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Living a GR8TR Life Every Day

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Healthy Breakfast Options

Scientific studies have found that people start the day with a certain amount of will power and throughout the day that reserve of strength wanes as people become tired, hungry and distracted.

For that reason, regardless of how well or poorly you eat throughout the day, you have no excuse not to eat a healthy breakfast. This healthy breakfast recipe is the perfect example of how you can have great taste while having good protein, lots of vitamins from different colored vegetables and slow-burn energy with healthy carbs like black beans.

black beans
Black beans have protein and provide a steady energy source, reducing your hunger.

The good thing about that recipe is you can substitute most of the ingredients for other options depending on seasonal availability, taste, and your personal eating choices. For example, the spinach can be kale or cabbage, and the sausage can be vegetarian.

Other healthy breakfasts can include the following:

  • Steel Cut Oatmeal with Flaxseed and Berries
  • Egg White Vegetable Omelet
  • Protein Powder & Oatmeal Pancakes

The simple fact is that in the mornings, you can build habits that are very regular and easy to follow. Dinner will probably be hit or miss for most people as they are more tired, more hungry and have more options when they are out and about. Whether you are trying to lose weight, maintain your current weight or be super fit and healthy, it does not matter. The morning is the best time to stick to a healthy plan with a tried and true healthy breakfast recipe and just eat it every day.

If you have a cheat day where you let yourself go, you can cheat with the same recipe. Add cheese, add more meat if you like that and add toast or tortillas. All of these things make the breakfast have more calories and carbs, but also makes it tastier while still getting the benefit of all of the vegetables and proteins.

Lasanga with Pasta Alternative

I love lasagna but we have a rule. Christmas day only. We call it Christmas Lasagna. However, I thought if I could replace some pasta with vegetables, we could eat it more frequently. Substituting layers of lasagna pasta are actually easier than you think. The trick I found, is to use the actual pasta on the top and bottom layer, but the middle layers can be lasagna noodle substitutes, and people will really not notice.

So the first thing I did before creating this vegetarian lasagna recipe with pasta substitutions was to look around at what was already out there. What I found when I searched for sweet potato lasagna recipes seemed more like a sweet potato casserole and less like lasagna. So I just read over a couple of options and then came up with my own pasta alternative, while still using some pasta for the top and bottom so that the lasagna really feels like it is real.

This was risky because it was for my daughter’s birthday, and I was winging a recipe I’d never made before. Her requirements are rather odd because she is 90% a vegetarian (prefers it, but sometimes eats meat for protein) and she tries to eat very healthily, which means low quantities of refined pasta.

What we ended up with is lasagna with top and bottom real pasta, and two layers in the middle where sweet potatoes are the pasta replacement. By lightly salting the sweet potatoes at each layer with a light amount of coarse salt, the layers ended up being sweet and salty, instead of just sweet.

If you do not want sweet potatoes, I am sure you can think of many other lasagna pasta substitutes. For example, zucchini would work, squash would work, eggplant, thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, corn tortillas, and even regular potatoes (although more healthy???) are all possibilities as a lasagna noodle substitute.

Whichever pasta alternative you choose for your lasagna, the key is making every layer tasty and stacking it well. It will all bake together beautifully. And since we use real lasagna pasta on the top and bottom, there is a chance no one will even notice that the center is actually layers of vegetables.

The good news is, this being my daughter’s birthday dinner turned out great. She said it was the best lasagna she has ever had. I would not go that far, but I am more partial to it billed with meat sauce and mushrooms. However, for a more healthy lasagna with vegetable substitutes for more than half the pasta, it was surprisingly good and having a second piece was guilt-free.

Just a warning on the pictures, I am using stock photos because I did not take any during the first round of making this dish. Trust me, the layers looked great and the only time you really noticed the sweet potatoes is when you would eat one layer and they would be exposed below it. When you actually look from the side at a cut slice, it looks identical to lasagna full of pasta, and not some special pasta alternatives.

