2MIN2X

You may be asking yourself: "what is 2MIN2X?"  GREAT!  Then our plan has worked! 2MIN2X is a Children's Oral Health campaign.  You can read more about them here but basically their aim is to motivate parents to take action against children's poor oral health by encouraging proper and frequent brushing. 

We are in full support of this campaign! Yes, parents, we know that the responsibility of proper oral hygiene, by the time kids are old enough to know better, rests in their hands. And we know that most of the poor oral hygiene that we see in our office everyday is on older aged children.  But, our support for the campaign comes from the fact that proper dental hygiene is a good habit that can be taught as young as age 2.  (if you have doubts, here's how)

2MIN2X written in its full form is two minutes, two times a day.  That means that out of all the 24 hours in a day, if only four minutes of it were dedicated to great tooth brushing, children could experience healthier teeth, good breath, fewer cavities, and avoid painful dental problems.  4 minutes is nothing!  And, websites like this one make it super easy by providing 2 minute videos to watch while brushing!

Remember this video from this blog?  In this video, one mother says "my four year old hates brushing" and "its a battle."  But, as the news reporter says, "its a battle worth winning."  At this point, you may be asking yourself "why is an orthodontic office so concerned about whether or not 4 year olds are brushing... 4 year olds don't have braces?"  You are right, but soon those same 4 year olds will be the 7 year olds that come to us for their first orthodontic evaluation.  And, if these healthy oral practices are already a habit, then once braces are on oral hygiene would not be the issue that it often is. 

If we have not convinced you of the importance of early oral health concerns, we invite you to take a look at this infographic: 

   Tooth Brushing Facts for Kids by Ad Council

Just 4 minutes is all it takes to set healthy habits in motion.  Let's do it!

'Tis the Season for Mouthguards

As summer makes its debut, so does warmer weather (hopefully).  Which, in turn, kicks off the season of summer sports and sports practices.  This is FANTASTIC!  We are always in support of living healthy and active lifestyles.  But, from an orthodontic point of view, all of these sports bring a major concern to mind; MOUTHGUARDS  

We know that mouthguards are not the most comfortable things to wear during sports.  But, as the article above points out, there are several different types of guards; you just have to find the one that works best for you.  If you are a patient with braces, we highly recommend the "boil and bite" type, as they will then fit comfortably over your braces.  

You may be thinking to yourself "I know that if I were a boxer or if I played football I would need a mouthguard, but my sport is not that rough.  So, I'm good, right??"  WRONG! 

That article contains a list of fairly low-impact sports that are better off played with a mouthguard.  Just because you are not getting physically hit in the face, most sports have the potential of causing harm to your mouth due to falls, head-to-head contact, tooth clenching, or blows to the face.  

This link can educate you on different types of mouth injuries and will hopefully show you why a mouthguard is a seriously essential piece of equipment for sports.  

So, even though they may not be the most comfortable thing to wear, 1) you can choose one that works best for you, 2) you can choose one that works best for the sport that you are involved in, 3) it can prevent all types of serious mouth injuries and, most importantly, 4) It can make you look seriously intimidating...

 

 

Mother's Day is This Sunday, 

May 12...

and let's face it, you still have no ideas what to get for her for Mother's day.  And that is where we come in!  We have already thought this through for you.  And, with our idea you win either way!!!

 

So, let's recap... 

1) you submit a story to us (either by email: heintzorthodontics@gmail.com or facebook or bring it in) about how your real life superhero, mom, saved your day.

2) Be sure to include your mom's email address on this story, and don't tell mom. Otherwise when we send it to her it will not be a surprise. 

3) Once we receive your story, your name will be entered in a drawing to win a beautiful bouquet of flowers that will be delivered to your mom one day before Mother's day. 

4) if you don't win, your mom will still get a surprise email about a story that lets her know that you think she is your real life superhero.   

Both of these options are enough to make any mom feel like she's #1!!

She does a lot for you... DO SOMETHING FOR HER FOR A CHANGE!!

