I Got a Filling Today and Invisalign Isn't Fitting Right? What To Do?

if there is no posibility of fitting the aligner with the filling adjustment , I would suggest to take new impressions for mid course corections and have new aligners processed.

If your dentist said he can not file the filling down any further, your only option is to go back to your orthodontist so he can evaluate your new restoration with your aligner.  If the fit is off,  your orthodontist will need to get a new impression and a correction will be done so the rest of the aligners will fit properly. It might be possible to trim the current aligner so it will seat properly.  The most important thing for you to do is get your dentist and your orthodontist together so they can discuss your case and determine what is best for you and your teeth at this point. I am a general dentist who does invisalign and in my opinion, I would say that your dentist has not recognized where the filling is binding on the aligner.  Hope this helps!

Technically speaking all restorative work, fillings etc, should be done before Invisalign treatment starts.  This is so that no alterations to the teeth happen during treatment.  This is preferred, but sometimes life happens, and patients break teeth, or develop cavities.  IF a restoration is done it needs to be properly contoured, this is sometimes very difficult as it is hard to make a filling have the same anatomy as the preceding tooth.  Best bet is to go back to your dentist and have him reshape the restoration and try to adjust it so the aligner fits over, he may have to under-contour the tooth and then once the Invisalign is done may need to reshape again to give the tooth full contour.
 

Since the fit of your aligners needs to be exact, and the tooth you mention has had its 3-dimensional shape changed with a filling, there is a problem.  See if your ortho and dentist can arrange to have this tooth recontoured to fit the aligners.  If not, a new impression will have to be taken and a "midcourse correction" done.  This might trigger additional fees --or not -- depending on the particular product you are using.  One other note: it is possible that in special circumstances the aligner could be altered.  This might be the case if the tooth in question (and adjacent teeth) are not scheduled to be moved at all in the remainder of treatment.  Perhaps, in a case like this, a slight trimming of the aligners might allow them to seat fully.

Short Answer: Call your ortho and get them in the loop. There are things they can do. The sooner you do this the better.

Long answer: It is critical to the effectiveness of your trays, to fit exact. Once a tooth surface is changed, even a little bit, negative tooth movements can occur to that tooth and others. This can add cost and time to treatment is corrected.

The ideal thing would have been to communicate with your dentist and orthodontist before your had your filling done. NO DENTAL WORK OTHER THAN CLEANINGS SHOULD EVER BE DONE DURING ACTIVE INVISALIGN TREATMENT.

A thorough check-up should be done prior to starting treatment, so there are no surprises. Any needed fillings should be completed prior to your in ital Invisalign impressions ever being taken. This is so critical that our office will not allow our patients to begin treatment until we have personally contacted their dentist and they have confirmed to the best of their ability they see no future restorative work needed in the next 1-2yrs, if proper hygiene is maintained and checkups kept. We have never needed any patient to even have dental work done during active treatment when this protocol is followed.

Of course there are those with softer enamel. Those patients are instructed to preform daily fluoride treatments and see their dentist more frequently. As life sometimes happens and a surprise cavity occurs, if the dentist and the orthodontists work together a filling can be made to fit the current Invisalign tray to insure proper fit. The tray will actually be used to fabricate the filling on the tooth.

All that said, if that was not done. Refinement impressions can be taken by your orthodontists to "start over: from where you are now. A fresh set of all new trays will be made. Call your orthodontist immediately and get them in the loop. There are things that can be done.

It should be possible for most filling to be adjusted to fit under an aligner.  this needs to be resolved soon or other teeth can move.  Get your dentist and orthodontist together on this.  Otherwise new impressions and new aligners may be needed.

Go back to your dentist who did the filling and make sure to bring your aligner. The filling is probably high and needs to be lowered. Very simple to do!

One key to Invisalign treatment is close adaptation of the plastic to the surfaces of the teeth. If this "fit" is changed by dental work, there are a couple of options. First, if the dental work can be adjusted so the aligners fit again that is all that will be needed. If not, you'll need to return to your orthodontist so he can evaluate your new restoration with your aligners. If the fit has been disrupted, he will need to get an impression of your teeth again (probably just one arch) so that the Invisalign people can make a "mid-course correction" for you. There may or may not be additional charges for this since it is not really the manufacturers fault. Good luck!

When you have a filling done during invisalign, the filling must be adjusted to fit the tray.  No ifs, ands or buts about it.  Nothing can be done with the tray to make it fit.  It needs to changed or the rest of the trays may not fit.  Call you dentist and let him know it needs to be adjusted

 

 

Hi Maddy,

If the filling was small, it shouldnt be that hard to contour it well enough that your trays fit again.  However if it was a larger, multi-surface filling, it could be more difficult.  I would suggest visiting your orthodontist to let him evaluate the situation.  If he is unable to recontour the filling and get the trays to fit, then perhaps he can take new impressions and submit a mid-case refinement for new trays.  This is one reason why it is so important to treat any potential areas of concern, when possible, prior to initiating aligner therapy .