Print Recipe

Lasagne with Pasta Alternative

This lasagne recipe is health conscious but only 50% – by using lasagne pasta on the top and bottom of the dish, but having pasta substitutes in the middle, you can have the best of both worlds while reducing calories and carbs.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: healthy lasagne, pasta alternative, vegetarian
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 450kcal
Cost: $12

Equipment

  • 9" x 13" Baking dish
  • Large pot to cook pasta

Ingredients

  • 6 Noodles Lasagne
  • 1 Jar Favorite Spaghetti Sauce
  • 1 Leek (Lower half only) washed and finely chopped
  • 3 Sweet Potatoes Peeled and Thinly Sliced
  • 1/2 Red Bell Pepper diced
  • 4 Mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 1/2 Yellow Onion
  • 15 oz Ricotta Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
  • 4 tbsp Green Pesto
  • 2 tsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • Salt to Taste

Instructions

  • Boil water with salt in large pot, add Lasagne noodles and soften. Do not over cook – they will finish cooking in the oven.
  • While boiling water, slice up your leeks, mushrooms, onion and dice your red bell pepper. Saute with butter until soft.
  • In large bowl, whisk ricotta cheese, pesto sauce, and sauteed veggies. This will be filling
  • Preheat oven to 375
  • Peel and then slice the sweet potatoes. 1/8th inch thick or thinner.
  • Lightly oil baking dish, bottom and sides.
  • Lightly cover bottom of dish with spaghetti sauce
  • Layer 3 noodles, overlapping slightly
  • Then cover with 1/4th the ricotta, then light sauce, layer light mozzarella then a layer of sweet potatoes
  • Lightly salt each layer of sweet potatoes as you layer them, repeating 2-3 layers total
  • Top layer add the remaining 3 pasta. Tuck them in the edges. Then sauce them and add a healthy portion of mozzarella cheese evenly. Cover with foil.
  • Bake covered for 50 minutes. Bake on a cookie sheet so juice does not spill over into oven.
  • Carefully remove foil and make an additional 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees until the top is brown. Let cook for a few minutes, and slice 3×4 squares and serve.

Notes

The sweet potatoes will not be overly sweet, but if you want to use zuccinni instead it would be more of a neutral flavor.
I used store bought sauce and pesto (Aldi) but you can make it from scratch if you so desire.

There are many substitions you can make in this dish. Here are some ideas.

mozzarella for lasagna
  • Substitute green onions for leeks
  • Substitute cheddar for mozzarella
  • Substitute zucchini as a pasta alternative
  • Use herbs and garlic in place of pesto
  • Make your own sauce with tomatoes, olive oil, onions, and spices.
  • Add carrot to leeks to add more variety of nutrient-rich vegetables.

Let us know how you liked the recipe and let us know how which lasagna pasta substitute you used, and how did it turn out?

Suzuki Music Instruction

If you have children and you are interested in having them learn music, the best way to be successful is to take it seriously, at a young age, with Suzuki.

The disadvantage is that it costs more and requires more parental involvement, but for people that are serious about music development, this program also has a high degree of success and a much higher level of mastery than traditional musical instruction.

Better Parenting for Great Results

Let’s forget that your kids are your “kids” for a moment. Instead, what if they are long term projects that combine some art, a pinch of science and lots of planning and effort from you? What you would get is a sensible method of raising excellent humans. This is not to say you should not have a strong connection as well, but those emotions should be one of several driving forces to carry out a terrific long term job bringing them up.

The most difficult part of this is letting go of the ego a bit. You need to commit to getting better and being in charge of the outcomes, even if they are not always what you want.

Nobody will argue that a first time mother or father is likely to make some goof ups but with each child, a parent becomes much better at managing situations and focusing on things that are definitely more crucial. Yet, the first kids often turn out fine anyway, because humans are adaptive and resilient.

