What happens if I lose an aligner?

[Amelia]

Hi

I am considering having Invisalign treatment to straighten my teeth. I have heard that Invisalign uses invisible aligners to move teeth into their proper position. I would prefer this sort of treatment to having metal braces on my teeth.

I have a few questions regarding the Invisalign treatment. How long will I have to wear the Invisalign aligners each day? What happens if I lose an aligner? If I lose an aligner, would I have to pay for the whole Invisalign treatment again or just part of the total cost? How quickly can Invisalign remake a lost aligner?

If I lose an Invisalign aligner, is there an option of just going on to the next Invisalign aligner in the series or could doing that cause problems with the overall Invisalign treatment.

[Dr Ehsan J. Esfahani]

Dear Amelia,

Thank you for your post.

The invisalign aligners are designed to be worn for at least 22 hours per day.

If you loose an aligner you should firstly contact your invisalign clinic/invisalign dentist and inform them. They will then advise you accordingly.

If you have lost your aligner at the end of the 2 week period then you can either start wearing the next aligner or you will be scheduled to see your invisalign dentist and you will recieve the next 2 or 3 aligners. If on the other hand you have lost your aligner at the start of the 2 week period then you should try to insert the next aligner. If this fits and is not too painful you should wear it for the next 4 weeks. If on the other hand it does not fit or is too painful then your invisalign dentist will order a replacement aligner and schedule to see you.

If aligners are lost and we need to order replacement aligners there is a cost of about £70+VAT for each aligner. You don't have to pay for the whole invisalign treatment again. Replacement aligners are shipped within approximately 5 working days of Align’s receipt of a request for replacements.

Usually wearing the next aligner does not cause a problem with the overall invisalign treatment. However each case is different and only your invisalign dentist can tell you with more certainty if it will be fine or not.