Hi there,
Around March 2023 I realized that my retainers had a crack, so I had to get new ones.
I went to the orthodontist at CEPI where I was already following up on my gum recession.
I was informed that each retainer cost 300 euros, so I decided to look for another clinic as that price was an atrocity.
How was it possible that the retainer that costs 50 euros in Valencia, in Porto costs 300 euros?
As I had to have both of them done, it was 600 euros; for that price I would go to Valencia and even paying for a hotel, it was cheaper.
I asked in several clinics and the prices varied, but they were still expensive: 250 euros, 180 euros.
A friend told me that she had been recommended a Venezuelan dentist who worked at Ermesinde; he charged 60 euros for each retainer. I decided to give it a try.
I noticed that he did not have much skill when it came to putting in the mold; in fact, he put in the mold of the upper part twice because the first one had gone wrong.
I looked for the retainers and everything seemed to be going well, but when I put them on the first night, they they hurt my gum. I went back to have them adjusted.
I spent a couple of months where I would get up and it would always hurt one tooth or my jaw in general. I put up with it because I thought it was the process of adjusting to the new retainer.
When I went to the periodontist, he told me that maybe both retainers did not work well together; that when making retainers, it was also necessary to take into account how they fit together when closing the mouth.
I stopped using them and went back to using the ones I had brought from Valencia that had the fissure, but I kept looking for a place to have new retainers made at a reasonable price.
Here I realized that one of my teeth had moved and my orthodontist in Valencia had told me that I would have to get braces again to fix it. I was thinking that maybe I should go to Valencia to have the retainers made and to see what options I had to fix the tooth that had moved.
I found Nova Gaia Clinic where they made them for 65 euros each. I decided to give it one last chance to have the retainers done.
I arrived at Nova Gaia Clinic and told what I thought was the orthodontist about the tooth that had moved, but it turned out that she was only an assistant.
She wasted a lot of time taking pictures of me and then she started on the molds for the retainers.
She tried on two molds, one very large and one very small; when I thought she was going to try on an intermediate size, I realized that she came with the small mold already with the dough to take the impression.
She put it on me, and I started signaling to her that it was not right.
When she took it out, I told her that the mold was too small, and some teeth had friction.
That was the first attempt.
She comes with the mold that was too big and makes the impression.
She tells me it didn’t look right and takes the impression for the third time.
Think that when they do this, they usually fill your lips with the mixture that they put in the mold which is like a rubber. This lady had filled my whole face and had somehow filled my nose with the mixture.
Since it had already been the third attempt and I had been there for an hour, I got up and started talking to Diego so they would understand that it had taken them long enough.
The lady was whispering with the receptionist for 15 minutes until she finally turned around and told me that she had to do it again because it had not gone well.
I told her that 3 attempts were enough and that if she didn’t know how to do her job, there was no point in wasting my time and that I had to leave. You can’t imagine the look of shame on the faces of the two women.
We spent the whole time thinking that these two ladies would not have lasted a day working for my orthodontist in Valencia.
We went out to reception where we were supposed to pay for the bottom retainer if the impression had gone well, which I doubted.
The receptionist came out to ask me if I wanted to make an appointment with the orthodontist because of the tooth that had moved, and I told her no.
I was disgusted because I was going to have to pay 65 euros for a retainer that was also going to be bad.
The receptionist went back inside without telling us to wait or if we could leave. Then I told Diego that we should leave because I was not going to pay anything.
We left and 20 minutes later they were calling from the clinic, I didn’t answer.
How much did I have to pay in Porto for a retainer to find someone competent?
Then it became clear to us that the universe was giving us signs.
So, as Diego was going to Valencia at the end of September to renew his ID card, I decided to accompany him and go to see my orthodontist Covadonga Balaguer to have the retainers made and to see the options for fixing the tooth that had moved.
If I had to get braces again, I would rather go once a month to Valencia than do it in Porto.