Tips For Better Parenting

Sign up for an online group of parents focused on high achievement kids. This will be parents who are serious and trying to enhance outcomes from an early age. You can learn a whole lot and draw motivation from groups like this.

Get instruction on what is possible. For example, AllProParent.com offers free training on the way to go to college or university ahead of time and complete a full bachelor’s degree at no cost. In addition, it has got the step by step system to how top level athletes are created.

Never get stressed about a single day. You will have great days and terrible days. Take a low stress day and return the following day much better than even. One day relaxing is just not going to undo your efforts.

Remember to have a real reason, not just “because I said so” – “Because I said so” is what people with no parenting plan say. It really is grasping at straws and using the excuse that you must demand respect without earning it. Earned respect is far more powerful.

Whether you use on-line groups, on-line parent education, YouTube or local in person organizations, make sure you keep learning and getting better. And have a genuine approach and end result you are trying for, as exceptional is less common by accident.

The best advice is to begin early and keep driving towards your objectives in a calm, constant and intentional way. When your children grow up in this way, they are used to it and they expect to have nothing less than excellence from themselves, and your job is much easier.

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe with Instapot

OMG this is so good. Disclaimer: We need a lot of lentil and vegetable soups, which are good. However, changing it up and making this Butternut Squash soup recipe with the Instapot is the new family favorite because it is so rich and creamy, and has sweet and savory elements to it that make it incredible.

Just dice up ingredients and cook 8 minutes in Instapot

The first time I made it, I added more spicy elements, and we all loved it but it was a bit too hot for my wife. The next time, I made it without as much spice and the recipe turned out great as well, but leaned a bit more to the sweet side. Those of us who liked the more spicy soup better just added a touch of Siracha and we were all happy.

Some people might see this and think they are indifferent to squash. I know that was my first impression when looking at other recipes for squash soup. However, the apple, onion, carrot, and fresh garlic take you on a whole new flavor adventure.

One of the things that is amazing about this squash recipe is that it is so few steps and is done so quickly. Basically, you just peel the items, chunk them up into cubes, cook them in the Instapot for 8 minutes, and then blend and add sour cream. When you taste it, you will be surprised at how good it is and how easy it is to make.

A lot of recipes will have steps like “brown the garlic and onion….” Not here. Just toss it all in the Instapot with two cups of vegetable broth and you will be ready for a blender or food processor after 8 minutes of cooking. That is 8 minutes after fully heating and pressurizing, of course. Probably about 15 minutes total time.

Crush garlic with knife before peeling

The #1 hardest thing in this Butternut Squash soup recipe is definitely the time it takes to peel and cube the squash itself. I use a nice, big peeler and peel the outer skin off of the squash. Then I cut the ends off and cut it down the middle, long way. Then I use a spoon to remove the seeds from the inside. Then, on a large cutting board with a large, sharp knife, I cut in strips and then across the strips of squash into cubes. The 8 minutes cook it well, so you can leave them chunky and they do not all have to be a uniform size.

There are two things that make this squash soup Instapot recipe special. The first is the creaminess of the soup. No one could believe that there was no butter in it, because it has a buttery, creamy feel to it. Also, the combination of sweet and savory tastes make it unlike many other things you have had. It is so good, I am sure it is the only soup I have ever had three bowls of on the same day.

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe for Instapot – Tips For Success

A couple of tips for preparation.

  1. Peel the skin off of the apple, or you might end up with some small bits of apple skin that take away from the creaminess of the soup.
  2. Let the soup cool a bit before adding the sour cream.
  3. When using a blender, use a towel to hold the lid on in case of splatter that might be hot.
  4. Modify the recipe by the size of your butternut squash. A large squash requires a larger apple and onion, or two small of each, to get the flavors balanced just right. While it does not require an exact ounce ration, the flavor can change significantly (but always yummy) with different balances of ingredients.
  5. If some people like the squash soup recipe spicy, and others do not, only add a tiny pinch of Cayanne in the soup and then those who want it more spicy can add more, or add Siracha to it, and it tastes great.
Print Recipe

