Wednesday, February 26, 2014

What to Expect When You’re Expecting…Braces!

When patients (and parents!) come in to our office for the first time, it’s natural for them to be a little nervous. But orthodontic treatment like traditional braces and Invisalign are a great start toward a straighter smile your child will be proud to show off for a lifetime—it can be helpful to look at your first orthodontic appointment as the beginning of a new era.

So what can you expect when you take that first step by scheduling an appointment with Reed Orthodontics?

Get to know each other! At your initial visit, our staff will get to know the patient and their family. We’ll also orient you with our office and our processes. We’ll perform a thorough exam to determine if (and what kind) of orthodontic treatment might be needed. And, of course, we’ll answer any questions you may have about our pricing and payment options.

Get into the nitty gritty. As you’re probably aware, orthodontics isn’t just about making chit-chat—as much as we love to! After your initial consultation, we’ll take photos, X-rays, and create molds of the teeth. This helps our staff design a specialized treatment plan that’ll work for you.

After the initial visit, our team will meet again with you to review our proposed treatment plan and answer any questions that you or your child may have, then finalize the paperwork.

Next, comes the initial appliance placement, which is typically a longer appointment than the others, especially if the treatment plan involves conventional braces. We’ll install the appliance and once again review instructions for caring for and cleaning it.

And here begins our active treatment phase, which may include monthly adjustment visits and progress reports to make sure everything’s going smoothly. Once our team feels your treatment is complete, we’ll remove the appliance and give you instructions for your retainer, if applicable—and of course, we’ll have regular check-ins and adjustments in that case, too.

Have a question for Reed Orthodontics or would like to make an appointment? Click here to send our staff a message or call us at 412.421.8565.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

National Children’s Dental Health Month


Happy February, Club Reed! You probably know that February is Black History Month and the month of several presidential birthdays—but did you also know that it’s National Children’s Dental Health Month?

Every February, the American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors this special month to raise awareness about the importance of healthy teeth. It’s important for youngsters to develop good habits early on, and the ADA has provided lots of helpful tools to help parents, teachers, and patients get on track for a healthy lifetime of smiles.

Among their resources is a complete catalog of interactive activity sheets and puzzles for kids to complete—if you’re a teacher or a parent with a child (especially one with braces), these are a great, fun way to encourage good dental health. So grab a marker and go wild!

Fun Activity Sheets for Kids

·       2MIN 2X Coloring Sheet (English PDF) (Spanish PDF) 
·       Sets of Two Activity Sheet (English PDF) (Spanish PDF) 
·       Super Smile Story (English PDF) (Spanish PDF) 
·       Super Smile Crossword Puzzle (English PDF) (Spanish PDF) 
·       Super Smile Decoder (English PDF) (Spanish PDF) 
·       Super Smile Certificate (English PDF) (Spanish PDF)  
·       Super Smile Nutrition Match (English PDF(Spanish PDF) 
·       Super Smile Shirt Logo  (English PDF) (Spanish PDF) 
·       Super Smile Puppet Cutout (English PDF) (Spanish PDF)
·       Super Smile Reminder (English PDF) (Spanish PDF)
·       Tooth Anatomy (English PDF) (Spanish PDF)

 

Full Sets of Activity Sheets

·       Guidelines for Usage of the 2014 NCDHM Slogan (English PDF)
·       Download the full set of 2013 Activity Sheets  (English PDF/1.2MB)   | (Spanish PDF/1.13MB) 
·       Download the full set of 2012 Activity Sheets  (English PDF/2.1MB)  | (Spanish PDF/.7MB)
·       Download the full set of 2011 Activity Sheets (English PDF/1.5MB)  | (Spanish PDF/.8MB)