Found out at the review
Aligner patients may go several weeks between visits. At the review, it becomes clear that a patient has not been wearing aligners as much as planned: exams, a holiday, discomfort, forgetting after meals. Their aligners no longer track as expected. The patient is embarrassed and the orthodontist has to adjust the plan.
Some patients also change aligners on a schedule set weeks earlier and are unsure what to do if one does not seem to fit. Without an easy way to ask, they either carry on or stop, and the practice finds out later.
Nobody knew beforehand, because nobody asked.
Asking at the review is too late, and ringing between reviews takes more staff time than most practices have. A short written check-in is also easier to answer honestly than a question across the chair.
Why wear problems stay hidden
- Aligner patients are seen less often than fixed appliance patients.
- Patients do not want to admit they have not worn their aligners.
- There is no routine contact between visits.
- Parents of teen patients are not always involved in wear.
- The practice cannot see who might be struggling.
What late discovery costs
Treatment takes longer and may need refinements. Patients lose motivation. Practices on package fees absorb extra visits and aligners. And a patient who struggled in silence is more likely to be unhappy with the outcome.
Teen aligner patients are a particular case. Parents may assume the aligners are being worn because they are paying for them, while the teenager takes them out for long stretches at school. Nobody wants that conversation at the review, in front of the clinician.
The wear check-ins we build
- Patients receive a short check-in by SMS or email at intervals your clinicians set, such as each time they are due to change aligners.
- The check-in asks a few questions your clinicians write: which aligner they are on, how many hours they are managing, whether anything is making it hard.
- Answers are recorded against the patient and shown to the clinician before the next visit.
- Answers that meet criteria your clinicians set are flagged to the treatment coordinator to contact the patient.
- Where your practice chooses, parents of younger patients receive a copy under their contact preferences.
- Patients can ask a question from the check-in, which goes to your team.
| Check-in answer | What happens |
|---|---|
| On track | Recorded, nothing else |
| Behind on aligner number | Flag to coordinator |
| Reports difficulty | Flag to coordinator with the answer |
| Asks a question | Sent to your team |
The check-in records what patients report. It does not assess progress or give advice, and your clinicians decide the questions and what counts as a concern.
Struggling patients reached early
Patients who are finding it hard get a call while it can still help. Clinicians arrive at each review knowing what the patient reported. Motivation is supported between visits. And the practice sees which patients need more contact, which shapes how it supports aligner patients generally.
Check-ins also create a record between visits. When a case does not progress as planned, the clinician can see what the patient reported over time, which makes the conversation about next steps more factual and less awkward.
For parents of younger patients, a copy of the answers, if your practice chooses to send one, is often the first time they see how wear is going, and most are glad to know early.
Is this your aligner practice?
- Wear problems are found only at reviews.
- There is no contact between aligner visits.
- Patients are embarrassed to admit poor wear.
- You cannot see who might be struggling.