Happy New Year from all of us at Moles Orthodontics!

The year is almost over, so our staff at Moles Orthodontics thought we’d ask: what was memorable about 2010 for you, and what are you most looking forward to in 2011? Do you have a new year's resolution, or any exciting plans for the coming year?

Have a safe and happy New Year, to all our patients, friends, family, and all our dental and medical colleagues in Milwaukee, Racine and surrounding communities.

See you all in 2011!

Lee National Denim Day at Moles Orthodontics!

Our entire staff at Moles Orthodontics are participating in our final "Lee Denim Days" day today to raise funds for breast cancer research. We have reached almost &400 in donations - help us reach our goal today by stopping in and donating a dollar or more for a pin! Let's find a cure!

Moles Orthodontics, giving back to the community

As the leaves change, we realize that winter is just around the corner. And just as the seasons change, so do the times. We are reminded that many families have been affected by the tough economic times who need our help. Each year, the Hunger Task Force faces the challenge of a growing demand to supply food for those in need. Please help us male a difference in the lives of of others. One can of soup, one box of rice, one jar of baby food, one dollar, will tell someone you care.

We're again joining efforts with Dr. Ron Nellen and his staff to collect food for the Hunger Task Force. Since 2006, they've collected 12,339 pounds of food and more than $4,000! We are so proud to be a part of this effort and we have set our sights on collecting 6,000 pounds over the course of 4 weeks in our offices in Milwaukee, Racine and Brookfield.

We will be collecting donations until tomorrow, and hope you will join us in helping those less fortunate than ourselves this holiday season. Together we will make a difference!

It's National Young Reader's Week! What's on your reading list?

This week marks National Young Reader’s Week, and during this time, it’s more important than ever to remind your child to read on a regular basis. After all, reading helps kids develop the mind, expands a child’s knowledge base, activates his or her flow of ideas and boosts their confidence. Plus, reading is always fun!

Tell Dr. Moles and team: Are you reading a book this fall? If so, what’s on your reading list?

If you’re out of ideas for great fall reads, we encourage you to ask our staff for suggestions, and we’ll be happy to provide a few great titles. You may also ask a local librarian in Milwaukee, Racine, and Brookfield, Greenfield or Waukesha for some suggestions or check out various fall books for kids and teens that we found this morning, courtesy of Barnes & Noble.

Happy reading everybody!

Ask Dr. Moles: What's the deal with Halloween candy?

For moms and dads worried about kids going overboard on sugar and other sweets, we know Halloween can be a dreaded annual event.

Dr. Moles and our team at Moles Orthodontics will tell you those sweet, sour and sticky candies may taste great, but these treats can damage your teeth and braces too! Did you know sour candies can be acidic to your teeth, and actually wear down the enamel that protects them? This can cause tooth decay and cavities!

Sour and fruity candy are the worst for your child’s teeth – these candies have a low pH value, which can ruin enamel. This Halloween season, try to limit the amount of these candies that your child eats, and when your child does eat them, either have him rinse his mouth with water afterward or have him drink some milk or eat some cheese. Or, try these braces-free Halloween treats!

Happy Halloween!

What is Dr. Moles up to this month?

This month I'll be heading over to Poland and to Slovakia to give lectures on both Orthodontics and TMJ dysfunction (Jaw problems and headaches). This will be my fourth time speaking in Eastern Europe and as usual I am looking forward to it.

If you have never been to Poland let me assure you as a Wisconsinite you have already been there. If I dropped you off on a country road with no buildings around you, you would not be able to tell that you were not in Wisconsin. Literally, the land and the trees and the scenery are the same (and so is the weather!). It is an easy place for a Midwesterner to be comfortable in. Moreover the people are truly wonderful. They have been through so much and are so grateful to now have their freedom. They also love Americans and they look to us as a role model.

It's interesting to note that 80 percent of the dentists in Eastern Europe are female. Under Communism, dentistry was a low paying occupation so the men tended to gravitate to professions where it was easier to support a family. This is changing, and over the years I have seen more men in the courses. However all of the doctors that I have lectured to have been very eager to learn how we do things and they are quick students. They operate under a big handicap of not being able to afford or obtain some of the more sophisticated technology that we have available but given the vitality of their economies, they will eventually be able to provide this to their patients. I will share some of my experiences when I return.

Share your experience at Moles Orthodontics with the world!

At Moles Orthodontics, we serve our patients in a warm and caring atmosphere with a friendly, dedicated staff. We are a technologically sophisticated orthodontic practice with locations in Milwaukee, Racine, and Brookfield Wisconsin, also serving Greenfield, Waukesha and other surrounding areas. Dr. Randall Moles is recognized both nationally and internationally as a lecturer and leader in the field of orthodontics.

Whether you’ve just come in for a consultation or your family has been visiting Moles Orthodontics for years, we’d love to hear your feedback. You can write a review on our Facebook page or on our Google listing!

Thank you in advance! We hope you all have a great rest of the week!

Oral health Q&A with Dr. Moles!

It may seem crazy, but there are so many rumors out there about what’s good for your teeth, what’s bad for your teeth, what will make your teeth crooked, what will discolor your teeth, and so on. Below are are answers to some of the most frequent questions Dr. Moles and our staff at Moles Orthodontics always hear from patients. We hope you find this informational! Happy Tuesday!

Q: Which foods and drinks are actually healthy for my teeth?

A: Drinks: Water, Green Tea, Milk. Foods: Cheese, Celery, Kiwi’s, Onions, Parsley, Sesame Seeds, Shiitake Mushrooms, Wasabi. To view information on why these are healthy for your teeth visit this helpful article.