Butternut Squash Soup with Instapot

This fast, easy butternut squash soup recipe is ready in about 30 minutes with the Instapot.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time12 mins
Finishing Time5 mins
Total Time27 mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: instapot, squash soup, vegetarian
Servings: 8 people
Cost: $6

Equipment

  • Blender or Food Processor
  • Instapot

Ingredients

  • 1 Whole Butternut Squash Peeled and Cubed
  • 4 Cloves Garlic Peeled and Diced
  • 1 Green Apple Peeled, De-Cored and Diced
  • 1 Large Carrot Cleaned and Diced
  • 1/2 TSP Salt
  • 2 Cups Vegetable Stock
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Cayanne Pepper More of Less to taste
  • 1 Pinch Cinnimon
  • 1 tbsp Sour Cream Heaping

Instructions

  • Clean, Peel and Cube all Vegetables
  • Add vegetables, stock and spices to Instapot and mix
  • Cook manual for 8 minutes (will take longer to preheat and pressurize)
  • Once done, carefully release pressure and then in small batches, blend in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add to large bowl.
  • Add sour cream into blended soup and stir until incorporated. Add dry or fresh basil to top to make pretty.

Notes

Add more Cayenne or Siracha to individual bowls to give it more of a kick for those people who like it spicy.

Leftover Turkey Curry Recipe

I found this Leftover Turkey Curry Recipe online and made some modifications after making it. While I really like turkey for a meal or two, we usually have a lot leftover and don’t know what to do with it because plain turkey gets tiresome fast.

The real key is to find ways to add a lot of flavor to leftover turkey so that you do not think you are just eating turkey for another meal.

This dish not only made it palatable, it actually was very good and very enjoyable to the entire family. This same dish would work with chicken as well, but there are a lot of different things you can do with chicken. Turkey seems more challenging so I keep this dish for those after holiday leftover strategies.

Also, if you are using this Leftover Turkey Curry recipe a few days after Thanksgiving or Christmas, it is a great way to feel like you are having a completely different and exotic dish since your family is probably tired of having holiday leftovers again and again.

Also, around holidays a whole turkey can be a very good and affordable item to buy, and if you keep it frozen you can later make turkey dishes that are not holiday-centric.

Print Recipe

Leftover Turkey Curry Recipe

The tastiest way to use leftover turkey is by using this Leftover Turkey Curry Recipe along with rice and nan to add all kinds of flavor to otherwise boring leftover turkey.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: instapot, leftover, thanksgiving
Servings: 4 people
Cost: $5

Equipment

  • Wok or large pan

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp Curry Powder
  • 1/2 tbsp Ground Ginger
  • 4 tbsp Butter
  • 1.5 Cups Onions Diced
  • 2 Cups Chicken Broth Low Sodium
  • 2 tbsp Flour
  • 3 cups Turkey cooked and diced
  • 1/2 cup Pea and Carrot Mix Frozen Vegetables or Fresh Cut
  • 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 3 tbsp Cilantro Minced
  • 2 cups White or Brown Rice cooked

Instructions

  • Prep Ingredients
  • In large pan or wok, melt butter and add curry powder, stir for 2 minutes
  • Add onions and stir regularly until onions are tender
  • Add ginger and flour, continue to stir and do not let clump
  • Add peas, carrots and chicken broth and bring to boil. Turn down heat and let simmer for 5 minutes uncovered.
  • Add turkey and cover, let simmer for 5-10 minutes
  • Add lemon juice and cilantro
  • Serve with rice and naan for a great meal

Notes

Cilantro may be removed or replaced with parsley if someone does not care for cilantro.
If adding raw carrots and peas, add earlier to maximize cooking.

Nan is easy to make and goes well with this dish. It is a simple Indian flatbread which is a perfect compliment with saucy dishes like leftover turkey curry. You can look up recipes with nan that is stuffed with potatoes (maybe leftover mash potatoes?) or sauteed onion and garlic.

