What to Do if you Lose your Invisalign Aligner

One of the main things that Invisalign aligners have over other kinds of orthodontics is the fact that they’re removable. While traditional braces tend to come with quite a few dietary restrictions, Invisalign aligners can be removed before mealtime, meaning that you can eat just about anything you want.

However, that removability also means that you can lose your Invisalign aligners if you aren’t careful. If you do, here are a few things that you can do to make sure that you stay on track with your Invisalign treatment.

Retrace Your Steps

One of the first things you should try is to see if you can’t find where you misplaced your Invisalign aligners. If you just finished eating, for example, you might check and see whether your aligners are still wherever you were eating.

It’s also common for people to accidentally throw away their aligners without realizing it, especially if they have a habit of wrapping their aligners in a napkin or setting it on a tray. If it’s reasonable to do, you may even want to check the trashcan at the place where you just ate.

Call Your Dentist

After searching thoroughly, you should call your dentist. They’ll talk to you about what your next step should be.

If you were fairly close to moving onto the next alignment tray anyway, your dentist may just move you up early. This is generally an easy fix, and it ensures that you don’t lose any progress on your orthodontic treatment.

If it’s too early to move on to the next phase, your dentist will likely ask you to continue wearing a previous set while a set of replacement trays is crafted. That way, you won’t lose any progress while the new set is being made.

How to Keep Ahold of Your Aligners

To make sure that you don’t lose your Invisalign, you should invest in a personalized carrying case. This gives you somewhere to put your aligner when you aren’t using it, reducing the odds that you’ll accidentally misplace it without realizing it.

About the Author

Dr. David Rosenfeld is proud of his extensive pedigree as a dentist and loves being able to use his expertise to help people get the beautiful smiles that they’ve always wanted. Dr. Rosenfeld received his dental degree from the Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery in New York City, and served as the chief dental resident at The Jamaica Hospital and Medical Center in Queens, New York. He has also earned Fellowship in the International Congress of Oral Implantology

If you have any questions about Invisalign, he can be reached at his website or by phone at (908) 668-7838.