Order online from £89, no orthodontist appointment needed
Every order includes:
*Subject to our 60-day fit guarantee terms. Covers fit-related manufacturing issues; remake-first. See our refund policy.
An orthodontic retainer is a custom-made dental appliance that holds your teeth in their corrected position after braces or clear aligner treatment. Retainers at Home makes clear, removable orthodontic retainers in a certified UK dental lab from impressions you take at home, from £89 per arch with free UK delivery and a 60-day fit guarantee (terms apply).
Our removable orthodontic retainers, also called clear ortho retainers or Essix retainers, are made from the same BPA-free, medical-grade PET-G thermoplastic used by NHS and private orthodontic practices across the UK. Order orthodontic retainers online, custom-made from your own impressions, virtually invisible when worn, and delivered in around 7 to 10 working days at a fraction of orthodontist costs.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Hani Mostafa BDS · GDC No. 75107
Orthodontists use a few different retainer types to hold teeth in place after treatment. Here is how the main options compare, and which one we make.
A removable, transparent retainer that fits over your teeth. Virtually invisible, comfortable for night-time wear, and made from medical-grade Essix PET-G. The most popular removable orthodontic retainer in the UK.
A removable retainer made from an acrylic plate and a visible metal wire across the front teeth. Durable and adjustable, but more noticeable than a clear retainer and usually supplied only through a practice.
A thin wire bonded permanently behind the front teeth. It cannot be removed at home and needs a dentist to fit, repair or remove it. Many people pair a fixed lower retainer with a removable clear upper retainer.
Retainers at Home makes custom removable clear orthodontic retainers from £89 per arch. If you need a replacement after braces or Invisalign, see our clear replacement retainers and retainers after braces pages.
Pick upper, lower or both arches and your preferred thickness. Whether you have just finished braces or aligners, ordering takes about two minutes.
An impression kit lands on your doormat with everything needed to capture your teeth as they are now, plus a prepaid return envelope.
Qualified dental technicians cast a model from your impressions and vacuum-form your orthodontic retainer over it, typically within 1 to 2 working days.
Your finished retainer ships with Royal Mail in a protective case, ready to start your nightly retention routine straight away.
Why Retainers at Home?
The identical BPA-free Essix PET-G sheet your orthodontic practice orders from its lab, without the practice mark-up on top.
Nothing is outsourced overseas. Each orthodontic retainer is trimmed, polished and quality-checked by hand in our own certified UK laboratory.
Your retainer is formed over a stone model cast from your own impressions, so it grips every contour of your post-treatment alignment.
Report a manufacturing fit problem within 60 days and we remake your retainer at no cost, no quibbling.
Skip the orthodontist waiting list entirely. One clear price covers the kit, the retainer and free UK delivery.
147
5★ verified reviews
An orthodontic practice typically charges £150 to £400 per arch for the same removable clear retainer, made in an external lab from the same Essix PET-G. Ordering direct from our UK lab costs from £89 per arch, with no appointments and a 60-day fit guarantee*.
| Feature | Retainers at Home | Orthodontist Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Price per arch | from £89 | £150–£400 |
| Material | Professional Essix PET-G | Professional Essix PET-G |
| Made in UK dental lab | Yes, our own | Usually external lab |
| Appointments needed | None | 2 or more visits |
| Turnaround time | 1-2 working days in lab | 1–3 weeks |
| Delivery | Free to your door | Collect in person |
| Fit guarantee | 60 days* | Varies by practice |
| Spare sets | Keep on File add-on | New impressions + visit |
*Subject to our 60-day fit guarantee terms. Covers fit-related manufacturing issues; remake-first. See our refund policy.
I needed retainers very quickly since, mine had broken and retainers at home not only delivered excellent quality through their quick and effective delivery and packaging instructions everything was clear and perfect!! Thank you!