In case you are wondering, a frozen raw turkey is best used within 7 months but can be used 2-3 years if it is kept frozen. If you freeze cooked turkey you can use it safely for 2-3 months after you freeze it.

Leftover Turkey Recipes & Ideas

Turkey is one of those foods that is good for you, but too much becomes too much of a good thing very fast.  That is why I decided to explore what people are doing with leftover turkey and point you to some good leftover turkey recipes.

Frozen, raw turkey is good for 2-3 years, but is best used within 7 months.  This means when turkey is on sale around the holidays, it is not a bad thing to buy one to make in the late Spring.  Also, frozen cooked turkey is good for 2-3 months or longer if you froze it soon after cooking.  This means you can spread out those turkey dishes through months.

That definitely helps, but plain turkey gets old fast, so here are four ideas of what you can do with leftover turkey.

Turkey Salad – This is a great option the day after a holiday when you have leftover turkey that is chilled.  Simply cube it up along with celery, onion, hard-boiled eggs, pickles, mayo, and mustard. Salt and pepper to taste.  Add lettuce and tomato to the sandwich or wrap and you have a yummy way to eat more turkey even though you just had it the day before.

Turkey Curry – I found this recipe a while back here and then made some modifications and made my own leftover turkey curry recipe.  This is so good I could eat it more often than I do.  Basically, you follow the recipe and make a great curry gravy that the turkey simmers in and then it is served with rice and nan to make a savory Indian tasting dish that does not seem to have turkey in it at all.  And you can make it in about 30 minutes with no exotic ingredients other than the curry spice, which you probably already have.

Turkey Fried Rice – This is a no brainer.  Look up any chicken fried rice recipe and substitute turkey.  One key is to make sure the meat is well coated with the spices and give it time to crisp in the wok.  Some crunchy texture and added flavor will make the turkey more delicious.  You usually only need rice (cooled), soy sauce, garlic, ginger, oil and vegetables of choice, like peas, carrots, green onions or broccoli if you want to make it really healthy.

Turkey Enchiladas – The key with substituting turkey for chicken in enchiladas is to make sure you coat the turkey with the enchilada sauce.  You can find recipes to make your own enchilada sauce or you can use a packet with tomato sauce.  Either way, make sure the turkey has beans and rice in as well, and sautéed onions and peppers as well as flavorful cheese.

When you see these four options, they are all from different countries.  Indian, Mexico, China, and the USA.  But what they all have in common to deal with turkey, which can be fairly plain, is they all have a sauce that makes the dish moister and more flavorful.

Raising High Acheivement Kids – Interview with All Pro Parent

All Pro Parent is a community of parents serious about raising high achievement kids.  Starting early and following a steady plan, parents can expect their kids to grow up better in both academics, athletics and having a variety of added skills that give the kids an advantage.  This can often result in free college and better jobs, as well as a higher probability of becoming a pro athlete.  The below interview is with Ron McDaniel, founder of All Pro Parent.

Why did you start AllProParent.com?

I found myself always talking to other parents about how we managed to have kids who were very good athletes as well as high achievers in academics.  And we did so much better with the second child that I wanted to help people avoid all the trial and error and start out with a ton of knowledge from the beginning.  There is a huge learning curve raising kids, and the more you know and the earlier you start, the better your results will be. 

What makes you qualified to run All Pro Parent?

As I mentioned, we are very active with your kids and did a combination of home schooling and public school.  The result with our youngest is she got into college at 13 and started taking classes full time at 14.  She is also still planning to be a professional athlete and that seems on course based on our plan of finishing college at 18 and going on the WTA tennis tour.

Why Did You Name Your Site “All Pro Parent?”

The name is a play on the idea of raising pro athlete kids (aka high performers.) Unless a kid has ridiculous levels of natural talent, the reality is it takes an All Pro Parent to raise a high achiever kid.  Especially if you want academics and athletics.

What kinds of things do members of All Pro Parent have access to?

