Invisalign: A Modern Answer to Braces

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Invisalign. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Way back before I was a teenager with cancer, I was a regular teenager doing all the things that regular teenagers do - like getting braces.

I remember very clearly returning to school that day in 7th grade after those shiny, silver, sharp brackets were super-glued to my teeth -- only to have some (very mature) 7th grade boys point and laugh at my newly accessorized appearance. And thus began the era of me being self conscious of my smile.

And as luck would have it... just months after getting my new silver smile I moved to another school. Obviously a mouth full of metal was exactly the thing I wanted to have with me as a new girl in a new school in 8th grade.

Ah. Memories.

My first day of 8th grade at a new school.
Don't be too jealous of my cool outfit.

Me in all my 1988 glory.
BONUS: my earrings match my teeth.

I am really hoping to spare my girls of the experiences I had in those days, which is why I was so glad to be invited to to attend a SITS Mini Bloggy Boot Camp session sponsored by Invisalign a few weeks ago.

Metal braces have gone the way of CRT televisions and car phones, babe. Technology has not only changed the way we take in information and communicate with each other, but it has also changed the way we fix our smiles. Do you remember how you weren't allowed to eat certain foods when you had braces? That is sooo 20th century. Let me share with you why I wish invisible braces were around when I was a teen.

COMFORT

We had a great local orthodontist present us with an overview of Invisalign (find one local to you here), and the first thing that hit home for me is that when you are being fitted for Invisalign, you don't have to do impressions (of your teeth, folks, not of your favorite celebrity). If you've ever had impressions of your teeth made, you know how terrible of an experience it is - the gagging was the worst. Instead, the orthodontist uses a scanner to get an image of your mouth and the position of your teeth. With those images your personal sets of aligners are manufactured.

The aligners are made of smooth plastic that you wear over your teeth and you put in a new set about every two weeks. But because they are removable, you can just take them out to eat so there are no food restrictions and it's easy to take care of your teeth (did anybody actually floss around their metal brackets?).  Another bonus: No need for globs of wax to protect your mouth from pointy wires.

CONVENIENCE

When using Invisalign to straighten your teeth, your orthodontic visits are only every four to six weeks, which normally adds up to fewer visits than if you had traditional metal braces. Also the appointments are shorter and you're going to have fewer chances for emergency visits since there are no brackets or wires to break.

COST

I was surprised to learn that the cost of Invisalign was on par with the cost of metal braces. In addition to the orthodontist that talked to us, two parents of teen patients of his who use Invisalign were there for us to talk to. They especially felt it was important for us to know how comparable the cost was because they had also been surprised to find out they were affordable.

CONFIDENCE

Along with the parents were the actual teens themselves -- and they were adorable. Both of them were about the age I was when I got my metal mouth, but with just a few comments from them I could tell their experience with Invisalign Teen was nothing like the experience I had with metal braces.

First, the teenage boy is in band and plays the trumpet. I don't play an instrument, but I imagine that would be very uncomfortable to do with metal brackets on your teeth. He plays his trumpet while his aligners are in and said the only time they give him trouble was when he switches to a new aligner. He said after a day or so he's able to adjust to it and play as usual.

Second was the teenage girl. Of course I'm going identify more closely with her experience, but she was SO enthusiastic about Invisalign Teen. She was so happy to have the smooth, clear aligners and felt so bad for her friends who didn't. She was just the cutest. And I assure you - nobody would have described me with that word at that age. And according to this info graphic, that confidence will more than likely stick with these kids:

The parents also felt it was very important to get the opinion of an orthodontist that was a preferred Invisalign provider, as at least one of them had been told by a dentist (who was not a preferred provider) that their child was not a candidate for Invisalign.

My husband and I both had braces, so there is a good chance our girls will need them, too. From what Dr. Halford told us, I would not have been able to use Invisalign right away because I had a tooth that had to be pulled down. He said in cases like mine he would use metal braces for a very short period of time -- just long enough to get the tooth to come down to where the rest of the teeth are -- and then he would switch to Invisalign. That was enough to convince me to get a consultation when my girls are old enough (my 7 year old doesn't even have front teeth right now...).

I actually had impressions of my bottom teeth made when Invisalign first came out and I haven't ruled it out yet. My metal braces were only on the top and now my bottom teeth have shifted to the point they are messing with my top teeth. Not cool, teeth. Not cool.

Did you have a mouth full of metal like me? What was the worst part? Have you ever considered Invisalign for yourself or your child? I'd love to read some tales of misery from your teen years...

Thanks to Invisalign and the SITS Girls for making this post possible.

Feeling Helpless? Here are some ways to help tornado victims.

My family and I moved to the outskirts of Tornado Alley when I was in 3rd grade. Prior to that year I didn't even know what a tornado was, except for what I'd seen in The Wizard of Oz.

