and should they be eligible an additional joining fee of £39 applies on top of the regular cost for the first year.
The one off joining fee is not included in the Humm external finance payment plan and if applicable will be settled as a one off through a separate payment link.
Humm is a registered finance provider offering affordable, fixed term repayment plans, allowing you to spread the cost of your aftercare plan. Applications are made directly through the online platform, where your eligibility will be assessed based on answering a few personal questions, and if successful you will gain access to your account where your first payment will be made. After making your first payment, your order will be confirmed with you via the app. Please see the costs & payments faq’s section for more info about Humm.
Orthodontic treatment doesn’t end when you achieve your straight teeth goal, whether in clinic or online. Properly maintaining your new smile with retainers is just as important and will ensure you can keep your dream smile for life. In fact, one of the main reasons that people look into orthodontic treatments for adults is that they didn’t wear their retainers as prescribed (or weren’t instructed to) after having braces earlier in life. Teeth can shift at any point unless supported by regular retainer use, which is why we include a free set of retainers with your treatment and emphasise their importance.
Our teeth are constantly at risk of shifting due to the forces generated in your mouth everyday by our lips, tongues and jaw muscles when we eat and speak. They are so powerful that, over time, they can cause teeth to move out of place again, even if they have been straightened. Unfortunately, many believe that, after using retainers for a few months or years, their teeth will “get used to” the new, correct position and remain straight. This is incorrect, which is why we created the Maintainer Plan to provide you with fresh retainers on a bi-yearly basis and a treatment guarantee, so you never have to worry about your teeth shifting again.
Immediately after your treatment, you should wear your retainers the same way you wore your aligners: 22h/day every day, for one month.
After one month, you can progress to wearing your retainers every night while you sleep over a period of 3-6 months.
Finally, if your teeth respond well to nightly retainer wear without any tightness when putting them in, you may continue to wear the retainers at night at least 3 times a week.
Make sure to monitor this and if you feel any tightness, as this may indicate that your teeth have started to shift and you should return to wearing the retainers every night or for longer periods of time, depending on your individual case.
Just like aligners, retainers are made out of medical grade, BPA-free plastic and are designed to withstand a certain amount of use. This means that, over time, being exposed to strong forces in your mouth, differences in temperature, and cleaning products, they begin to show normal signs of wear: loosening, cloudiness, cracks and the like, which can allow your teeth to shift again. They also might not feel fresh in your mouth, which is not ideal with regards to oral hygiene. For these reasons, it is important to replace old retainers with new ones after a certain period of time.
Apart from automatically receiving fresh retainers without lifting a finger, you also have the peace of mind of knowing we store your digital files in case a new retainer is needed without the need for new impressions or long waiting times.
This plan is reserved to those who completed a full plan with Straight Teeth Direct and have finished treatment in the last 6 months. If you wish to join at a later date do contact us so we can advise and see if you’re suitable depending on if new impressions of your teeth are needed and if any movement has occurred.
Cases that may not be suitable include those with a severe grinding habit or who have teeth more prone to movement and require a fixed retainer in combination with other appliances.
Avoid pressure or rubbing the retainers once in position by grinding your teeth
Ensure to clean the retainers properly and store them in an appropriate place to keep bacteria away
Follow this right technique when putting them in and taking them out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_20-mrZfIk
Simply let us know that you're interested via your account's message tab and we'll send you the link to join.
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Cost of membership is £179 for the Basic Plan or £399 for the Premium Plan if you join within 60 days of completing your treatment. If you decide to join later, there will be an additional fee of £39 on top of the normal fee for the first year. (£219 in total for the first year on the Basic Plan, then £150 every following year and £428 in total for the first year on the Premium Plan, then £360 every following year)
If you choose to spread the cost with Humm, you will first have to apply for the credit and if successful you will gain access to your account where your first payment will be made. Submitting an application with Humm will perform a hard credit search based on your credit score. Hard credit searches will leave a footprint on your credit file, and may impact your credit score. If you do not complete the online application your credit score will not be affected. Humm is an independent finance provider and Straight Teeth Direct is in no way involved in the borrowing and repayment procedures. -
You will receive all of your retainer sets included in your plan a few weeks after signing up for the Maintainer plan and again upon yearly renewal.
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You can cancel anytime by giving us written advance notice (email or app message) up to 2 months before automatic renewal. Please note that your Extended Guarantee After Treatment (see section 7. below) becomes void from the date of your cancellation.
