What Are Aligner Chewies and How Do They Speed Up Treatment?

If you are wearing clear aligners or researching aligner treatment, you may have come across a surprisingly simple accessory: aligner chewies. These small foam cylinders look unassuming, but they play an important role in ensuring your aligners sit properly against your teeth. Proper seating means better tracking, and better tracking often means smoother, more predictable treatment. This guide explains what aligner chewies are, how to use them correctly, and why they may help keep your treatment on schedule.

Who This Guide Is For

This article is for anyone who is currently wearing clear aligners or considering treatment and wants to understand the day-to-day practicalities. It may be particularly useful if you:

• Have just started aligner treatment and received chewies from your clinician but are not sure how to use them properly
• Are researching invisible braces and want to know what the daily routine actually involves
• Have noticed your aligners do not seem to fit tightly or have small gaps between the tray and your teeth
• Want to understand how to optimise your treatment and avoid unnecessary delays
• Have been told by your clinician that your aligners are not tracking well and want to improve

Key Definitions in Plain English

Aligner Chewies

Small cylinders made from a soft, spongy material called Styrene Copolymer. They are typically 2-3 cm long and about 1 cm in diameter - roughly the size of a cotton roll or a small piece of foam. You bite down on them to push your aligner trays firmly against your teeth, ensuring a snug fit. They are sometimes called seating chewies, ortho chewies, or simply chewies.

Seating

Seating refers to how well an aligner tray sits against your teeth. A properly seated aligner fits tightly with no visible gaps between the tray edge and the gumline, and no air pockets between the plastic and the tooth surfaces. Poor seating means the aligner is not making full contact with the teeth, which reduces its ability to move them according to the treatment plan.

Tracking

Tracking describes how closely your actual tooth movements match the planned movements in your treatment plan. Good tracking means your teeth are following the digital plan as expected. Poor tracking means one or more teeth have fallen behind, which can lead to ill-fitting trays, the need for mid-course corrections, or additional refinement rounds.

Other Terms You May Encounter

• Attachments: Small tooth-coloured composite bumps bonded to specific teeth during aligner treatment. They help the trays grip teeth for more controlled movements. Proper seating around attachments is particularly important.
• IPR (Interproximal Reduction): Carefully removing tiny amounts of enamel between teeth to create space for alignment. A routine part of many aligner treatments.
• Refinements: Additional sets of aligner trays produced after the initial series to fine-tune the result.
• Retainers: Custom-made devices worn after treatment to hold teeth in their new positions.
• 3D scan: A digital impression of your teeth using an intraoral scanner, forming the basis for treatment planning.
• Wear time: The recommended number of hours per day your aligners should be worn - typically 22 hours.

Why Seating Matters: What Causes Poor Fit

Before explaining how chewies help, it is worth understanding why aligners sometimes do not seat properly in the first place:

Common Causes of Poor Aligner Seating

• New tray insertion: Every time you switch to a new set of aligners, the trays are designed to be slightly different from your current tooth position - that is how they move your teeth. This means a new tray will always feel slightly tight and may not seat fully just by pushing it on with your fingers.
• Attachments: The composite bumps on your teeth create undercuts and ridges that the aligner must snap over. Without chewies, the tray may sit on top of the attachments without fully engaging around them.
• Complex movements: Certain tooth movements - rotations, intrusion, extrusion - require the aligner to exert very specific forces. If the tray is not fully seated, the forces are not applied correctly and the movement may stall or go off-track.
• Reinsertion after eating: Each time you remove and reinsert your aligners (typically 4-6 times per day), the tray needs to be seated again. Simply pressing the aligner up with your fingers may leave small gaps.
• Tooth shape variations: Natural variations in tooth shape, existing dental work (crowns, large fillings), or unusual tooth anatomy can create areas where the aligner does not engage easily.

What Chewies Do: Seating and Tracking

Aligner chewies serve one primary purpose: to help fully seat your aligner trays against your teeth. The downstream benefits of this are significant:

What Chewies Cannot Do

How to Use Chewies Correctly

Using aligner chewies is straightforward, but doing it systematically makes a real difference. Here is the recommended routine:

Chewie Hygiene and Care

• Rinse after each use: Run your chewie under clean water after biting on it. Saliva and bacteria will accumulate on the foam.
• Replace regularly: Chewies are reusable but not permanent. Replace them when they lose their springiness, become discoloured, or start to break down. Most patients go through one every 1-2 weeks.
• Store cleanly: Keep your chewie in a clean case or bag when not in use. Many patients store one in their aligner case alongside their trays.
• Keep a spare: Having a backup chewie in your bag or at your desk means you can use one after every reinsertion, even when you are not at home.

Chewie Alternatives

If you do not have a chewie to hand, these alternatives can provide some of the same benefit in a pinch:

• Clean cotton roll: A rolled-up piece of clean cotton fabric can serve as a temporary chewie
• Folded paper towel: A tightly folded paper towel provides some resistance to bite against, though less springy than a chewie
• Soft silicone teether: Some patients use baby teething rings as a chewie alternative

None of these are as effective as a proper orthodontic chewie, which is designed to have the right density and resilience. They are widely available from your provider or online and are very inexpensive.

