Is Invisalign Responsible for My Chipped Teeth?

I did Invisalign for a little over a year and just wrapped it up four months ago. Since then, I’ve had three different teeth chip. I haven’t changed anything and I wasn’t injured or anything. The teeth just chipped on their own. I’ve never in my life chipped a tooth before this. All I can think of is that it must be tied to the Invisalign, like something went wrong or my teeth didn’t wind up where they’re supposed to be.

I did go in and have the first chip repaired by my general dentist. He’s also the one who did my ortho. We both remarked that it was strange- he’s been my dentist for 12 years, so he knows my teeth well. But, he didn’t suggest anything could be wrong. And, now, two more chipped teeth later, I’m wondering if he didn’t dig deeper to find out what was wrong because he knew it was caused by my ortho. Is that a possibility? If not, what caused it and how can I stop it?

Thanks,

Stephanie

Dear Stephanie,

When you went in for your first chipped tooth, it wasn’t a pattern. It was a single tooth. People chip their teeth all the time doing things they shouldn’t, like using their teeth as tools to open things. Oftentimes, people don’t readily admit they’ve done something or injured themselves as well. Obviously, teeth don’t just chip all by themselves; something causes them to chip. Without details from the patient, it’s sometimes hard for the doctor to diagnose or realize there’s a greater issue, especially when you’re talking about a singleton. Chances are, if you went in with three chips now, he’d be all over it.

This is Probably from Night Grinding, Not Invisalign

What you’re describing is consistent with people who grind their teeth at night. Your aligners, although not designed to protect teeth in this fashion, would have offered some protection anyway. It’s possible your habits have changed or you’re under more stress or you’ve developed apnea too. If you’re experiencing jaw pain or soreness, especially in the morning, that’s probably the culprit behind the chips. The good news is, a nightguard can help and they’re easy to have made too.

There Are Other Potential Causes Too

There’s some possibility your alignment is off, especially if you’re not wearing a retainer or still using your aligners some of the time. That would mean your teeth aren’t coming together right and some areas may be getting more force than they should be. Something like grinding would exacerbate the problem more.

Get an Evaluation

Go back and see your dentist and let him know about the new chips. Again, he will probably jump right in with detective work to find the root cause. If he doesn’t, or he doesn’t give you a solution to it, have a consult with another dentist or orthodontist to find out what’s going on. With three chips, something’s certainly happening, but you’ll need an evaluation to confirm.

This blog is sponsored by Elgin Invisalign dentist Dr. Steve Sirin.