Is Invisalign Really Customized for Each Patient?

Have you ever wondered - "Is Invisalign really customized just for me?" Well, that is a common question. As a matter of fact, it is, and that’s part of what makes it work. If you were a candidate for Invisalign treatment, the first thing we’d do is to take an impression of your teeth as they are now and digitize it. Using special software, we would then look at this current positioning and compare that to the ideal placement of your teeth – in other words, exactly where we would want them to end up.

Next we’d use the software to map out the exact path your teeth would take from now through the end of your treatment. Based on this precise prescription, a set of custom aligners would be created specially for your teeth. Throughout the course of treatment, you’d wear these clear, removable aligners one at a time, each one moving your teeth closer and closer to their final, perfectly aligned position. And the whole time it would be your secret, since the aligners are virtually invisible!

Dr. Mart McClellan is a certified Invisalign provider! If you have questions about Invisalign, or would like to find out if you are a candidate for Invisalign treatment, give us a call us at 847-251-6228 or feel free to email us at: info@mcclellanortho.com.

Haunting Rewards for Spooky, Sweet Treats!

Halloween is almost here, and at McClellan Orthodontics we’ll be handing out some goblin-worthy goodies to all our patients who participate in one of our frightfully fun contests! As an orthodontic patient you may be dreading Halloween with all its hard candies, chewy caramels and buckets of treats you’ve been advised not to eat. Well we don’t want you not to enjoy this Halloween so to make it up to you we are doing a candy buy-back program! Patients can bring in their Halloween candy and receive a dollar for every pound, plus an extra dollar if you show up in costume! We will be matching the dollar amount we give out and donating it to the Leukemia Society. The candy we buy back from you will be sent to our troops overseas in Iraq so they can enjoy a sweet treat on Halloween too.


In our office we have a jar filled to the top with candy corn, and it’s your job to guess how many are in the jar. The person with the closest guess wins a 50 dollar gift card to Best Buy. We’ve also got a cut out board with X-rays of our staff and Dr. McClellan. The person to match most staff members to their picture also wins a 50 dollar gift card.

We will be handing out Halloween decorated pens and necklaces with ghosts, black cats, pumpkins, bats and witches. Our office is fully decorated with a haunted game room, spiders hanging from our exam lights, and pumpkins, skulls and skeletons. We’ve turned our downstairs waiting room into a haunted graveyard with big skeleton pictures on the windows!

We invite you to stop by and visit us, bring in your candy, enter to win some prizes, and have a very safe and happy Halloween!

Are There Teeth Grinders in Your House?

Grind, grind, grind, grind. If you live with a teeth grinder, especially a night grinder, you may be familiar with this unpleasant sound. Other symptoms of teeth grinding (technically called “bruxism”) include:

• Sensitivity in the teeth

• Tightness or pain in the jaw

• Dull headaches, earaches or facial pain

• Chipped, worn down or loose teeth

Teeth grinding is typically brought on by stress; however, children will also often grind their teeth unknowingly in their sleep. Here are some ways you can try to stop the grinding:

• Find out if there might be something bothering him/her; stress may be a factor

• Take your child to see a dentist. Your dentist may prescribe a nighttime mouth guard to
prevent teeth grinding in their sleep

• Tell your child not to chew on hard object, such as pens and pencils

• At night before bed place a warm cloth on your child’s cheek to relax muscles before sleep

• Keep your child hydrated with water; dehydration can lead to teeth grinding

If grinding goes untreated it can lead to chipped teeth, worn enamel, chronic pain or even TMJ, a painful jaw disorder. So, if your child is grinding his/her teeth, contact your us for more information and “grinding” solutions. Call us at 847-251-6228 or feel free to email us at: info@mcclellanortho.com.

When Are Two Phases of Treatment Necessary?

Usually patients in orthodontic treatment already have their permanent teeth – they are pre-teens, teens and adults. But in some cases we have to start treatment earlier, even before the patient’s permanent teeth come in. We call this “two-phase treatment.”

When we have patients with clear developmental problems at an early age, it’s best to start work when they are young, before the problems get bigger and more difficult to treat. Examples include an upper or lower jaw that is not growing correctly, or a mouth growing in a way that doesn’t leave enough room for all the permanent teeth to come in, or what we call a “severe malocclusion” (the orthodontic word for “bad bite” which means the jaws don’t fit together correctly).

In these cases we will start early and do one round of treatment – phase one – while the patient still has “baby teeth.” Phase one usually does not involve braces, but can include a different type of appliance that helps the jaw grow into place properly. We’ll follow up with phase two usually a few years later, when permanent teeth are in place. Generally phase two involves standard braces.

In order to catch any early problems, we recommend that children have an orthodontic check-up no later than age seven (and so does the American Association of Orthodontics). However, if your dentist or pediatrician sees any sign that early treatment might be necessary, he or she may recommend your child visit our office even sooner.

What’s so Special About an Orthodontist Anyway?

We often find our patients wondering about the difference between an orthodontist and a dentist. Dr. Mart McClellan started out in dental school and got a DDS (dental) degree, just like your dentist. But after dental school, Dr.McClellan decided he/she wanted to learn more about orthodontics, which is one of nine specialties in the dental field. So he/she stayed in a school for a few more years to become an expert in orthodontics, which focuses on tooth and jaw alignment and bite problems such as overbites and underbites.

Other dental specialties you may have heard of include endodontics (focusing on the soft tissue inside your teeth), periodontics (focusing on the gums and other tissues surrounding your teeth) and prosthodontics (focusing on restoring and replacing damaged teeth).

Isn’t it nice to know there’s a dental expert to help you through any type of treatment your teeth, jaw and gums might need?