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Starting your treatment with clear aligner trays is an exciting time. Compared to braces, you can take off your aligners whenever you eat. Plus, its clear color makes it more discreet. However, it can be easy to miss your treatment. At Seabreeze Orthodontics, patients often ask, “How do you monitor progress while using clear aligner trays?”
Self-monitoring can be easy and sustainable for you, with the right mindset and easy-to-follow practices. Here’s everything you need to know about self-monitoring your clear aligner trays.
Setting Up A Self-Monitoring Routine
To keep your self-monitoring effort consistent and sustainable, you can start by building your habit with simple and easy-to-follow activities:
- Visually Inspect Your Teeth
Clear aligner trays work by moving your teeth gradually to a target position. You then move to the next set of aligners until you complete all of them. Over time, you will notice changes in the alignment and position of your teeth.
When you start your treatment plan at our Myrtle Beach office, we take comprehensive photos and scans of your mouth. Aside from guiding the fabrication process, you can also take this preliminary photo and see how your smile changes every now and then.
The next time you remove your clear aligners or brush your teeth, take a look at your teeth. If your crooked teeth have moved, or the gaps between them are becoming smaller, then you know your treatment is progressing well.
- Do a Fit Check On Your Aligners
Aside from the visual check, you can also take a look at your clear aligner trays as you put them on. Since these are precisely engineered to fit your teeth, you can check if your aligners move or if there are gaps between a tooth and its aligner slot.
If your aligners no longer fit your teeth perfectly — with noticeable gaps and that wobbly feel — you might need to set an appointment with Seabreeze Orthodontics. There’s no need to worry, though, since various factors can cause a poor fit. Your teeth might be responding at a different rate than we originally projected. We’ll just need to take a look and make adjustments to set your treatment back on track.
- Feel Around for Pain
Although wearing clear aligner trays is more comfortable than braces, expect pressure as your teeth get guided to the right position. Still, if you feel excessive and lingering pain, it’s better to get your teeth checked by our orthodontist, Dr. Juan.
Aside from your teeth’s position and your aligner’s fitting, you can also touch your cheeks or move your jaw to see if something hurts.
Making Self-Monitoring Easy With Your Smartphone
Thanks to modern technology, you can keep a record of your daily wins throughout your treatment journey. Instead of simply looking at your daily progress, you can track every change and look back at them whenever you need to.
To this end, your smartphone will prove to be your greatest ally. Built-in features such as notes, calendars, and even your camera can help you maintain your self-tracking efforts.
List down your daily wear time to make sure you hit your target. Most clear aligner treatments require patients to wear their aligners for at least 22 hours every day. Aside from recording your daily wear time, the act of taking notes also helps you remember to stay on top of your treatment.
You can also take photos of your smile, at least once a day. While the day-to-day changes in your teeth can be easy to miss, comparing a series of photos will definitely show you how your teeth move over time.
Lastly, you can simply download and install apps such as TrayMinder. This is an orthodontist-developed application, available on both iOS and Android devices, that combines multiple features in one. Its built-in time wear timer automatically tracks your usage over weeks and months. Plus, it captures and sorts your photos with its Teeth Selfies section.
Benefits of Monitoring Your Clear Aligner Progress
Appreciating the benefits of your efforts will help you better stick to your upcoming self-monitoring plans for clear aligner trays. If you need a bit of a pep talk, check out the following advantages offered by regularly tracking your progress.
- Catch Problems Early: Regular self-tracking allows you to capture budding problems such as poor fitting or other orthodontic concerns you might have. Even if your next appointment with us is still weeks away, you can always contact our team at Seabreeze Orthodontics for help.
- Stay on Top of Your Treatment: It feels good to receive support from friends and family as you pursue the smile you’ve always dreamed of. By keeping a record of your daily activities, you have something to show to everyone. Additionally, you can readily give updates because you’re always updated on your treatment.
- Save Up on Costs: If you can stick to your original treatment plan, you save up on corrective procedures and additional costs for fabricating additional aligners. The sooner you complete your treatment, the more savings you earn.
Start Your Exciting Aligner Adventure Today
If you’re looking to get clear aligner trays, you’ll need a trustworthy orthodontic partner who will walk you through the process and provide the support you need. That’s what we offer at Seabreeze Orthodontics, plus self-monitoring tips to ensure you’ll do fine on your own.
Get the smile you’ve always wanted. Start by scheduling your free initial consultation, and we’ll do the rest.