How Treatment Typically Works: The Bigger Picture

Chewies are one part of a broader treatment process. Understanding where they fit helps you appreciate their role:

Who Benefits Most from Chewies

While all aligner patients can benefit from chewies, they are particularly important for certain groups:

Risks, Side Effects, and Limitations

Chewies are very safe, but here is a balanced view:

Potential Concerns

• Jaw fatigue: Biting on chewies repeatedly can cause mild jaw muscle fatigue, particularly when you first start using them. If you experience significant jaw soreness, reduce the duration and frequency slightly, and mention it to your clinician at your next appointment.
• TMJ sensitivity: If you have an existing jaw joint (TMJ) issue, extended chewie use may aggravate it. Discuss with your clinician if you have a history of jaw pain or clicking.
• Over-reliance: Some patients assume that vigorous chewie use can fix a tracking problem. If your aligner is genuinely not tracking (persistent gaps after several days of the same tray), the solution is clinical intervention, not more chewing.
• Swallowing risk: Chewies are small enough to potentially be a choking hazard. Always use them while alert and seated. Do not use them while lying down or during activities where you might lose focus.
• Hygiene: A chewie that is not cleaned between uses can harbour bacteria. Rinse them after each use and replace them regularly.

Limitations

• Chewies cannot compensate for inadequate wear time - 22 hours per day remains essential
• They cannot fix trays that do not fit due to tracking issues
• They do not directly speed up biological tooth movement
• They are not a substitute for clinical monitoring - regular check-ups with your clinician remain essential

How Long Treatment May Take

Chewies themselves do not change treatment duration, but by helping maintain good tracking, they may help prevent the delays that tracking problems cause. General treatment timelines for clear aligners:

Your clinician will provide a personalised estimate after your assessment. Consistent chewie use is one of several factors - alongside wear time, oral hygiene, and attending monitoring appointments - that contribute to keeping treatment on schedule.

Costs in the UK

Chewies themselves are very inexpensive - typically included free of charge by your aligner provider, or available for a few pounds per pack of 3-5 online. The broader treatment costs depend on your case:

You can review our pricing and what is included for a transparent breakdown. We always recommend checking what is and is not included before committing to treatment with any provider.

How to Keep Results: Retention and Aftercare

Chewies play their part during active treatment, but what matters after treatment is retention:

Retention Essentials

• Fixed retainers: Thin wires bonded behind the front teeth providing continuous retention
• Removable retainers: Custom-made clear trays worn at night to maintain alignment - some patients use chewies with these too
• Both: Many clinicians recommend a combined approach for maximum stability

Aftercare Tips

• Wear retainers consistently as directed by your clinician
• Attend regular dental check-ups for monitoring
• Maintain good oral hygiene - brush and floss daily, clean retainers regularly
• If using removable retainers, consider using chewies to seat them properly each night
• Report any changes in fit or tooth position to your clinician promptly
• Replace removable retainers when they become worn, cracked, or distorted

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I use aligner chewies?

Every time you reinsert your aligners. For most patients, this means 3-6 times per day (after meals and morning/evening brushing). Spend 2-5 minutes each time, working the chewie across all teeth from front to back on both sides. When switching to a new tray, spend up to 10 minutes.

Do chewies actually speed up treatment?

Not directly - they do not make biological tooth movement faster. However, by ensuring your aligners are properly seated, they help maintain accurate tracking. This may help prevent the delays that tracking problems cause, such as the need for additional refinement rounds. So while they do not accelerate tooth movement, they may help keep your treatment on its planned schedule.

Can I use chewies too much?

It is unlikely to cause harm from a dental perspective, but excessive biting can cause jaw muscle fatigue or aggravate an existing TMJ condition. If you experience jaw soreness, reduce the frequency or duration and mention it to your clinician. There is no benefit to using chewies continuously throughout the day - the key moments are each time you reinsert your aligners.

What if my aligner still does not fit after using chewies?

If persistent gaps remain between the aligner and your teeth after 2-3 days of consistent chewie use with a new tray, contact your clinician. This may indicate a tracking issue that requires professional intervention - such as wearing the current tray for longer, reverting to a previous tray, or ordering a mid-course correction.

Where can I buy aligner chewies?

Most aligner providers supply them as part of your treatment. If you need replacements, they are available from dental suppliers online, pharmacies, and general retailers. Look for "orthodontic chewies" or "aligner seating chewies." They are typically sold in packs of 3-10 for a few pounds.

Can I use chewies with any brand of aligners?

Yes. Aligner chewies work with any brand of clear aligners - they are a universal accessory. Whether you are using one brand or another, the principle is the same: seat the tray fully against the teeth.

Are chewies the same as munchies?

"Munchies" is a brand name for a specific type of chewie that vibrates. Standard chewies are passive foam cylinders. Both serve the same basic purpose of seating aligners. There is limited clinical evidence that vibration provides additional benefit beyond what standard chewies achieve, though some patients prefer the feel.

Do I need chewies if my aligners feel tight already?

Yes - a tight feeling does not necessarily mean the aligner is fully seated. The tray may feel tight because it is sitting slightly off the teeth and being held in place by friction rather than full engagement. Chewies help push through that initial tightness to achieve proper seating. This is especially important with new trays.

Can children or teenagers use chewies?

Yes, with appropriate supervision. Chewies are suitable for any aligner patient. Younger patients should be supervised to ensure they are using them correctly and to minimise any choking risk. Your clinician will advise based on the patient's age and maturity.

Should I use chewies with my retainers too?

Some clinicians recommend using chewies when inserting removable retainers, particularly in the first few months after active treatment when retention is most critical. Ask your clinician for their specific recommendation.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and does not constitute dental or medical advice. Treatment needs, timelines, and costs vary by individual case. Whether treatment is suitable and which approach is appropriate can only be determined through an in-person clinical assessment by a GDC-registered dental professional.