Metal Mouth
Train Tracks
Brace Face
Heavy Metal
I know those names all to well. I had braces for what felt like an eternity. I got them during my grade 6 year and finally got them off in grade nine. Hard years to have braces. Being a young preteen/teen can be hard enough, especially when you are a girl and going through all the changes that girls go through, but to add braces into the mix it can be even harder.
It was a huge investment, not only financially for my parents, but also with our time. We had dozens of orthodontist appoints and what added up to hours in the chair. I remember those days leaving school early to go to my orthodontist appointment. I remember those appointments. The people at the office were almost like family. I visited the office so many times over nearly three years. They saw me grow up.
Ah, the memories of having braces. I was teased, just like every other kid who ever had braces. It didn’t bother me too much. I was used to being teased about being a little bit different. I have freckles and a lot of them. There was only a couple of us in the school with freckles so we could often end up being at the end of a freckle joke. But having braces wasn’t without pain, both social/emotional and physical pain. I remember when I first got braces it was so painful. I had to have four teeth pulled even before I could get the braces because I had too many teeth in my mouth. Once the braces were on my teeth and I was wired up there were many painful days ahead as my teeth were being pulled into place. Every time the wires were tightened along the way there were more days of pain ahead.
Sometimes my teeth just ached and I had to be really careful of what I ate. And then there was the time that I actually had one of my braces pop off my tooth while I was eating an orange. Yup an orange. So there it was dangling on the wire in my mouth until the next day when I could get in to see the orthodontist. It was so painful. It was actually the most painful part of having braces.
So the braces were tightened, elastics were added and then the braces came off and then there were retainers. And today, I am the proud owner of nice straight teeth.
My story is probably like a lot of other teens who wore braces. Now with advances in dentistry and orthodontic care there are options. I have recently become aware of a neat product, something I think I would have liked to try when I was a teen. Invisalign Teen, an innovative company that provides a modern alternative to traditional braces. That is the biggest plus about Invisalign is that is offers an option, an alternative.
Here are some Invisalign facts:
– Invisalign Teen effectively straightens teeth like metal braces and is an ideal choice for active teens
– In most cases, Invisalign is comparable in costs to traditional braces and is covered by most dental
insurance plans
– Invisalign’s treatment capabilities are not limited to mild/cosmetic cases – Invisalign can help correct a broad range of cases: Overly crowded teeth, widely spaced teeth, cross bite, overbite and under bite
– Invisalign treatment is also ideal for
busy parents because there are never any emergency appointment from
broken wires/brackets; it requires fewer appointment (because you get
your sets in advance) and less chair time (for those uncomfortable
tightenings)
– The total treatment time with Invisalign averages between nine and 15 months and the number of aligners worn
during treatment is between 18 and 30.
– There are almost two million Invisalign cases in treatment or completed worldwide (15-20% are teens)
CONTEST
Thanks to Invisalign and Mom Central Canada I am able to offer my readers a chance to win an Invisalign Outdoor Sport Chair for all those games and activities you are running to with the kids. Just tell me how Invisalign Teen could benefit someone in your family. This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. Contest runs until November 18, 2011. Make sure to leave me an email address so I can get in touch with you if you win. Good Luck!!!
You can also enter to win an Invisalign Teen full treatment (a value of up to $7,000) For the contest: http://tinyurl.com/3llvzu3
For the Rules & Regulations (which can also be found in the contest section): http://tinyurl.com/4x45hna
Disclosure – I am participating in the Invisalign Teen program by Mom Central
Canada on behalf of Align Technology, Inc. I received compensation as a
thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.
