Do you use aligner chewies?

Message

#1 Post by **scorpetteFL** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 1:52 pm

I moved, switched orthos, and have to go back from aligner 15 to aligner 11. I didn't use the chewies regularly until switching to the new ortho - my old ortho didn't stress the importance of them (he gave me a pack and said to chew a few times the first day of the new aligner).

My new ortho thinks part of why 15 didn't fit is because I didn't use the chewies enough, and he said to chew at least 1/2 hour every day.

Do you guys do that? I think it was smoking that stopped my progress but I hope it's lack of chewies.

#2 Post by **Lilypad** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 12:08 am

How many hours a day are you wearing your aligners?????

#3 Post by **scorpetteFL** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:50 am

Now I'm wearing them 22 hours a day - I probably was wearing them 20 hours a day before. It felt like I was wearing them enough before...but now that I'm really wearing them 22 hours a day I see I wasn't! Like I have already had them off for an hour for sunday morning coffee so now I only get 1/2 hour for lunch and 1/2 hour for dinner.

#4 Post by **Abell** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 10:08 am

I've never heard of chewies. I'll start my 4th set of aligners this week and I've been wearing each set for 3 weeks. I wonder if that eliminates the need for "chewies."

#5 Post by **Lilypad** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 3:10 am

LOL, i know the coffee time is killing me too!

#6 Post by **jeni** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 7:32 am

I use chewies but not because the ortho recommended them; I just thought that it couldn't hurt anything. If I chew too long, my jaw will start to hurt. So I generally only use chewies right after putting in new aligners so that they fit properly and can make good movements. They seem to help!

#7 Post by **dale** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 11:37 pm

I got bumped back too, and when my ortho was doing his version of scolding me by going back over the list of instructions, I noticed that you're supposed to use the chewie for 5-10 minutes each day. I swear that's something new - when I began treatment I was told that I only needed to use the chewie the first few days after changing trays. I don't see how not using the chewie has made a difference now and not earlier in my treatment, but I'll see what happens. I feel really stupid using it, though! I only do it at home - and NOT in the car like the ortho recommends. The saliva generation (droolies) is gross!