You are halfway through the Invisalign treatment, and one day your aligner suddenly doesn’t fit, or worse yet, you lost it. For everyone else, Invisalign is a smooth experience. But life intervenes. Accidents, vacations, or a momentary distraction can send you off track from your progress. What do you do when your aligners suddenly get lost or break?
First, don’t panic. Invisalign treatment is designed with flexibility in mind. At Carabella Dental, we’ve seen these situations more than a few times. Most importantly, acting quickly and calmly can help prevent setbacks in your treatment plan.
What to Do if Your Invisalign Aligner Cracks
Cracks in aligners typically occur due to biting down too aggressively, washing them with boiling water, or normal wear and tear. A minuscule crack doesn’t sound like a serious matter—until it affects the way the tray can move your teeth.
Here’s what you can do:
- Check the fit. If the aligner still feels comfortable and doesn’t pinch or move around, it might fit you.
- Don’t try to fix it. Home fixes or glue can be worse than a good thing.
- You should call our Invisalign dentist in Alexandria. We’ll decide if we should send in a replacement or move you up to the next set at Carabella Dental.
We know you’re eager to stay on track, but wearing a damaged aligner can affect your results. Keep your last set as a backup—that can be helpful in situations like this.
Lost Your Invisalign Tray? Here’s What to Do
Losing an aligner is not as uncommon as you’d imagine. Maybe it was thrown away in the trash, or forgotten at a hotel, or lost during the celebration—accidents happen. But here’s the thing: too much time without an aligner can reverse weeks of work.
Your next actions:
- Go back to your previous set if you still have one. This will prevent your teeth from moving back too much.
- Contact your Invisalign provider immediately. We can get you a replacement right away at Carabella Dental and determine if you should halt or continue with your plan.
- Don’t prematurely wear your next tray on your own—depending on the circumstances, it may not fit properly or apply too much pressure.
A couple of days’ delay can derail the trajectory of your treatment. That’s why acting quickly and keeping us in the loop helps you avoid long-term issues.
What’s Next?
If you require a new aligner, one will be shipped to our office or directly to your doorstep. Treatment plans include small changes between trays to accommodate the shift your teeth have gone through. So skipping a tray or two can cause discomfort or misalignment.
We’ll usually request you to:
- Continue with your last usable set
- Wait for a replacement tray before proceeding
- Book a short check-up to observe how your improvement is
Getting treated by Alexandria’s best Invisalign dentist means you get timely treatment, honest answers, and advice along the way under every circumstance.
Stay One Step Ahead
Although Invisalign is low-maintenance, small habits can reduce the likelihood of emergencies:
- Store trays in their case when not in use
- Don’t chew with them in
- Gently rinse with cool tap water
- Keep backup sets stored as advised
Emergencies don’t always mean significant setbacks—but they do require quick planning. A missing or cracked tray is not the end of your Invisalign journey. It’s just a time-out, step back, and get back in alignment with a professional who knows how to keep things on schedule.
At Carabella Dental, we treat every Invisalign case with care—your first tray or your final result. If you lose or break an aligner, we can help you get it sorted out without a gap. Book an appointment today with one of our Invisalign dentists in Alexandria.
