Boo!

Halloween is just around the corner, and that means lots of tricks and treats! Dr. Moles and team will be wearing costumes for Halloween tomorrow in our Milwaukee office, which is decorated with giant spider webs, and pumpkins! We have a few special safety tips to share with all of the young trick-or-treaters and their parents.

Always inspect your candy thoroughly, in these times we live in you can never be too careful. Throw out any candy that has been unwrapped, opened or tampered with. Parents should be inspecting the candy before their children have a chance to even eat it.

There are many different kinds of candies out there, but it is important to pay attention to the type of candy your children are eating, especially if they have braces! Soft candies, such as Reese's peanut butter cups, Milky Ways, and anything that is really soft is okay, but anything sticky, tacky or too chewy should be avoided. Patients should avoid- thick caramel, licorice, gum, chewy candy, candy apples, popcorn and popcorn balls, nuts and taffy's.

If you have any questions about candies and braces, give us a call at 414-377-4106.

Have a spooky and safe Halloween!

The Racine Community

In the beginning of 2009 Racine’s population was 78,805. It’s a decent sized city to live in, not too large and not too small- it seems just right! Racine’s downtown is located on Lake Michigan and the area has been improving greatly over the past 10 years. New housing has gone up, new shops and great new restaurants. Racine has a lot of schools to choose from- about 28 grade schools and high schools not including the private schools. Driving distance to some major universities is really close, UW-Parkside, UW-Milwaukee are both within athirty minute drive. Racine is located between 2 major cities, Milwaukee and Chicago. This makes day-trips to Chicago for shopping and dining out great!

Dr. Moles favorite lunch during the work week- is from our neighbor restaurant Los Mariachis. He orders the chicken tacos w/ rice and beans. The office favorite is the local Q-Doba Mexican Grill, or Jimmy Johns. A new Gorgie Porgie just opened as well. The Restaurants in the area are all amazing. Racine’s Best Mexican is Joses Blue Sombrero, Italian: Salutes, American: The Corner House is by far the best in Racine and has been Voted that for American cuisine. The steak is their main attraction.

Dr. Moles has developed a way to give back with some other area professionals- its called Smile for a lifetime. Basically the idea of smile for a lifetime is that they are helping under-privileged kids in the area who cant afford to have a not only great looking smile but a smile that will be healthy and last a lifetime! You can find more info on it at- www.s4L.com

Staying Educated at Moles Orthodontics

Dr. Moles is a part of The Schulman Study Group, an association of nationally prominent orthodontic practices from among the top 1% of all practices, follows the basic principles and tenets of practice management. With membership exclusively by invitation, has developed over the last 30 years into a nationally recognized organization of extremely successful orthodontic practices. The SSG members contribute management successes and failures at an annual meeting with an open forum format. The free-flow of ideas and brainstorming sessions offer participants the opportunity for expression and inspiration.

Also, Dr. Moles recently became a part of a community out-reach program called Smile for a Lifetime. This can be found at www.S4L.org, for more information. S4L offers a chance for under-privileged kids to have orthodontic treatment at no cost.

Dr. Moles makes several trips around the country- giving presentations and attending seminars. The entire staff participates in continuing education courses monthly. Once a year our assistants attend a SureSmile Conference, and get up to date on the latest changes in technology.

Our practice has received several awards for Sure Smile. (More info about Sure Smile and its benefits can be found at www.suresmile.com. We have received awards for the last 4 years, such as: Outstanding Front Desk Operations, Outstanding Marketing, Case Excellence Award, Outstanding Sure Smile Treatment Coordinator, and for our Completed Cases.

Dr. Moles asked the staff to tell him why they like continuing education courses so much, the had answers from, the chance to get to spend time with referring offices, and bonding. Getting out of the office, meeting new people, and getting to see how other offices.

Continuing education plays a huge role in our patients treatment and we emphasize the importance of them because we learn new techniques and ways to save them treatment time in the chair along with how many months they have to wear braces.

Oh don’t be so sensitive!

Do you have sensitive teeth? We at Moles Orthodontics wanted to explain why your teeth can become sensitive, and what you can do about it!

Tooth sensitivity is typically caused because teeth have lost some of their enamel. Beneath the enamel lies a tiny fluid-filled tunnel called dentinal tubules- these tubules lead to the tooth’s inner core, which contains pulp, the tooth’s sensitive nerve. If someone had dental work done recently- the odds are the pulp inside the tooth became slightly inflamed and just needs time to return to normal.

Excessively hard brushing can make your teeth very sensitive, and usually right hander’s will notice the left side of the mouth is always more sensitive, because they start brushing on that side, and that’s when we brush the hardest- by the time they make it to the right side, they usually aren’t brushing as hard. There are many other factors that contribute to sensitivity as well such as: receding gums, acidic foods/beverages, grinding, cracks in teeth, and loose fillings can all erode that protective covering, baring the ends of the tubules, and the pulp itself.

You can reduce tooth sensitivity by following some simple tips: use toothpaste recommended for sensitive teeth ( this toothpaste actually acts a filler, when the enamel wears away in areas- the tubules are exposed, and the toothpaste has a special ingredient that will fill those holes.) Also fluoride rinses, ibuprofen, gentle brushing techniques, avoid acidic foods and beverages. Grinding your teeth can also cause some sensitivity.

You can also manage sensitive teeth to still enjoy hot and cold foods or beverages with your dentists help. There is a procedure called Iontophoresis- in which an electric current is used to apply protective fluoride deep within the tubules. But as always the other ways of reducing your tooth sensitivity are great ways to manage it as well.

--Dr. Moles