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Author Topic: Putting brackets on my essix retainer  (Read 4583 times)

Tategreen15

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Putting brackets on my essix retainer
« on: 02. April 2020, 19:54:18 PM »
So I miss the feelings of braces and I thought that the best and cheapest way to get that feeling back was to put brackets on my retainer. Does anyone have any tips for this. Is this just a terrible idea. Let me know
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Offline bracedb4

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Re: Putting brackets on my essix retainer
« Reply #1 on: 03. April 2020, 00:37:53 AM »
I've thought about doing this as well.  You can get brackets through the bracesshop or auction sites.  I was curious what kind of glue/bonding material to use and whether I had a steady enough hand to place the brackets straight enough on the clear retainer.
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Offline Wired_hg

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Re: Putting brackets on my essix retainer
« Reply #2 on: 08. April 2020, 02:34:25 AM »
Quote from: tg2002 on 02. April 2020, 19:54:18 PM
So I miss the feelings of braces and I thought that the best and cheapest way to get that feeling back was to put brackets on my retainer. Does anyone have any tips for this. Is this just a terrible idea. Let me know

I have to say I love your idea if it's something you want to do and would feel good wearing them around.  It certainly would be a fairly cheap and easy way.  You could even change the ligature colors as much as you want!
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Offline napacaster

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Re: Putting brackets on my essix retainer
« Reply #3 on: 08. April 2020, 06:39:55 AM »
I know it can be done, but I don't know how. I have a set of fakes made on retainers I got years ago from the outfit inthe U.S. that no longer exists.
If you could figure out what sort of plastic the retainer is made from, maybe on a orthodontic supply website, then you could figure out which epoxy or adhesive would bond metal to that type of plastic. There used to be a website that gave information on what adhesive to use for the materials you were trying to bond.

NapaCaster
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Offline simcaptain

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Re: Putting brackets on my essix retainer
« Reply #4 on: 13. April 2020, 18:23:47 PM »
"Essix"-type vacuformed retainers are made from different plastics, but in my experience the most common one is PP (Polypropylene), to which very few glues will stick. In addition, we're trying to glue metal, which is also never easy. I have found that high quality instant glue for plastics works reasonably well. There is also industrial / dental grade instant glue, which works even better, but is hard to come by on the civilian market. The surfaces of both the brackets and the plastic have to be absolutely grease-free - I use medical alcohol as a de-greaser. I haven't tried roughing the surfaces, but that's a very good idea. I'll have to try that. Also, it's a bad idea to use the thickest, hardest archwire one can imagine. Thin pliable NiTi wire looks just as good and runs a much lower risk of pulling off the brackets. I also like to cut open and grind down (molar) bands to fit on the outside and inside of the retainers and even these hold on fairly well using the industrial / dental grade glue. It's actually possible to fake a fully banded silversmile that way... >:D

--SC
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Offline pi314phi18

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Re: Putting brackets on my essix retainer
« Reply #5 on: 10. May 2020, 17:11:05 PM »
I only do that if I had two retainers one with braces and one without them.
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Offline stinkfut

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Re: Putting brackets on my essix retainer
« Reply #6 on: 24. May 2020, 02:33:20 AM »
simcaptain - can you be more specific about the glue type you're thinking of? There are some for sale on ebay for brackets, light cure etc. Also other types.
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Offline PlainJane

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Re: Putting brackets on my essix retainer
« Reply #7 on: 29. May 2020, 18:50:11 PM »
You wold need to know what the retainer was made of - Essix, the brand name, have loads of types and only a few accept bonding. Ortho glue of some kind would probably be most likely to work, but it would be expensive to try it and possibly have no good results.
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Offline JB_Brace_Lover

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Re: Putting brackets on my essix retainer
« Reply #8 on: 01. June 2020, 03:15:30 AM »
I'd be careful with some glues as they can be toxic.
They could also damage the retainer. Your better off buying the retainer with braces from Braces Shop.
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Offline retained

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Re: Putting brackets on my essix retainer
« Reply #9 on: 02. June 2020, 01:28:25 AM »
I would also be inclined to go for a retainer with braces attached.
Much less likely to cause problems, let alone the possible problem of toxic glues and bits coming off!

Also, if you are planning on letting people think you have real braces you will need to be able to eat at least certain foods while wearing.
This is much more likely to be possible if you have a robust hawley-type retainer with brackets etc attached.
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