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]

Are you or your child looking to start treatment with Invisalign but finding it hard to say yes because of a busy schedule? Then, you’re in the right place – because we have a solution for you! Dental Monitoring is one of the latest technological advances in the Orthodontic field. Hester and Morris Orthodontics have used DM with our patients for over two years.

So what is Dental Monitoring?

Dental Monitoring is an app on your smartphone that we use to help check your Invisalign progress remotely. The patient simply takes a quick weekly scan using their cell phone camera and uploads it to the app. Then that scan is examined with a combination of AI technology and a Hester and Morris team member for correct aligner wear. If everything looks good, our team will follow up with you, letting you know that you’re ready to proceed with the next aligner.

Here are three reasons why our patients love Dental Monitoring:

1. Continual support from the Hester and Morris team.

Our Invisalign patients love hearing weekly updates from the office on their treatment. When you’re new to Invisalign, you want to ensure that you’re doing everything correctly, so having this weekly feedback assures the patient. It also makes communication to our office very convenient. All you have to do is message us through the app!

2. Convenience and flexibility.

We get it – people are busy! But, the great thing about Dental Monitoring for your Invisalign treatment is that you can be successful even with life on the go. Weekly scans can be done anywhere since most people always have their smartphones with them. Going on vacation? You don’t have to worry about missing an appointment or having to reschedule because you can capture your weekly scan at the moment that makes the most sense for you. Have a question about treatment? A quick message through the app, and our team is happy to help!

3. It teaches responsibility and accountability.

Do you have a teen in Invisalign? Not a problem! A great thing about the Dental Monitoring app is that it allows your teen to take more ownership of their aligner wear. Parents can be assured that we are checking behind their teens weekly, not only on the amount of time that the aligner is worn, but we’re also pointing out any problems that we see along the way. We can even communicate with you about wearing elastics and even check up on their oral hygiene. The overall results are successful treatment and time efficiency!

Sometimes people wonder if Dental Monitoring replaces in-office visits? At Hester Morris Orthodontics, we see Dental Monitoring as an additional way to provide the most inclusive patient care. But, of course, you still come into the office for visits, though not as often, because Invisalign treatment takes much less time than patients who have braces. But our patients are never on their own with her treatment, and we are here every step of the way!

If you’ve been thinking about starting treatment with Invisalign, but a busy life has been getting in the way – let us help you get started on that journey to a new smile! So give us a call today or click the link to schedule your consultation appointment and speak with our staff about how easy it can be to get the smile you’ve always wanted.

[caption id="attachment_80" align="alignnone" width="200"] Dental Monitoring is a tool we use to give our patients the best experience possible![/caption]

22 Reasons to Smile

It’s an instant mood brightener.

It shows you to be a friendly person!

Makes a great first impression.

It increases your face value – thanks, Dolly!

Because they are contagious.

It’s free!

It may help somebody feel better!

They offer reassurance to those around you.

Smiles make you feel confident even if you’re faking it.

Smiling makes you look confident.

They are the gateway to a burst of laughter.

They communicate without saying a word.

Makes you look great in photos!

Smiles are known to relieve stress.

Can lower your blood pressure.

Can boost your immune system by releasing endorphins.

Makes you more attractive.

Makes you look younger.

Makes you seem more successful.

Smiling can increase your energy

Smiling helps you earn more money.

Smiling takes fewer muscles than frowning!

Anything we overlooked? Share your reasons to smile below!