Horizontal Aligner Trims

A horizontal trim may be recommended to alleviate gum irritation or when the anatomy of a patient's pre-treatment smile makes inserting and removing aligners difficult or painful.

Due to the nature of the aligner trim and material, a horizontal trim may be indicated for insertion in the beginning stages of treatment, depending on the patient's anatomy.

Horizontal trims may allow the posterior of the aligner to grasp the posterior teeth more snugly, in addition to providing a better angle of insertion.

Horizontal Aligner Trim How To:

You’ll need the aligners, a small pair of scissors, and an emery board. → If you are unsure about your trim line, feel free to mark the aligners ahead of time with a permanent marker, which then can be trimmed so no marks are visible.
To get a nice transition from the canines, we will start at the center of the first bicuspid and gradually swoop to the lowest point of the tissue, towards the incisors.

→ It’s okay if the edge seems rough at this stage.

Once you have reached the center, you will begin on the opposite side, meeting in the middle, being mindful not to trim lower than the red line in the example photos.
If applicable, you will now take the scissors back to balance out any uneven areas by taking very small trims off the edge, evening the trim line.
Next, use a fine-grit nail file or emery board to file the trimmed edge in a perpendicular motion to avoid sharp edges, being mindful of the red line above.

→ We recommend filing in a rainbow motion, as filing parallel can create a sharp, uncomfortable edge.

If you are still unable to get the aligner to fit, we recommend trimming slightly more, not taking off more than a millimeter at a time, and checking the fit after each cut.
As your patient inserts the trimmed aligners, we recommend the use of Chewies to assist in seating the aligner fully.

If you have any questions before beginning this process, contact support.

If the aligner is still not fully seated after completing the Horizontal Trim, please request ‘Additional Aligners’ with the latest diagnostic materials of the patient, confirming the patient has not started treatment.