Two Invisalign Tips for teens that will help make Invisalign successful: ???

☑️ Use your chewies!

Every time you change your Invisalign aligners, use the chewies we provide to help make sure your aligners are seating over the teeth the very best they can, making for more efficient movements. 

Aligner feeling a bit tight after slacking on wear time? USE YOUR CHEWIES!

☑️ Don‘t take out your aligners!

Those first few hours of a new set of aligners can cause slight discomfort, and it's tempting to just take them out until "later". 

However, constant snacking and gum chewing can cause patients not to get the amount of wear time needed for the most successful results.

 Teen hack: Some patients find it easier to leave them in, even while eating.

If you follow these tips, you will be on your way to a successful experience with Invisalign! Let us know how we can help, by sending us an email or reaching out over social media!

The ALMOST-RIGHT person vs. the DEFINITELY-RIGHT person…

If you had a puppy that needed grooming, would you take it to a hair salon? 

Of course not!

 You'd take your prized pooch to the groomers, an expert in caring for your pet's hair.

The same is true for your child and their smile. 

Orthodontists are dental specialists who are experts in the movement of teeth and jaws and are trained to give your child the best smile, making them the definitely-right person for orthodontic needs.

Both Dr. Hester and Morris have had over 11 years of orthodontic schooling and are experts in the care of teeth and jaws. In addition, both have a passion for orthodontics and are dedicated to providing the best orthodontic care for patients.

 With over 55 years of combined orthodontic experience, Dr. Hester and Dr. Morris are truly South Georgia’s best orthodontists!

Our team is always ready to answer any questions you may have about orthodontic care for you or your child. Contact us today to schedule your consultation. We look forward to meeting you and your family!

Trust your child's smile to a definitely-right person… an orthodontist!

Tips for traveling with braces!

Summertime means a lot of busy people are on the go! So whether you’re getting out of town for a quick weekend trip or taking a full-fledged vacation, if you or your child wears braces, you definitely want to be prepared!

Here are a few tips to help make your next adventure easy on your braces and full of smiles.

1. Make sure you keep any scheduled orthodontic appointments close to your time going out of town.

In orthodontics, these days, patients don’t have to come in for check-ups as often. 

However, giving your braces a quick once-over is good to ensure no loose brackets or long wires are present. These issues tend to worsen and cause discomfort.

 So if you have an appointment close to your vacation, make every effort to keep it just in case of minor repairs or tweaking.

2. Have your braces-friendly travel essentials!

When you’re going on a trip out of town, be sure to have a basic travel kit that will keep all the supplies you may need for your braces. It should include:

• Travel-size toothbrush and toothpaste
• Extra rubber bands
• Proxy or Christmas tree brush
• Floss and floss threader,
• Orthodontic wax
• A small mirror
• Nail clippers and tweezers
• And over-the-counter pain relievers

Be sure to refer to our page on how to treat orthodontic emergencies at home or on the go!

3. Continue with your home care routine, away from home!

Vacation is a fun time to relax and get away from everything physically and mentally, but it’s not a time to slack on your dental home care routine. 

Make sure you brush and floss regularly, and steer clear of any foods to avoid with braces. We give lists of these foods to all our patients when they get their braces on, but more information can also be found on our website.

Also, be sure to check out this fun TikTok as a reminder.

A few extra tips!

In the absence of a mirror, a cell phone camera works great!

 You can also use your phone to remind yourself about wearing your rubber bands and ensuring that you have brushed.

 Finally, Contrary to popular belief, your braces will not set off a metal detector - so you can relax when getting ready to board transportation.

Have you ever had a braces-related mishap while traveling? Leave us a comment and share your experiences and tips for traveling with braces

5 Tips for Better Invisalign Compliance

Invisalign aligners are invisible braces that come custom fit to your teeth. The Invisalign system allows you to continuously wear your removable "braces" for about 22 hours a day, which is why many people choose Invisalign over traditional braces. However, it's important to remember to wear your Invisalign braces every day for the entire duration of your treatment to get the best results.

If you don't wear your Invisalign the recommended amount of time each day, you will not get the best results. Wearing your aligners for the recommended time is essential for your Invisalign treatment. When you miss an appointment or don't wear your aligners for a day, your treatment is affected. For example, if you don't wear your Invisalign for a week, your teeth will move back to where they were before, which will cause your next set of aligners not to fit correctly. You should wear your Invisalign continuously for 22 hours a day. This means that you should wear your Invisalign braces while awake and sleeping and remove them only for eating and drinking or brushing your teeth.

It can be hard to get used to wearing your Invisalign, so we asked our patients what tips they had. Here is what we learned.

1. Stop snacking! We don't recommend that you eat with your liners in, as this can cause breakage and allow bacteria to form underneath your aligners. Water is OK, but we recommend taking your aligners out before enjoying other liquids. This sometimes means that people who snack a lot are constantly taking their aligners in and out. While occasionally, this is not a problem, all-day grazing can mean that you're not really wearing your aligners for as long as you think you are. For example, if you're taking your aligners out every two hours, you're not getting the optimal wear that comes from consistent use, which means you won't get optimal movement. Try to limit your snacking to specific times a day to have longer wear time in between meals and snacks.

2. Set Reminders. Some of our patients mentioned that it was beneficial for them at first to set a few reminders during today the day to hold them accountable for their aligner wear. Sometimes we forget to put aligners in after meals, but setting a reminder can help. Pretty soon, it will become a habit, we promise!

3. Take advantage of the DM App. Hester Morris Orthodontics is proud to offer weekly check-ins with our patients through the Dental Monitoring app on your smartphone. This is the additional way between appointments for us to check your consistency and alert you of any issues we see along the way. In addition, through the DM app, our team offers feedback on your progress which can be very helpful for compliance.

4. Use your chewies. Chewies are those little squishy packets that come with your initial Invisalign box and are used to help make sure that your aligners are seating correctly on your teeth. At the start of each new aligner, we recommend that you use chewies a few times during the day. The better your aligners fit, the more movement can be made. Some of our patients feel like it's chewing gum. You can do it easily while reading or watching TV. Be sure to check out our YouTube channel for videos about chewies.

5. Keep your case with you... And get a backup! It can be hard to take your aligners in and out for meals when you're out and about, especially if you don't have a place to put them. So resist the urge to temporarily place your aligners in a napkin, which often leads to accidentally throwing your aligners away. Instead, we usually recommend having an aligner case for the house and an aligner case that stays with you on the go.

Invisalign is a great way to achieve the smile you've always wanted, but it won't work if you don't wear it the right way.

We hope these simple tips will help you stay motivated and remember that the result will be worth it... Your beautiful smile!

Which one of these tips would work best for you?

If you're interested in Invisalign treatment, we're here to help! So please send us a message, and let's get started.

[caption id="attachment_12" align="alignnone" width="200"] Dr. J Gregory Morris and Dr. Wayne Hester are here to help you live life smiling![/caption]