One of the most important things to me is to make it free to anyone who wants to go down this path.  But of course, we need to have revenue to fund development of content.  So, we are using a freemium model where anyone can say they need free access and join without a cost.  However, people who are willing to pay .63¢ per day ($19 per month) get access to all the archives, while the free accounts only have access to the base training and new stuff for a short period of time.  I think it is the best way for us to have a model that can help everyone but still be a real business with resources.

What kind of outcomes can people expect?

I would love to see people go all in and do an incredible level of development with their kids.  The outcome can be fantastic.  However, many people have both parents working or limited time for other reasons, and it is hard.  Here is a better way of thinking about it.  If you start at birth and until the age of 14 you do 30 extra academic minutes with them 150 days out of the year (3 or 4 days a week) then at 14 they will be at least a grade level above where they are supposed to be.  That could be worth many thousands of dollars in free college and scholarships and can get them into better schools.

Likewise, 3 hours of athletic development per week from age 3 to 14 results in 1,716 hours of built up training and athletic practice.  Compare that to someone who decides to go out for a sport in High School but has not been preparing, and the difference is embarrassing. 

It is this steadiness over time that we stress.  There is a buildup of knowledge and ability, which also compounds and adds things like confidence, assertiveness and mastery.  Parents will get out of it what they put into it, but it does not have to be too much in any given week.  Parents succeed when they play the long game.

What if a kid is not athletic or is of average intelligence?

Our program is about maximizing talent over time.  No one can promise a specific outcome but by doing more over a long period of time you can feel confident that you will get better results.  Someone who is not physically gifted athletically can still play high level high school sports, and benefit from competition, physical fitness and a team environment.  Average academic ability can turn into top 10% when you apply extra effort from a young age.  Being in the 10% instead of 50% might not get you into Harvard or Yale, but there are still many more opportunities of better schools, scholarships and job opportunities.

In the long run, we want people to have a strong family work ethic towards being better.  It pays off.  Being part of a community where other parents have the same attitude and goals helps keep people on track.

How do people find out more about AllProParent.com?

Just visit www.AllProParent.com and sign up for the free email.  Then join the members area for more training as well as the Facebook group to interact with me and other parents.  Anyone who is not afraid of doing some extra to produce high achieving kids is welcome.

The NFT for Education

In 2021, NFTs have really taken off. They are generating a lot of money for artists, musicians, and collectors. But this new technology is in its infancy. Already it is making a ruckus in gaming, entrepreneurship, and education.

What is an NFT?

An NFT is nothing more than a digital certificate of ownership that resides in the blockchain, which is what houses cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Etherium. While the Bitcoin blockchain is too restrictive, other blockchains that came along later have more flexibility and have been adding contract features. This has led to the NFT boom we are seeing.

While currently, the common use is to buy an NFT, hold it, and then sell it, nearly anything can be programmed around them. That is why, in gaming, it has caught on so quickly. Items can be NFTs and bought and sold, but also used in the games. It is like having a password for each item your character carries. And you can sell that to another character for real money, and once transferred, only the other character owns it.

The Education NFT

Education is also being transformed by the NFT technology. Combining NFT collectibles with curriculum design, companies will be able to build higher-end curriculums that are more effective and reach a global audience. By combining these NFTs and cryptocurrency, education will get better, go global, and be free to everyone.

Schools, teachers, and professors will still have jobs but they will be doing more to help individuals, small groups, and running the learning projects that accompany the core curriculums.

Students will benefit from decoupling courses from schools. An NFT certificate, verified by a certified teacher or institution, will verify completion. And they can go to the best people anywhere for each course. Instead of achieving a degree, students will be able to demonstrate lifelong learning progress and multiple achievements.

Recognizing Lifelong Learning

Typically, when someone talks about lifelong learning they are talking about continuing to learn after someone has finished formal school. What is neglected is lifelong learning that starts from day one.

