Invisalign and Common Issues

Put in your next aligner and message us via the app to notify us that you changed, and your reason for doing so. If your next aligner is too tight or not seating well, please try and use your chewies over the next few hours to help it seat. If it is still not seating well, please put in your previous aligner and call our rooms.

Aligners usually split or tear because they are being incorrectly removed from the mouth. Always loosen both sides and apply even force to remove the aligner to avoid it bending, as this will eventually break it.

If one of your hooks on your aligner has broken and you can’t wear your elastics, please stop all elastics until you move on to the next aligner. Please don’t continue elastics on one side, unless already advised, as this can cause bite issues.

If your button stuck on your tooth has fallen off, please stop all your elastics and call our rooms to organise a time to replace it.

If you receive a notification that your attachment is off or missing, please call our rooms to organise a time. As it may take some time to make the appointment, please ensure you continue with your Invisalign scans as per normal, and continue changing aligners as directed.

If you have run out of chewies over the holiday period, please try and use the broken piece to continue the force. If that doesn’t work, you can use any soft piece of rubber to chew on to help seat the aligners until we can give you more.

You are always welcome to call past during business hours to collect chewies from our reception. We have regular chewies and “heavy duty” chewies if you find your chewies break.

If you have finished all your aligners before you are due to see us, please continue wearing the last aligner until we can organise a time. Please try and take care of the aligner so you don’t break it — aligners can last many weeks and months as long as they are looked after and cleaned correctly.

Please continue with your normal 22 hours a day in order to not have any teeth move backwards.

Patients often comment that after a few months their aligners stop feeling tight and feel they aren’t working. Even if your aligners don’t feel tight when you change them, there is still movement in them that we need to achieve.

The reason that “tightness” feeling usually disappears is because the ligaments have loosened slightly during your orthodontic movement, so you don’t feel the pressure as much now as when you initially started. Please try not to jump ahead in your aligners, as we need to ensure we get the maximum movement out of each aligner in order to get the best outcome.