50% Done Invisalign with Unionville, Ontario Orthodontist!

We had such a busy last few months leading into September at MCO's Unionville Orthodontist office.    Most parents don't want their kids to miss school, so summer is a really busy time at the office.

Outside of the office, we had some great weather.  So now that the summer bbq's have come to an end, I'm secretly happy because I don't have to constantly take my aligners on and off! As stated in the title, I am about 50% through my treatment! My teeth have moved a lot! My upper two front teeth (previously overlapped) have shifted so much that I'm actually comfortable smiling from ear to ear.  The overlapping was always something I was self conscious about.  I honestly can't wait to see what they will look like in 5, 6, 7, 8....12 months!  

One topic I wanted to write about today was headaches.  I am very prone to getting them (3-4 times a week) and I realized it only got to this number after I started treatment.  I was expecting this to happen because 1) I was already getting headaches and 2) Ortho treatment can cause headaches due to the movement of the teeth.  I will admit that every time I change into a new aligner I get a headache.  Even though I always switch into new sets at night time, I find myself waking up with a headache.  Invisalign is not the sole reason for this, but they do cause tension on the teeth which can lead to headaches.  This is also the case with braces.  When switching into my last 2 sets, I took some Tylenol before going to sleep and it did relieve the severity of the headache when I woke up in the morning.  Some of our Invisalign patients at the office told me they experience this as well, but they know it's only temporary during treatment.  If you are prone to headaches/migraines, I would recommend you switch into your new aligners at night time and use chewies often to reduce any soreness.

Speaking of chewies, many people are not familiar with them.  For anyone who has Invisalign or is planning on getting it, I definitely recommend you ask your Orthodontist to provide you with chewies.  Chewies are rubber like rolls (looks like a cotton roll) that you chew on to stimulate your blood flow and relieve any discomfort.  Here's a link to a video made by Dr. Tam a few years ago (not sure why the video is so shaky, but you'll get the point):

Aside from all the shifting and aligning, more people are starting to notice my Invisalign.  Maybe it's because I'm constantly smiling?  It's not my family or friends that are commenting, it's the cashier at a local pharmacy, my banker, sales associate at a clothing store, and even my high school teacher! The one thing we all have in common is Invisalign! All of us are currently in treatment.  The sales associate actually stopped me in the store and asked me several questions regarding Invisalign (She knew I was a hygienist).  We ended up talking for 20 minutes!

I had some progress photos taken today to share with all of you.  You can see the direct comparison of how my teeth looked when I initially started to now...

I'm loving the progress so far! 

Hope you guys are enjoying the Fall/Autumn season! 

Til' next time, keep smiling! =)