A dehydrator can help in the right situations, but it won’t save a set that’s failing structurally. This won’t replace a good nail care routine, which you should be doing no matter what bottle you buy!
You’re not trying to dry the nail all the way through, so skip the heat and don’t file hard. Just wipe until the nail is clean and stop. It’s only a quick surface prep step. Overdoing it thins out the nail plate and irritates it without adding any wear time. Try a wear test instead. If the polygel instructions say the dehydrator is optional, prep a couple of nails without it and see how it goes.