Ayni · Verified Customer · London · 28 September 2026
Retainer is better quality than the one I paid my dentist 4 times the price for. The first is more comfortable and feels much better quality. The customer service is beyond excellent. Sam especially is very knowledgeable and helpful
Mia · Verified Customer · Ease · 23 September 2026 · Edited
I was initially really worried about doing the moulds myself because I genuinely thought I wouldn’t be able to do them properly, but I needn’t have worried! 👑👑👑👑 I followed the online instructions and watched the short video, which was literally about three minutes long. It was so easy to follow and I managed to get both moulds right first time. They even provide extra moulding material in case you make a mistake, which definitely took some of the pressure off. Once I’d sent my moulds back, I was kept informed throughout the whole process and my new retainers arrived with no problems. The biggest shock was the price. For context, I previously paid £130 for just ONE arch through my orthodontist. Retainers don’t last forever and eventually need replacing, so paying £200+ every few years for replacement retainers really starts to add up. This has made replacing mine so much more affordable without the hassle I expected from doing the moulds myself. I’m really pleased with the whole process and will definitely use them again when these eventually need replacing. 👑👑👑👑
Theresa · Verified Customer · Birmingham · 19 September 2026
Would have been 5 star had it not been delayed in getting the retainer posted out, when it did arrive happy either way the quality and fit so will probably use the service for any future replacements
Mark · Verified Customer · London · 16 September 2026
Annie · Verified Customer · West Sussex · 15 September 2026
Would reccomend and use them again! Retainer is good quality and process was easy to do at home/ship/recieved.
Maygen · Verified Customer · Hampshire · 11 September 2026
Second time ordering. The impression process is straightforward even if you've never done it before. Excellent product at a fraction of dental prices.
Michael · Verified Customer · London · 3 September 2026
Over 140 verified UK customers trust Retainers at Home for dentist quality clear Essix retainers, delivered to their door. Every retainer is custom-made in our certified UK dental lab from professional PET-G material, identical to those supplied by orthodontic practices.
Niamh O.
Glasgow · 2 weeks ago
Marcus B.
Sheffield · 1 month ago
Aisha K.
London · 3 weeks ago
Ethan P.
Cardiff · 1 month ago
Grace L.
Nottingham · 6 weeks ago
Daniel R.
Leeds · 2 months ago
An orthodontic retainer is the final stage of any tooth-straightening journey. Whether your treatment was fixed braces, Invisalign or another aligner system, the teeth need to be held while the bone and ligaments around them stabilise, or they begin drifting back towards their old positions (orthodontic relapse). A removable clear retainer worn at night is the standard way UK orthodontists manage this retention phase.
We make ours from BPA-free, medical-grade Essix PET-G, the same sheet material orthodontic labs supply to NHS and private practices. Because you order direct from the lab, you skip the practice mark-up and the waiting room entirely.
Choose 1.0mm standard for the most discreet nightly wear, or step up to 1.5mm if you clench or grind, and order a single upper, single lower or the full set. Many customers add spare sets while their model is on file, so a lost retainer never means starting over.
Before anything is manufactured, our lab team inspects your impressions. If a margin is unclear or an arch has dragged, we ask you to retake it with a fresh kit rather than produce a retainer we would not stand behind. Production itself takes 1 to 2 working days, and the whole journey from ordering the kit to wearing your retainer is usually 8 to 10 days.
Our retainers hold teeth where they are; they are not aligners and will not straighten teeth, and they are no substitute for professional orthodontic assessment. If your teeth have visibly moved since treatment, speak to your dentist or orthodontist first. Every order carries our 60-day fit guarantee (terms apply).
UK orthodontic guidance is to wear a removable retainer every night, indefinitely. The British Orthodontic Society advises that teeth can move at any age, so retention only lasts as long as retainer wear does. Most orthodontists recommend full-time wear for the first 3 to 6 months, then nightly for life.
That means your retainer is a long-term companion, and it will eventually wear out. A clear Essix retainer typically lasts 6 months to 2 years depending on grinding and care, which is why replacements and spare sets matter more in the retention phase than most people expect. See the BOS guidance on retainers for the clinical detail.
Yes, this is common. Bonded wires debond, snap or collect calculus over the years, and many patients switch to a removable clear retainer when that happens rather than paying to rebond the wire. As long as your teeth have not shifted since the wire failed, a clear retainer made from fresh impressions will hold your alignment from the first night.
Act quickly though: once a fixed retainer fails, nothing is holding your teeth, and movement can begin within weeks. Have any remaining bonded wire removed by your dentist, then take your impressions once your teeth are wire-free so the retainer captures their true positions.
Replace a lost or worn retainer. Custom Essix from £89, no appointment.
Order NowJust finished braces or Invisalign? Start retention straight away.
Learn MoreHow Vivera retainers compare on cost, and a cheaper like-for-like option.
CompareCustom removable clear retainers made in our UK dental lab, from £89 with free shipping.
Free UK shipping · 60-day guarantee · UK-made