Creating dental impressions at home is the easy way to get started with aligning your teeth. When you have completed our 30-second assessment to see if our treatment is right for you, you will buy a Dream Smile Box™ to allow you to take impressions of your teeth in your own home. This kit comes with everything that you need to get the necessary impressions, which we will then use to create your personalised clear aligners.
It’s important to get the process right, but it’s not difficult to get good impressions of your teeth. Anyone can do it at home on their own, and you can then receive your treatment plan and aligners. Our handy step-by-step guide will help you to create acceptable impressions that we can use to create your orthodontic treatment plan.
Get Ready
Start by ensuring you have everything you need to make your impressions. It’s a time-sensitive process, as you want the putty to harden at the right time, so it’s a good idea to prepare before you start.
Your kit comes with:
● Impression putty and trays
● Disposable gloves
● Orthodontist Prescription
● Cheek retractor
● Prepaid return shipping label
You should also have something to time yourself while you’re making your impressions. The timer on your phone is ideal for this, or you might use your watch or any other clock. A camera is also necessary so that you can take photos.
Before you start, wash your hands thoroughly and brush your teeth. This will keep everything hygienic during the process.
Check the Fit
We recommend checking that the impressions trays fit your mouth before doing anything else. If they are too big or too small, you can get in touch with us, and we will send you the correct sizes. The trays should comfortably fit in your mouth and cover all your teeth, including the back molars, but without being tight enough to scrape against your teeth.
Prepare the Trays
You need to use the putty included in the impression kit to get the trays ready to take your impressions. This comes as two separate putties, which will start to harden once you mix them together. Use the disposable gloves to mix the putties and keep your hands clean.
30-60 Seconds to Mix Putties
Take one white putty and one coloured putty, and mix them together until you get a solid colour without any streaks. Ideally, you should do this in 30 seconds, and no more than a minute.
15 Seconds to Prepare the Tray
The next step is to roll the putty between your hands to create a sausage that is big enough to cover the whole tray, including the ends. Spend only up to 15 seconds placing the putty in the tray.
Take Your Impressions – 4 Minutes, 30 Seconds
Now you are ready to take your first impression. Put the tray into your mouth while aiming the centre of the tray into position. Use your fingers to press the tray into your teeth, making sure that the putty reaches your gums. This is necessary to get an impression of your gum line and a clear picture of your teeth. Once you have pressed the tray into place, leave it for four and a half minutes before removing it.
When you remove the tray, pull it straight off and don’t take the completed impression out of the tray. You should then repeat this process three more times so that you have a total of two upper impressions and two lower impressions.
Do:
● Cover the entire tray
● Press evenly
● Capture all of the teeth
Don’t:
● Miss back molars
● Press more than once on an impression
● Produce uneven pressure
● Remove the tray too early
● Use putty that isn’t mixed correctly
Send Photos and Impressions
By sending us photos of your impressions and your teeth, we can approve your impressions in advance and start creating a smile projection for you. Take clear photos of the impressions and email them to us for approval. Once your impressions have been approved, send them to us using the prepaid shipping label.
Use the cheek retractor to take photos of your teeth. You should have a photo of the front of your teeth with your teeth clenched, side view on the left, side view on the right, and both top and bottom views.
Need Help? Schedule a Video Call
Do you need help with making your dental impressions at home? You can schedule a video call with our smile specialist for free for assistance with the process.
I remember picking out my “flavor” of impression molding material when I was very young! This takes me back!
Yes and now it is very easy to take the impressions at home as we arrange a video call session with our expert who helps out step by step in making good teeth impression in the first attempt.