Troubleshooting

It's important to know some basic troubleshooting techniques in the event that treatment doesn't go as planned. 

Let's look at a few basic options for troubleshooting treatment:

• Troubleshooting fitting and tracking issues.
• Different troubleshooting techniques.
• Using a revision for troubleshooting.

CASE NOT TRACKING?

ARE ALIGNERS NOT FITTING?

Let's cover some of the common causes of fitting and tacking issues:

• Non-compliant patients

Patient non-compliance is one of the most common issues that can throw treatment off track. Here are some tips that may help to motivate non-compliant patients.

→Educate: Educate patients during their initial visit on the importance of wearing their aligners 22 hours a day.

→Involve: Involve the patient in every step, setting goals and mini-goals along the way.

→Communicate and support the patient: 

  -Talk about suspected non-compliance. 

  -Encourage patients. 

  -Let them know you care - listen to their needs. 

  -Show them what their teeth will look like at the end of treatment-use the treatment setup final image.

→Adjust: Adjust treatment as needed. Extend wear time for current aligners if needed and remind them of what they paid for.

Signs that your patient may be non-compliant: • 

1. A patient comes to the appointment not wearing their current aligner.
2. The aligner is tight after 2 weeks of wear or is still hard to remove or insert.
3. Frequently missed or rescheduled appointments.
4. Spaces between teeth made by IPR don't close when expected.
5. Aligners gradually fit worse as treatment progresses.

• Insufficient space

Teeth need space to move!

Despite planning for space creation during treatment, insufficient space can sometimes still be an issue.

Here are some solutions for creating more space:

1. Hand stripping/IPR.
2. Revise treatment to request expansion or IPR

• Insufficient pressure

Most teeth will move with a little bit of consistent pressure. However, some types of teeth, some movements, and some other factors are more prone to issues than others. These include:

Solutions for increasing pressure: