What to Do if You Lose an Invisalign Tray

Invisalign® has gained popularity because it can align your teeth with more subtlety and comfort than conventional braces. 

The clear plastic trays fit over your teeth and aren’t very visible. They don’t irritate your mouth like braces. Plus, since you can remove them, you don’t need to restrict your diet while in treatment. 

At Hendricks Dental Specialists in Brentwood, Tennessee, our family dentists and orthodontists take 3D scans of your teeth to create a series of Invisalign aligners that fit perfectly. Every set of trays shifts your teeth a little further into alignment. 

To finish your Invisalign treatment in as little as 6-12 months, you must wear your aligners for 20-22 hours every day. You can remove them to eat, drink, or take photos. When removing them, keep track of where you place your trays. Otherwise, you may misplace them. 

What should you do if you misplace an Invisalign tray? Here’s what you need to know. 

Contact us

As soon as you realize an Invisalign tray is missing, contact Hendricks Dental Specialists. Based on your treatment progress, our team can advise you on whether you need a new aligner or if you can break out the next set. 

Personalized advice is important if you lose an Invisalign tray. What might be the best next step for you may not be the best way forward for someone else. 

Staying on track with treatment

If you lose an Invisalign tray, your first instinct may be to stop wearing aligners until the missing tray is found or replaced. Instead of going without, you should either put back on the last try you had in your series or wear the next one in the series. 

If it isn’t during office hours, simply wear your previous tray until you can call the office when we open. 

We might tell you to progress to the next tray in your series. However, don’t force a tray onto your teeth that doesn’t fit yet. 

In some cases, Hendricks Dental Specialists will create a new set of aligners using the original 3D scans. They can replace a missing tray with an identical one so you can continue treatment. 

Avoiding lost trays in the future

We offer a few tips for keeping track of your Invisalign trays so you can avoid treatment interruptions. 

To avoid misplacing your Invisalign trays, we recommend: 

• Only removing the trays to eat or drink (keep them in while drinking water)
• Placing the trays in their case when you remove them
• Keeping your case in a dedicated place
• Never wrapping your trays in a napkin that could easily be thrown away

Although the clear plastic is a perk of the Invisalign treatment, it makes the trays difficult to see when you take them out. That’s why we recommend using a distinctive, highly visible case to store them.

Have you misplaced an Invisalign tray? Don’t panic. Call Hendricks Dental Specialists or schedule an appointment online right away.