A New Dawnn

Where Every Day is a New Adventure

Health

How to Find Your Strength Even In Uncertain Times

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews. All opinions are 100% mine.

girl resting on tree in forest

If this year taught me anything, it’s been that strength comes in many forms. Strength can be physical, mental or even emotional. In February we enjoyed a trip to my favorite place, Disney World. While things didn’t spiral out of control just yet, it was on it’s way to that. After plenty of back and forth, I decided that we’d take the trip because we didn’t know what the future held. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we’d be where we are today. [Read more…] about How to Find Your Strength Even In Uncertain Times

Daily Cleaning Schedule – Tips to Clean and Disinfect Your Home

Use this handy printable for a daily cleaning schedule of things you should be   cleaning and disinfecting each day.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Daily Checklist
  

Being married to a police officer means I have a daily cleaning schedule to clean and disinfect not only his work clothes but the house and anything that he may come in contact with. He’s an essential worker in the middle of a pandemic and while I’ve been diligent about staying home with the kids, he has to leave the house each day. So that means my cleaning schedule needs become a daily cleaning schedule to keep everything clean and disinfected. This handy printable is your guide to cleaning and disinfecting the surfaces you or your family may touch on a daily basis. [Read more…] about Daily Cleaning Schedule – Tips to Clean and Disinfect Your Home

Always Travel Ready with Invisalign® Treatment

This post was sponsored by the Invisalign® brand and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Clouds in the sky

Both of my kids have definitely inherited my love of travel. They’ve both traveled from a young age but now that Ryan is a teenager, it’s even more fun to travel and see the world through his eyes. He’s taking a more active role in helping plan our trips and where we should explore next. He’s starting to explore his own interests and incorporate them into our journeys.    While I love all that and traveling with a teen, what I love most is what Invisalign® treatment has done for his smile and confidence.  [Read more…] about Always Travel Ready with Invisalign® Treatment

How to Encourage Your Teen to Take Charge of Their Health – with Invisalign® Treatment!

This post was sponsored by the Invisalign® brand and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Since starting Invisalign® treatment over 10 weeks ago, I’ve noticed a difference in how my teenager takes care of his overall health. He’s cut back on the amount of junk food he’s eating, he’s drinking more water, and generally taking an interest in his orthodontic care and progress. These are just a few of the ways he’s taking charge of his health – thanks to Invisalign treatment! [Read more…] about How to Encourage Your Teen to Take Charge of Their Health – with Invisalign® Treatment!

How Invisalign® Encourages My Teen’s Passion for Adventure

This post was sponsored by the Invisalign® brand and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

My teen is always up for an adventure. If you asked Ryan what his favorite hobbies are, he’d tell you traveling and photography. He loves an adventure. We all do. It’s one of the reasons I homeschool, or road school, to be able to take our learning on the go. Whether we’re at home or exploring El Morro in Puerto Rico we’re not ones to turn down an adventure! [Read more…] about How Invisalign® Encourages My Teen’s Passion for Adventure

What You Need to Know About Invisalign® Aligners & Beginning Treatment

This post was sponsored by the Invisalign® brand and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

If you’ve been thinking about Invisalign® treatment for your teen, you might have some questions on how exactly the process works or if it’s the right choice for your teen. While we’ve only had 3 visits so far and are two weeks into Ryan’s treatment, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the process, how Ryan is responding to treatment so far and just how easy it’s been overall. Today I’m sharing what you need to know about Invisalign® aligners and beginning treatment.

Our initial visit was relatively quick and painless. The doctors at Segal & Iyer took computerized scans of my son’s teeth and put together a comprehensive treatment plan to shift his teeth into place. The hardest part was waiting for our Invisalign® aligners to come in.

Is Invisalign® Treatment the Right Choice for Your Teen? Here's what you need to know

Ryan was so excited leaving the office. Once he saw the progression scan of how his teeth would look after treatment he couldn’t stop talking about it and was eager to get started.

Once we got the call the Invisalign® aligners were in, we headed into the office to pick everything up.

Invisalign® aligners are the only aligners made with SmartTrack® material that straightens teeth with more predictably than other aligners.*

*Compared to aligners made from off-the-shelf, single later .030in material

On this visit Ryan had SmartForce® attachments put on his teeth due to how some of them are positioned. His teeth needed some pretty complicated movements to shift them into place and these small, tooth-colored pieces attached to his teeth to help keep the Invisalign® aligners in place. These attachments help make these movements possible without the need for traditional braces.

The SmartForce® attachments help the Invisalign aligners apply the right amount of force in the right direction for treatment.

Once the attachments were on it was time for his treatment to begin. He practiced putting the Invisalign® aligners in and taking them out while we were in the office to get the hang of it.

There’s a bit of a learning curve but once he got it, we were on our way.

They sent us home with 10 sets of Invisalign® aligners* that he will replace once a week. Once he uses all of them, we’ll head back into the office for another visit to check his progress a we’ll be given the next set of Invisalign® aligners.

It’s really that simple. If he accidentally breaks a set of aligners, he can just switch to the next pack or go back to his last set. There’s no need for an emergency office visit for broken aligners (which I had so many of with traditional braces).

Watching my son take something so serious has been a welcoming relief. He’s so excited to see what the end result for his smile is and has taken the whole process seriously.

Invisalign® clear aligners have really helped boost Ryan’s confidence. Ryan didn’t like the idea about having traditional, silver braces on his teeth. He saw how they looked and didn’t want that for himself.

*The number of aligners needed per treatment is up to the discretion of the Invisalign provider.

When the Invisalign® aligners are on, they’re virtually invisible. So he feels and looks his best and isn’t self-conscious at all. We all know the teen years are hard enough, so seeing how confident he is wearing this is a relief.

If you ask him what he loves the most, he’ll tell you it’s the fact that the Invisalign aligners don’t interfere with his adventurous life.

They don’t get in the way of things he likes to do or things he likes to eat. They don’t hold him back from living his life and exploring new things. Plus the fact that you can hardly tell he’s wearing them.

Invisalign® aligners in case

When it’s time for a trip, they’re the first thing he packs.

We’re both thrilled with the process so far and cannot wait to see his progression over the coming weeks.

Learn more about Invisalign® aligners here and see if they’re right for your child by taking the FREE Smile Assessment! If you’re considering Invisalign treatment, find a doctor near you.

Dawn