If you're coming to the end of your braces journey and facing the choice between a Hawley retainer and an Essix retainer - or if you've been given both like I was - this is the honest account I wished I'd been able to read beforehand.

I wore train track braces for over two and a half years as an adult to correct a complicated set of problems including missing adult teeth, a peg tooth and canines in completely the wrong positions. You can read my complete adult braces story with photos on Healthy Vix if you want the full journey from start to finish. But this post covers the retainer stage specifically - and my very honest feelings about both types.

The short version: I hated the Hawley retainer. I also hated the Essix retainer. But for different reasons, and one was significantly more wearable than the other.

My Essix retainer with false tooth

What is an Essix retainer?

An Essix retainer is the clear plastic retainer - the type that looks like a thin mouthguard or invisible aligner. It's made from a mould of your teeth and fits snugly over them. Most people getting braces removed will be offered an Essix retainer as standard.

Mine had a false tooth built into it - a small tooth-coloured addition sitting in the gap where one of my missing lateral incisors should be. It gave the appearance of a full set of teeth while the retainer was in, which was important to me as I'd be wearing it full time initially before having cosmetic dentistry with a more permanent solution for the gap.

The false tooth built into the Essix retainer

What is a Hawley retainer?

A Hawley retainer is the older style - a rigid acrylic plate that sits on the roof of your mouth with metal wire clasps that clip around your teeth at the front. It's been around for decades and is often considered more durable than the Essix. It can also be adjusted if your teeth shift slightly, which the Essix cannot.

Like my Essix, mine had false teeth built in - two of them by this point, as I'd now had my peg tooth extracted. The false teeth attach to the front of the acrylic plate.

The Hawley retainer with two false teeth

Hawley retainer with false teeth viewed from underneath

Why I ended up with both

My original Essix retainer was starting to split and needed replacing. I'd also just had my peg tooth extracted which meant I needed a retainer with two false teeth rather than one - the dentist had temporarily added filling material to the original but it wasn't a permanent fix.

I'd heard that some people prefer the Hawley retainer and thought it might be more comfortable to wear during the day than the clear plastic one. So I requested one to try alongside the new Essix.

That was the plan. Here's what actually happened.

My honest experience of the Hawley retainer

I hated it. Within hours of wearing it I knew it wasn't going to work for me as a daytime retainer. Here's why:

It felt enormous. The acrylic plate covers the entire roof of your mouth. Rather than sitting flush against the palate, the front part curves downward rather than following the natural shape upward - so it constantly sat on my tongue instead of against the roof of my mouth.

I couldn't talk properly. With the plate sitting on my tongue, speaking clearly was almost impossible. I sounded ridiculous. Not a viable option for daily life.

The false teeth looked terrible. Retainer false teeth aren't custom made - the orthodontist picks the closest size from stock. Mine were jagged and looked like broken teeth rather than natural ones. I was embarrassed to smile with it in.

It didn't feel tight enough. Compared to the Essix which fit snugly against every tooth, the Hawley felt loose. I wasn't convinced it was doing the job of holding my teeth in position.

The Hawley retainer from underneath - you can see the acrylic plate that sits on the roof of the mouth

Wearing the Hawley retainer on top and the Essix on the bottom - not comfortable and I couldn't talk properly with the Hawley in place

My honest experience of the Essix retainer

The Essix isn't without its problems either. I've written about 12 reasons I hate the clear plastic Essix retainer in detail, but the main issues are:

It fills with saliva. Clear plastic sitting tightly against your teeth creates a sealed space that collects spit. It's unpleasant and can cause bad breath.

It's not great for eating. You have to remove it for every meal and snack, and after eating you ideally need to brush before putting it back in.

It splits and needs replacing. Mine started splitting relatively quickly and replacement costs around £100 - not cheap.

But despite all of that, compared to the Hawley retainer the Essix was significantly more wearable. I could talk normally. The false tooth (and later teeth) looked more natural. It felt secure. So I ended up keeping the Essix for daytime use and the Hawley only for nights.

The updated Essix retainer with two false teeth after peg tooth extraction

Wearing the Essix retainer with two false teeth- much more comfortable for daytime

Hawley vs Essix: which is better?

Based on my experience:

	Hawley	Essix
Comfort	Poor - bulky on tongue	Better - fits snugly
Speech	Difficult	Normal
Appearance	Visible metal wire	Nearly invisible
False teeth	Stock sizes, can look unnatural	More natural looking
Durability	More durable, longer lasting	Splits over time
Adjustability	Can be adjusted	Cannot be adjusted
Cost to replace	More expensive	Around £100

For most people the Essix is the more wearable daytime retainer. The Hawley has advantages in durability and adjustability but the comfort and speech issues make it difficult to wear during daily life. If you have false teeth built into yours, the Essix tends to look more natural too.

My arrangement - Essix in the day, Hawley at night - ended up being the most practical compromise.

Retainers with false teeth

If you're having a retainer fitted with false teeth built in, a few things worth knowing:

The false teeth in retainers are not custom made to match your existing teeth precisely. They pick the closest available size from stock. This means the colour and shape won't be a perfect match, particularly for the Hawley where the teeth sit proud of the plate. The Essix tends to look more natural because the surrounding clear plastic blends in.

Expect to need the retainer adjusted or replaced as the false teeth arrangement changes - if you have extractions or other dental work during the retainer phase, as I did with the peg tooth extraction, you'll need a new retainer.

For more details on the peg tooth extraction itself, what to expect when having a tooth extracted covers that appointment.

Smiling in the Hawley - but I'm not enjoying it really!

How long do you wear retainers after braces?

My orthodontist prescribed full time wear initially - in for most of the day and night, only removed for eating and cleaning. After several months this reduces to nights only, then gradually to a few nights a week as your teeth stabilise.

This phase takes longer than most people expect and the temptation to stop wearing retainers is real, particularly once you get used to having your teeth free. But without consistent retainer wear, teeth can shift back. All that time in braces is worth protecting.

If you're at the beginning of the braces journey and want to understand the cost of adult braces and how to finance them, that's worth reading before you commit.

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Before you go...

If you want to see how my teeth turned out after everything - braces, retainers, false teeth and all - were adult braces worth it? is my honest verdict after the whole journey.