Waltzing into a dental appointment with no idea what might happen might come easy for some—but if you’re like most of us, you want to know what you’re getting into. And that’s especially true if it involves straightening your teeth. So we wanted to lay out exactly what will happen at your Linea fitting appointment. That way, you can start your clear aligner treatment without wondering what might come next. 

Here’s how your fitting appointment will work. 

How We Design Your Clear Aligners

Before your fitting appointment, you’ll have an initial consultation with your dentist. During this office visit, they’ll examine your teeth to see if you have any cavities, gum disease, or other issues to fix before starting treatment. If not, they’ll take x-rays, photos, and intraoral scans of your teeth. Then, they’ll send these images to us. 

Using these images, we’ll design a series of aligners that fit perfectly over your teeth, with just enough variation to shift them. We’ll also create a visualization of your entire treatment plan, showing exactly how we expect your teeth to move. You’ll get to review this plan, and if you sign off, we’ll put the first batch of your aligners into production. When they’re finished, we’ll send them to your dentist, who will bring you back for a fitting appointment. 

Why You Need a Fitting Appointment

Clear aligner treatment is a precise science. To move your teeth, the aligners need to fit perfectly. If they don’t fit snugly around your teeth, they’ll lack the force to induce dental shifts. And if they don’t fit quite right in certain areas, they could cause a lot of discomfort or cause imprecise shifts. In most cases, the dentist’s scans are so precise, and our design process is so meticulous, that the fit is perfect on the first try. But on the off chance it’s not, we can tweak the design and manufacture new ones.

Some patients may also need attachments or interproximal reduction (IPR), which can help improve the algiers’ performance, but also require in-person care. More on that below.

What Happens at Your Appointment

So you show up to the dentist’s office. Then what? Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough of our typical fitting appointment. 

Placing attachments

These are tiny, tooth-colored shapes that the dentist can affix to your teeth. They give the aligners something to grip, direct their force, and some studies have found that they can significantly improve orthodontic tooth movements. That’s partially why Linea aligners can correct even complex misalignments. 

The dentist will apply a special gel and some dental bonding to your teeth, then use a special “template aligner” to position the attachments exactly where they need to be. They’ll apply gentle pressure to adhere the attachments, then use a UV light to cure and harden the resin. After removing the template aligner, the dentist will clean up any excess resin or bonding. 

Not everyone will need attachments, so this step depends on your specific case. 

Performing IPR

Interproximal reduction can help give some of your teeth a little more room to move. This procedure involves filing down the enamel between the teeth to provide some extra space. That image might make you wince, but don’t worry—it’s very common and totally painless. In fact, the dentist uses a thin strip and it only feels like a gentle rubbing sensation between the teeth. 

Not only will it help with orthodontic shifts, but IPR can also improve tooth contouring and stability, according to studies. But much like attachments, not every case requires IPR, so it might not be part of your fitting appointment. 

Seating Your Aligners

The moment of truth—where you try on your first set of clear aligners. Your dentist will show you how to put them in, take them out, and make sure they’re all the way on your teeth. They’ll also check to see if any part of the aligner is bothering your cheeks or gums, and that it fits snugly over all your teeth. 

Receiving the Aligner Kit

Your dentist won’t just give you a few aligners and send you on your way. Every Linea patient gets an entire kit of helpful tools, including:

• Your first 12 aligners
• An aligner carrying case
• A chewie tool (to help seat your aligners)
• An aligner removal tool
• An instruction book

This is everything you need for a successful, comfortable aligner treatment, and your dentist will explain how to use each item. 

The reason you only get your first 12 sets of aligners is because most patients have a mid-treatment check-up, where the dentist rescans your teeth to make sure they’re moving as planned. We will use these scans to design the next batch of aligners, so you can be sure they’ll fit well and do their job correctly.

Walk Through the Treatment Plan

Before you head home with your aligners, the dentist will take you through your entire treatment plan, so you can see exactly how each phase should go. They’ll also answer your questions about wearing aligners, the treatment schedule, further appointments, and more. 

After Your Appointment

Now, it’s up to you to stay on top of your treatment. You’ll wear your aligners for 22+ hours per day, removing them only when you eat or drink anything besides water. And every 10–14 days (depending on your plan), you’ll switch to the next set of aligners to keep your teeth moving. 

This is where the Linea app is a big help. Using it, you can view your upcoming appointments, treatment plan, and progress updates—plus, it has a chat function, where our customer care team is available seven days a week. Every month, you’ll upload photos of your teeth, so our team can track your progress and see if your teeth are shifting as expected. If not, your dentist will provide feedback or request another office visit.

Wearing your aligners as directed and completing all your virtual check-ins is crucial to your treatment’s success, so be diligent about it!

How We Choose Our Providers

Excellent treatment requires excellent dentists, so we choose our Linea providers carefully. When we’re evaluating potential candidates, we consider a few important factors. They include:

• Experience: We look for dentists who have successfully administered a significant number of clear aligner treatments and who have a diverse existing client base.
• Patient Care: Quality care doesn’t just apply to the treatment. It’s also about how a dentist interacts with patients. Our providers are all kind and empathetic experts who give each patient focused and individualized attention.
• Location: We want to give patients across Australia access to Linea treatment, so we strive to onboard providers from every capital city. This way, our treatment is accessible and convenient for a wide range of patients.

Final Thoughts

There you go. No surprises. No rude awakenings in the dentist’s chair. Just quality treatment and straighter teeth. If you’ve read this far and you’re all-in on Linea treatment, it’s incredibly easy to get started. Just take our smile quiz and our customer care team will reach out to help you schedule a consultation with a local provider. From there, you’ll be on your way to a dazzling new smile.