As I progressed through elementary school and on through high school, I noticed a fear that came over a lot of my school mates anytime the weather turned questionable. In fact, there were times that parents would take their children out of school just because there was a threat of severe weather in the area. You see, before I moved there, the town was hit by a tornado that was so strong it took out the bridge into the town. People died. In fact when I first visited the area with my family, they had to use a ferry to get across the lake or drive all the way around it to get to in or out of town.

This happened nearly 30 years ago and people who lived there at the time remember it like it was yesterday. And though Greers Ferry, Arkansas has not been abused by the weather as badly as Moore, Oklahoma, the town has had a couple more, also serious, tornadoes since then.

These traumatic events will forever be a part of those affected. My heart hurts for those in Moore and I want to help. If you want to find a way to help, too, here are some resources for you to shine your light into the lives of those who are dealing with so much darkness now:

• Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief 

They state that funds will go directly to helping those affected. On their site they have instructions for donations of a few, very specific items. The preference and suggestion at this time, however, is for monetary donations. Links and mailing addresses are listed on the site.

• The United Way of Central Oklahoma

Again they are requesting monetary donations above all else. There are several options for payments on their site. All funds will be directed to relief efforts.

• DonorsChoose.org

Donor's Choose has a special online fund directed at the schools and teachers of Moore. This fund will help them restock their classrooms and help their students recover.

Some of my other Texas Blogger friends are also posting ways to help our neighbors to the north. Help if you can.

As always but especially now when this tragedy is still fresh on our hearts, be wary of anyone asking for money in a seemingly "unofficial" way. Unfortunately some folks use these events to prey on generous folks. 

Wordless Wednesday 5.8.13

{If you want to read more about how she joined us, click here.}

When "Me Time" Isn't Really "Me" Time

Choose wisely, my friends, or that time you are counting towards yourself is not going to count for anything.

Recently I've explored the idea of "me time" -- both my struggle with it and my friend Shannon's conquering of it. Exploring this subject has taught me a lot. Mostly that I'm doing it wrong.

But before I tell you how I can't even get time to myself right, I'm going to state something else: taking time for yourself IS selfish. It absolutely is. I mean, it's in the description. Whether you call it that or not is your choice, but if you don't consider it selfish you are doing yourself and other mothers a disservice. Because the thing is, it's OK to be selfish.

PUT YOURSELF FIRST (every now and then)

Do you hear that moms? BE SELFISH. Do it now.

By taking a stand and making a choice to do something for yourself instead of for others, you are claiming time for yourself instead of giving it away. You are choosing time for yourself. You are being selfish. And YOU must do that -- nobody is going to it for you (or there would be another name for it). We have to be OK with being "selfish" instead of trying to call it something else.

Here is why it's OK: we don't do it all the time. Now if ALL the decisions we made in our lives had us putting ourselves first, that's not going to work. But if we tell our children and our spouses, "Yes, I am choosing me over you for the next two hours" we just have to remember to add "we will all be happier because of that choice."

You see, I have an issue with mothers having to act like they aren't important and by sidestepping the word selfish I feel like we aren't owning our choice of time for ourselves. Our society already trivializes anything outside of childrearing and cooking and cleaning that we do. Let's not buy into that.

WHAT TO DO WITH THAT TIME

This is the kicker: Do you know which activities recharge you? Not what is supposed to recharge you because it works for someone else, but what really works for you.

It's not the same for everyone and this is where I was failing. For example, we always make sure I get to go to my neighborhood Bunco every month and I think everyone (in my house) thinks that counts for "me time", but guess what? It does not recharge, relax, or renew me in any way, shape, or form. Sure it's nice to see my friends that I don't always get to see, but it drains me. It's a lot of people and a lot of talking. I am depleted at the end of the night, not recharged.

What recharges me is the opposite of socializing: Having a couple hours to myself -- really just myself -- to read, write, or shop with no obligations whatsoever. I need that time inside my head. I am a textbook introvert so this is what works for me. (Yes, I can make myself be an extrovert, but that is post for another time.)

Writing about this issue made me examine the way I was spending my time away from my family, and with that I've come to see I need to be more deliberate in the way I choose my activities. There is not any extra time in our days -- it is always a trade off. By identifying what does and doesn't work for me, I hope to make the most of that time. (So forgive me if I don't make it to Bunco next month.)

I'd like to know: what has your biggest challenge been in creating that special space for yourself in your life? Were you doing it wrong, like I was? Do you share my difficulty of giving yourself permission to be selfish?

Your input on this topic has been invaluable -- the comments you've left here on my site and on my Facebook page have really kept the conversation going. Thank you! ;)

Wordless Wednesday 4.24.13

Working for the weekend.