What would you refer: retainers or dental braces?

There is a specific reason why some people wear retainers and braces. For me the primary reason in wearing these kinds of orthodontic apparatus is because of certain irregularities within our teeth. Retainer is just one kind of an orthodontic apparatus that can fix a dental problem. It consists of a special straight wire that is installed within your teeth to fix a dental problem. Retainers are more affordable than the dental braces. But if you have a major teeth problem then you should subscribe to dental braces. Dental braces on the other hand, are more expensive but more appropriate in fixing major teeth problems. It doesn’t only consist of a special straight wire but sometimes it can also have special type of rubber bands to keep the teeth together. Braces are very painful at first but it is the best option if you really want to correct your teeth irregularities. Because dental braces are far more expensive than retainers, dentists today are not opposed of the written agreement that the customer should give an initial down payment then the customer will pay certain amount in each and every visit. So in your own opinion what would you choose???