WE ONLY ACCEPT STORIES UNTIL 2PM ON THURSDAY.  SO HURRY!!!!!!    

KNOW YOUR SUGAR

These days, with cavities and obesity on the rise, it is easy for one to turn to the food that is eaten for immediate blame of this situation.  But, also on the rise is the emergence of newer, sweeter, calorie packed sodas, soft drinks, juices and energy drinks that easily get dismissed for causing cavities and weight gain because "its only a drink."  With this infographic and information in the links, we encourage people to be mindful of what you (and your children) are consuming daily... not just in your food, but also in your drinks. 

 Changing your foods, drinks and habits can help combat the issue of cavities and weight gain.  For example, eating fruits and vegetables provides great nutrition and helps to keep your teeth clean.  In addition, drinking regular tap water replaces the sugary, high calorie drinks, and has fluoride in it which helps clean your teeth (double whammy!!) And, most importantly, make sure that you are brushing at least twice a day and flossing once everyday.  You only get one set of adult teeth in your one body... You should try to take care of both!!!
(PS The inforgraphic is AWESOME, you should blow it up and read it)

The Waffling of Hope

Isn't is strange how a horrible event like Marathon Monday bombing can trigger us to wonder "Where are we safe?" and "Should I be nervous at any major event that I go to?"   Its even stranger that, these days we have to have these thoughts. Period.   With these recent tragic and evil events it always takes a while for us to get back to normal thinking and for us to realize that we cannot live our lives in constant fear because, the reality is, there is evil in this world.  That is why, following recent stories such as these, we like to take time to remind everyone that, while there is evil, the good definitely outweighs the evil.  Yes, it is horrible and tragic that these people trained for months, even years, to qualify for this prestigious race and invited their closest friends and family to watch them race, not knowing that they were being put in harm's way.  But, it is important that we grieve for these people and we try to focus on the good that this has brought about.  It is hard to do that, but without doing so, life cannot go on.  So, while our hearts are with all of those in Boston, all of those who were injured, affected, or scarred by this recent event... we invite everyone to take a second to read this article about some of the good people.  And since we are in the business of smiles, try to smile... and spread it on.  #heintzorthodontics #sharingsmiles #beautifulsmiles #boston

Our Latest Glimmer of Spotlight

Dr. Heintz was Featured in Advantage

In November, our team at Heintz Orthodontics made the trek to the Invisalign Summit in Las Vegas.  There were a few reasons for our trip.  1) We love Invisalign and are always eager to learn new ways of using the product 2) We want to be sure that we are providing the latest and most up-to-date technology for our patients and 3) Dr. Heintz was selected from thousands of entries to perform an educational presentation to his Orthodontic peers on his expertise of treating Mixed- Dentition cases using Invisalign.  (Click here to learn more about mixed dentition).  We were so proud of Dr. Heintz and his hard work. He presented to over 600 of his fellow Orthodontists, which is not his expertise.  He did an amazing job presenting and, following his presentation, he fielded many questions from other doctors; a good sign that people learned a lot from his presentation.  We are proud to announce that he was featured in Advantage Newspaper.  Please take a second to see the article.  We are so proud of him!

Heintz Orthodontics is giving a seminar on August 12th 2010. Invisalign can work for you, just as it has for Over a million smiles! Not only is Invisalign versatile, helping to correct a broad range of dental and orthodontic issues, but it really works. There are over a million smiles to back that up. But a confident smile isn't the only benefit of correcting your dental issues with custom-made Invisalign aligners your health can be positively impacted as well.

Learn about the Benefits-August 12th @ 6:30.

Invisalign is clearly your best choice for a better smile.

Invisalign system is custom-made for you teeth and your teeth only. With a plan devised by you and Dr. Heintz, you know you'll end up with a smile that truly fits. If you're ready for a smile that transforms your appearance, Invisalign is your answer. Although there are many choices out there, no other works as effortlessly as the Invisalign system.

Let Dr. Heintz Show you how! Please RSVP (618) 465-7423 and come see how Invisalign can change your life!!

Check out website for more information about our office. www.drheintzorthodontics.com