Unlike metal braces, clear aligners aren’t cemented onto your teeth. You can remove these trays for daily meals and oral care. So, you’ll need to respond correctly if you lose a clear aligner. Doing anything less may delay (or reverse) your treatment results. Luckily, learning the right approach to this dilemma isn’t hard. Your Indian Land dentist will even walk you through it. To that end, here are four steps to take when you’ve lost a clear aligner.
Take a Look Around
For starters, make sure that you don’t panic. You may have just misplaced the aligner. Therefore, look around and retrace your steps – the tray could be nearby.
To be specific, check those areas that you visited recently. Maybe the tray fell in between some couch cushions. On the other hand, perhaps it was tossed into a garbage can by accident. Examine such areas to confirm whether the aligner is truly lost.
Don’t Just Proceed as Usual
If you really have lost the aligner, don’t simply move to the next treatment phase. Ignoring the problem will cause more issues for your teeth.
Remember, an aligner tray shifts each tooth through tiny movements. Advancing when your teeth haven’t reached the right positions can disrupt your treatment. Should that happen, you may face unwanted side effects or need to re-do earlier portions of care. Neither outcome would make for a smooth aligner journey.
Call Your Dentist/Orthodontist
Once you know the aligner is gone, call your dentist or orthodontist. They can adjust your treatment plan and help you get back on track.
There are various ways a dentist can address your lost tray. If you’ve just started wearing this particular aligner, they may say to wear the previous one until a new tray arrives. In contrast, they could suggest moving to the next aligner if you were almost done with the lost one. The dentist will tell you if another tray must be made regardless.
Avoid Future Mishaps
After you’ve solved the aligner problem, you should keep it from happening again. That means taking steps to ensure you don’t lose future trays. In particular, consider methods like:
- Set a Dedicated Aligner Space – Establish a dedicated place for your aligner trays when they’re not in use.
- Remove the Trays Sparingly – Unless you must, don’t take the trays out of your mouth.
- Don’t Set Them in Risky Places – When you do remove the trays, don’t place them in risky locations. Examples of such places are a lunch tray, a table, a wrapped napkin, etc.
By now, you should know what to do if you lose a clear aligner. Keep those steps in mind so your orthodontic work goes well.
About the Practice
BridgeMill Dental Care is based in Indian Land, SC. Led by Drs. Candon and Carver, our practice emphasizes comfy and convenient dental care. That means we offer custom treatments that span preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry. At the same time, our office can also provide patients with Clear Correct aligners to straighten their teeth. For more details or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (803)-650-3925.