How To Take Your Teeth Impressions From Home

At-Home Clear Aligners Kit for Straight Teeth

Taking good impressions is key to your NewSmile™ journey — they let our dental team create a custom plan just for you. This step-by-step guide will make you a pro, and if you need extra help, our Customer Service team is just a chat or email away.

  • Step-by-Step Guide:Clear instructions with visuals to make impressions stress-free.
  • Prepaid Shipping:Send your impressions back to us easily at no cost.
  • Expert Review:Our dental team checks every impression to ensure accuracy.
📥 Download the Teeth Impression Guide

Getting the Perfect Impression

Here's a few things to focus on to get your teeth impressions close to perfection.

Make sure to apply even pressure to your molars and your front teeth to capture both your teeth and gum line. It’s easiest to place your thumbs on your back teeth initially and move them to your canines when applying pressure.

Push the impression tray far enough up on your teeth to get to your gums so that your gum line shows in the impression when you pull it off.

The Most Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Before you start, here are some of our most common impression-making mistakes.

Make sure to completely mix the putty until it is one solid color. Just remember you only have 40 seconds to mix the putty.

If your teeth sit closer to the outside of the tray, press more putty toward that side so it fills evenly. If the tray feels too tight or doesn’t fit, reach out to us by text or chat for help.

We need to see the gums all the way around. In the photo example above, this person would have needed to press their front teeth deeper in order to capture the gums.

Impression Step-by-Step Guide

⚠️ Wait! Before you start...

To make sure you get a perfect impression, set yourself up for success by following these pro tips:

  • Stay focused — impressions are time sensitive.
  • Use a stopwatch or timer.
  • Do impressions in a well-lit room, in front of a mirror.
  • Use a well-lit room
  • Have a towel handy (some drooling is normal).
  • Don't forget to relax - you got this!

Step 1: Get Prepped

Before mixing your putty, gather everything Get ready for your closeup. Grab the mouth spreader from your kit and put it into your mouth. Use it to move your lips away from your teeth so that you can take the five close-up shots our dental team needs to properly align your teeth and bite. Here are some tips for getting the perfect photos.

  1. Brush and floss your teeth.
  2. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
  3. Lay out your kit: 2 upper trays, 2 lower trays, 4 sets of putty, nitrile gloves, mouth spacer (for aligners only), and instruction manual.

Step 2: Practice First

Practice makes perfect! That’s why we include extra putty in your kit.

Here's how to get comfortable before the real impression:

  • Use the practice putty to try a few times until you feel confident.
  • Aim for a clear gum line, all teeth fully captured, even pressure across the tray.
  • Once it looks right, you're ready for the real thing.

💬 Not sure if it’s good enough? Snap a photo and send it to our Customer Service team by text or chat for real-time feedback.

Step 3: Take your Teeth Impressions

Grab your stopwatch, it’s time to impress yourself. This process should only take about 4 minutes and 30 seconds per impression.

  1. Mix it up: Take one color of each putty out of their cups and start your timer. You should mix the putty for 30-40 seconds. Combine the putty in your hands until the entire thing is one solid color. You will notice that this putty is softer and easier to mold than the practice putty.
  2. Shape it: Roll the putty into a log about the width of your palm. This should take about 10 seconds.
  3. Place in tray: Place the log-shaped putty into one of your empty trays. Make sure to use your thumbs to evenly distribute the putty throughout the tray. This should take about 15 seconds.
  4. Take impression: Using a mirror, place the tray over your teeth. Make sure your teeth are as close to the middle of the putty as possible. Once you feel good about the placement, use both thumbs to push evenly on both sides of your molars and move to the front of your teeth for a firm, even press. Push (do not bite) the tray onto your teeth until you can feel the putty on your gums on all sides. This will ensure a visible gum line and clear imprints for all of your teeth.
  5. Wait: Let it sit for 3-4 minutes. Try not to talk or move around too much.
  6. Complete the rest: Repeat this process for your remaining 3 impressions.

We know these impressions can be tricky, if you don’t get it right the first time, we're happy to send you another kit. If you've started with an impression kit only first, we'll be able to provide a replacement to you at a discounted price. Contact us via text or online chat for a replacement.

Step 4: Photo Time

❗ This step is required for clear aligner customers only (not required for retainers, night guards, and mouth guards)

Get ready for your closeup! Use the mouth spreader to pull your lips away from your teeth, then snap the five close-up shots our dental team needs.

Tips for great photos:

  • Take photos in a room with lots of light
  • Bite down naturally in the photos
  • Take photos from all five angles

Once you’ve taken photos from these five angles, submit them using the email link you were sent. We can't create a preview or move forward with production without having these images sent back to us.

We'll need a photo from each of these 5 angles

Front Bite

Front Bite

Bite down naturally and take a photo straight on.

Right Bite
Right Bite

Right Bite

Bite down and take a photo of your right side teeth.

Left Bite

Left Bite

Bite down and take a photo of your left side teeth.

Lower Arch

Lower Arch

Tilt your head forward and take a photo of your bottom teeth from above.

Upper Arch

Upper Arch

Tilt your head back and take a photo of your top teeth from below.

Step 5: Mail Impressions Back

Congratulations! Now all that’s left to do is to place your four molds back in the box they arrived in. We've prepaid the shipping label for you.

Throw that in your mailbox, put your little flag up, and keep an eye out for a confirmation email from the  NewSmile™ Team.

Want help making your impressions?

Reach out to us anytime — our team is here to make sure you feel confident taking your impressions at home.

📧 Email: impressions@newsmilelife.com
📲 SMS: Sign up here
📤 QR: Send your completed impression photos before mailing them back using the QR code.

NewSmile: Clear Aligners For Straight Teeth

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