Free Clear Aligner Check Note Template (D8670)
An aligner check note answers one question for the next visit: is the case doing what the plan says? This D8670 template documents the aligner the patient is in, reported wear, tracking, attachments, IPR, any refinement decision, and the aligners and instructions you sent home.
By Yasmin Byott, DDS, MS · Founder, ButterNote · Updated
Customize your note
Fill in the fields below and we'll generate a complete clinical note for you in seconds.
Pick each contact, then the amount removed.
Copy-paste template
Replace each [bracketed field] with your specific clinical detail. Brackets are placeholders. They don't get saved into the chart.
Clear aligner progress check, [Invisalign]. Patient currently in aligner [8] of [22]. Reported wear: [about 22 hours per day]. Aligner fit: [fully seated, upper and lower] / [not tracking on #[7, 10]: about 1 mm gap at the incisal edge]. Attachments: [all present] / [#[12] attachment debonded; replaced with the attachment template]. [IPR performed as staged: 6/7 0.3 mm.] Oral hygiene: [good; no decalcification]. Decision: [continue as planned] / [hold aligner 8 for one more week with chewies] / [refinement scan taken]. Aligners [9-12] delivered. Instructed to continue wearing aligners [20 to 22] hours per day and change every [7] days. Next visit: [aligner check in [8] weeks].
Customize this note in seconds, no typing. Get your hours back.
Templates for practically every clinical scenario, with instant custom note generation.
Tap through any clinical scenario
Tap chips for any clinical scenario, get a complete custom note instantly, paste into your EHR.
Or skip clicks entirely
Ambient listening records the appointment in the background. AI writes the note from the conversation itself.
“I'm Dr. Yasmin, a dentist who got tired of staying late writing notes. I used to search the internet for note templates that actually worked, and I could never find good ones. So I built ButterNote to make note writing feel as smooth as butter.
If the click-build flow above just saved you time, you'll love what's behind a free account: templates for practically every clinical scenario you'll see this week, with instant custom note generation. And if you want zero clicks at all, the iOS app handles that too. Ambient listening on your iPhone or Apple Watch turns each appointment into a finished note.
Take whatever's useful here for free.”
Yasmin Byott, DDS, MS
Founder, ButterNote
When to use this template
Use this aligner check note template at progress visits during clear aligner treatment. CDT D8670 is periodic orthodontic treatment visit. CDT 2026 also added D8671, a periodic orthodontic treatment visit associated with orthognathic surgery, which does not apply to a routine aligner case. How D8670 is reported alongside a comprehensive case fee depends on the payer and on your own financial arrangement with the patient; many plans pay orthodontic benefits in installments over the treatment period, so check how each plan expects periodic visits to appear. The FDA notes that periodic in-person visits during treatment help make sure the teeth are moving safely and as planned, and this note is the record of those visits.
The clinical content is the same at every check. Record which aligner the patient is in and of how many, and the wear time they report. Then record tracking specifically: whether the aligners seat fully, or where they do not, by tooth, with the size of the gap (for example a 1 mm gap at the incisal edge of #7). Note attachments that have come off and whether you replaced them, any IPR the plan staged for this visit by contact and amount, elastics if the plan uses them, oral hygiene, and any decalcification or gingival changes.
When the case is off track, the decision is the important part of the note. Options include holding the current aligner longer, going back to an earlier aligner, chewies, replacing a lost attachment, or a refinement scan for additional aligners. Record what you saw, what you chose, and why. Close with the aligner numbers delivered, the wear and change instructions, and the next check.
Step by step: how to document this aligner check
- 1
Record where the case is
Record the aligner the patient is wearing, the total in the series, and reported wear time.
- 2
Check tracking
Check seating and record any tooth that is not tracking and the size of the gap.
- 3
Check attachments and tissues
Record attachments lost or replaced, oral hygiene, and any decalcification or gingival changes.
- 4
Do staged procedures
Record any IPR by contact and amount, and elastics if the plan uses them.
- 5
Decide
Record the decision: continue, hold, step back, chewies, or a refinement scan, and why.
- 6
Deliver and schedule
Record the aligners delivered, the wear and change instructions, and the next check.
Tips for using this template
- check_circleRecord the current aligner and the total, such as 8 of 22. It is the single line that says where the case is.
- check_circleRecord the wear time the patient reports. When a case stops tracking, wear is the first thing anyone will ask about.
- check_circleDescribe tracking by tooth and by size of the gap. "Tracking well" cannot be compared at the next visit; "1 mm incisal gap #7" can.
- check_circleList attachments lost and replaced by tooth number.
- check_circleRecord staged IPR by contact and amount, as done today.
- check_circleWhen off track, write the decision and the reason: hold, step back, chewies, or a refinement scan.
- check_circleRecord the aligner numbers delivered and the instructions, so a lost-aligner call can be answered from the chart.
- check_circleD8670 billing depends on the plan and your contract. The clinical note should be complete either way.
Standards & references
- ADA Code on Dental Procedures (CDT): D8670 (periodic orthodontic treatment visit) and D8671 (periodic orthodontic treatment visit associated with orthognathic surgery).
- U.S. FDA: Clear Dental Aligners: Periodic in-person visits during treatment, wear time, and the risks of unsupervised aligner use.
Frequently asked questions
Get your hours back.
Click-build any aligner check note in seconds, or let ambient listening turn your appointments into finished notes.
Built by a dentist who's been in your chair.
Free to start. HIPAA-aware.
Want all 6 templates as a printable PDF?
Other dental note templates
Clear Aligner (Invisalign) Start Note Template (D8080/D8090)
The aligner start visit sets the record every later check is measured against.
Orthodontic Retainer Delivery Note Template (D8680)
Retention is where a finished case stays finished, and the delivery note is the record of what the patient was given and told.
Composite Restoration Note Template (Copy & Paste)
This composite restoration note template covers anesthesia, isolation, caries removal, matrix, etch & bond, layering, and occlusal verification.
Crown Prep Note Template (Copy & Paste)
This crown prep clinical note template documents a full prep visit in 30 seconds: material, shade, retraction cord size, impression type, and temporary cementation, all in one flow.
Crown Delivery Note Template (Copy & Paste)
This crown delivery note template captures temp removal, try-in fit, contact verification, cement choice, and excess-cement check.
Tooth Extraction Note Template (Copy & Paste)
This tooth extraction note template covers every required step (anesthesia, technique, socket care, hemostasis) so you never miss a detail in a rushed appointment.