We all know, parents with more resources will give their newborn advantages from birth. More time from parents, and more money, help kids develop a sound foundation before they even start preschool. That is why it is so exciting that Oustanda, a company using NFTs to improve education, launched its first Education NFT to address this issue.

And while NFTs can be expensive, their program has something for everyone. Five levels range from $50,000 down to $50. Benefactor Education NFT, Champion Education NFT, Patron Education NFT, Backer Education NFT, and Friend Education NFT are the levels.

As we have already said, an NFT can be a lot more than a collectible. These NFTs have a variety of features, depending on the level. Some produce monthly recurring crypto payments. Some include royalties if the owner decides to sell it. And they all act as a key to unlock benefits that will be added down the road. Maybe they are not as cool as a flaming sword, but grown-ups understand that it is pretty cool when you improve people’s lives.

Clear Braces

Not every person qualifies for clear alignments treatment. If you are wondering whether this treatment method is the right one for your child or teenager, you need to keep in mind there are steps you MUST follow first in order to see if this is the right treatment for you or your child. Keep in mind, clear alignments are a treatment for teens or adults with issues that are not serious and can be fixed without seeing an orthodontist. It is not for everyone.

Who can get Clear Alignments Treatment?

  1. Teens and
  2. Adults

What kind of problems do you have with your smile (Teeth)?

There are different issues people have when dealing with their teeth and consequently their smiles. The main problems there are, and that are fixable with Clear Alignments Treatment are these:

  1. Crooked Teeth
  2. Gaps in their teeth
  3. Overbite and Underbite teeth
  4. Overcrowded teeth
  5. Overlapping teeth
  6. Open bite teeth
  7. Mostly straight teeth

An example of overlapping teeth is when the two front teeth called central incisors are one on top of the other. Also, the bottom teeth can be overcrowded making them look as if they are overlapping when in fact they just need space to fit. Regardless of your problems, if you follow the directions from the company you are ordering, and take the steps needed to see if you qualify for this kind of treatment, you can fix your problem over the mail.

What are the benefits of ordering Clear Alignments Treatment over the mail?

The biggest benefit when ordering “braces” over the mail is the price. The price difference between metal braces and aligners is substantial. Invisalign, the best-known company providing this option charges differently depending on the problems you have. SmilesDirect, another company offering this service states that they are cheaper than Invisalign by $4,000 dollars. The thing to keep in mind is that not everyone is a possible candidate for these treatments. Your problems need to be relatively minor for you to get aligners. Therefore, the price should be much less than going to the orthodontist and getting metal braces for you or your teen.

How do I Get Started?

  1. First, you need to go to the company you want to purchase the aligners from and answer a few questions.
  2. The company’s online form asks you what kind of smile you have. That means what are the problems with your teeth. Are they overcrowded? Do you have an overbite or underbite? Do you have a gap? etc.
  3. The fill-out form asks for your personal information. Name, address, phone number, etc.
  4. The company you choose will send you a kit for you to return to them. It is a kit to have a mold of your teeth, and then they will inform you whether you are a candidate or not.
  5. Fifth, they will send you clear aligners and instructions on how to properly use them to make a difference in your smile. If they don’t fit, or they are uncomfortable wearing them, call the company to resolve the problem.

What Are The Benefits of Clear Aligners?

They do work, and the price is much less than metal braces. I personally found the process of getting clear aligners easy to follow. The price was right, and although at the beginning I was a bit hesitant about the true benefits of having clear aligners versus metal braces, I am happy I chose clear aligners.

What Are The Disadvantages of Having Clear Aligners?

Personally, the only disadvantage of having clear aligners is the fact you have a clear, plastic retainer at the end of your treatment. You do not have metal retainers, and you have to replace the plastic retainer every six months according to the company. That means you will always have to pay for a retainer for the rest of your life.

If you or your teen have minor issues with your teeth but want to have a straight, beautiful smile, then clear aligners can be the solution for you. Check out the companies before you sign up for the treatment.