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Each retainer is guaranteed against breakage from normal use for 14 days after receipt (similar to the length of time you would use your aligners). To activate this guarantee, you must send us a picture clearly showing the broken retainer. If the retainer breaks after use (more than 14 days), it is no longer covered by the breakage guarantee. The retainer is meant for nightly use, and is not intended as a replacement for a teeth grinding splint / bruxism treatment / to withstand excessive pressure, which requires a thicker appliance.
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The guarantee doesn't cover against loss
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If you have major dental work done, such as veneers/crowns/bridges/implants, or have a fixed retainer inserted, or cosmetic bonding done, then you will need new impressions to update the new shape of your teeth and mouth, as your old digital models won't be accurate. There is a fee of £60 to cover new impressions, shipping to and from you and digital modifications to your file. This cost also covers a second impression kit if needed to get an accurate capture.
- If you have dental work done before you receive the complementary retainer set included at the end of your treatment, the above fee of £60 will apply to update your impressions.
- If you have dental work done after receiving the complementary retainer set included at the end of your treatment, and you are on the Maintainer Plan, the above fee of £60 will apply to update your impressions before the next retainer is made.
- If you have dental work done and wish to create an additional retainer set not included in your membership, the above fee of £60 will apply to update your impressions, as well as the extra fee of £89 to cover the production of 1 retainer set and shipping. (see details for extra retainers below).
- If you have dental work done and are not part of the membership, the above fee of £60 will apply to create your impressions, as well as the extra fee of £150 to cover the production of 1 retainer set and shipping. (see details for extra retainers below)
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Extended Guarantee After Treatment: Your Maintainer Plan also covers for your last 3 sets of aligners, so that if your teeth start to shift, you can quickly and efficiently re-align them. To activate this guarantee, you must provide images of your teeth clearly showing that they have moved despite wearing the retainer. This will be verified by the clinical team against your Records. This is subject to a fair use policy – if you can prove from photos that your teeth have moved back and for a maximum of 3 aligners per arch within a 12 month period.
- This guarantee does not apply if your teeth move as a result of not using your retainer.
- This guarantee allows you to recover the last 3 sets of original planned aligners for small protecting or stabilising movements associated with normal retainer wear. This does not cover refinements, monitoring or additional aligners which is outside the scope of this solution.
- This guarantee applies when you join the plan within 60 days of treatment completion. For those joining later on, the guarantee will work if they have been following retainer protocol with the teeth still in their post treatment position and this will be verified through photographs. The guarantee will then become effective 3 months later.
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This guarantee does not apply if you have dental work done that alters the shape of your teeth, such as veneers/crowns/bridges/implants/bonding, as our digital models on file of your dental structure would no longer be accurate. The guarantee covers for the original aligners that can be reproduced based on the original models.
If you need new aligners at this stage a dentist would need to evaluate your case and plan a new treatment adapted to the new tooth structure. If you chose to have this done with Straight Teeth Direct a new treatment would need to be initiated for teeth straightening based on standard protocol and cost. - The Extended Guarantee after treatment can only be activated when the plan is active and you have received an extended guarantee activation form; If you cancel your Maintainer Plan subscription, the Extended Guarantee After Treatment will become void from the cancellation onwards.
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If you want to order any extra sets of retainers, outside of the plan, the following fees will apply:
With Maintainer Plan Membership Without Maintainer Plan Membership £89 for 1 extra set (2 retainers) £150 for 1 set (2 retainers) £159 for 2 extra sets (4 retainers) £225 for 2 sets (4 retainers) £317 for 4 extra sets (8 retainers) £425 for 4 sets (8 retainers) -
Retainers are only available as pairs, so you can choose to receive 2 of the same arch (2 upper or 2 lower) or a set (1 upper + 1 lower).
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These retainers are made exclusively for your use and it is your responsibility to maintain your dental health. If you do not use your retainer, your teeth will almost certainly begin shifting and misaligning again due to the forces of your jaw muscles and tongue.
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To be eligible you must have completed a full plan with Straight Teeth Direct and have finished treatment in the last 6 months. If your plan ended more than 6 months ago then the clinical team will need to evaluate your suitability.
Those who suffer from severed grinding or who have teeth more prone to movement may not be suitable and be recommended to seek alternative solutions such as a fixed retainer or other appliances.
Eligibility for the plan is at the discretion of the company.