Q: Can fingernail biting cause damage to my teeth? What about lip biting or biting the ends of pencils?

A: Chewing anything that’s not food and is not edible is never good for your teeth and its enamel.

Q: It’s said that the changing seasons can have an effect on your body and joints. Can the seasons changing also have an effect on the way my mouth feels, especially during orthodontic treatment?

A: There is no research that shows any connection with the seasons and braces. Patients with braces and joint problems may feel joint pain and confuse that with brace pain.

Q: Can hard candies or hard mints cause damage to my teeth?

A: Yes, Most definitely.

Q: Now that I’m wearing braces, I miss chewing gum. Can I still chew sugar-free gum with braces on?

A: No, You want to stay away from all GUM. No gum is ever good for treatment. It can slow your treatment up, by pushing wires in the wrong directions and contribute to breakage. Gum can also make your jaw much more sore than it already may feel.

Q: Is a soft toothbrush or a medium toothbrush better for my teeth and gums?

A: Soft, always choose a soft toothbrush. Its not how hard you brush, its how long you brush.

Q: Are spicy or acidic foods bad for my teeth?

A: Spicy foods are not bad for your teeth, although you may want to brush your teeth soon after as it can affect your breathe. Acidic foods and drinks on the other hand, can cause damage over time to your enamel, and wear it down.

Q: If I play sports and use a mouth guard can constantly biting down on the hard rubber eventually cause my teeth to shift and become crooked?

A: No, you would need constant pressure to move your teeth out of alignment. (example: 12-24 hours of constant pressure on your teeth , will begin to move them)

Q: If my wisdom teeth came in straight, do I still need to get them removed?

A: Some people prefer to have them removed because they can be hard to keep clean, which can lead to decay and more unnecessary plaque and bacteria in the mouth. If they do come in and have plenty of room, its perfectly okay to not have them removed. Most people find in their mouths there just isn’t enough room though.

Dr. Moles, reminding you September is National Childhood Injury Prevention Month!

This month, our entire team at Moles Orthodontics want you to be extra careful with your braces and appliances. After all, September marks the start of fall sports and an increased risk to mouth injuries. September also happens to be National Childhood Injury Prevention Month, and Dr. Moles thought it’d be a good idea to share a few sobering facts about sports and facial injuries, courtesy of our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists.

*More than half of the seven million sports and recreation-related injuries that occur each year are sustained by youth between ages 5 and 24. Collision and contact sports have higher injury rates—baseball, soccer, basketball and football account for about 80% of all sports-related emergency room visits.

*Sixty-seven percent of parents say their child does not wear a mouth guard, yet, 70 percent say their biggest fear when their child plays is that they will get hurt.

*Of the parents whose children do not wear a mouth guard, 84 percent say it's because the league or coach does not require it, according to the AAO.

*The average high school baseball pitcher can throw a fast ball between 75-to-85 miles per hour. This compares to being hit in the mouth by a speeding car!

We hope this helps you remember to wear a mouth guard and other forms of protective gear when participating in fall sports! We encourage you to give us a call at (414) 377-4106 if you have any questions!

If Dr. Moles could be ...

Recently, Dr. Moles was asked: "If you could be anything in the world other than an orthodontist, which profession would you like to try?"

Here's his response!

"I love what I do and would not want to do anything else. However if there was no orthodontic profession my guess I would have gone into plastic surgery since that is also an art combined with science. I was always interested in art and science as a student and I'm sure I would gravitate in that direction."

Not to worry, Dr. Moles is still with us, creating beautiful smiles in Milwaukee, Racine and Brookfield. Have a GREAT weekend!

3D at Moles Orthodontics!

At Moles Orthodontics, we are very excited about 3D ORTHODONTICS! This is the combination of the SureSmile System which we have been using now for over 6 years and 3 dimensional X-ray scanning using the i-Cat system. This now allows us to see the actual movements not only of the top of the teeth, but also the roots of the teeth. Before, we were limited to seeing only 1/2 of each tooth (the crown portion). With 3D Orthodontics, we can now see the entire tooth, how it will move and how it relates to the movement of all the teeth around it (see the above picture).

For more on 3D orthodontics, we invite you to give us a call at (414) 529-4044 or ask Dr. Moles next time you're in for a visit!

Patient reviews for Moles Orthodontics! [Video]

A special thanks to Gail, Debra, Ilka and Helen (parent of patients), who shared their beautiful testimonials about Dr. Moles and our office. Their feedback inspires us all to do the work we do here at Moles Orthodontics: creating beautiful smiles that last a lifetime.

If you have any feedback from your treatment at our office, we encourage you to write in or post on our interactive Facebook page! We hope you're all having an outstanding weekend!

Patient question: "What's so cool about Moles Orthodontics?"

To help keep our younger patients busy, we have GameBoys and a cabinet with children’s toys to play with. We offer an espresso machine in our Milwaukee office. In our Racine office we offer flavored coffee, tea, apple cider and hot chocolate. In our waiting room there is a flat screen that shows pictures from patient’s who have had there braces off, testimonials, contest winners and just upcoming events in the office. As always magazines, books and the newspaper is located in our waiting room as well. We currently has Wi-Fi hooked up in our waiting room for patients to bring their laptops and work on the internet while they wait for their appointment, or their children’s appointments.

At each patient’s appointment whether they are an established patient or a patient who has never been to the office, we make it a point to explain everything from the first thing we do to the very last in detail. So the patient feels the most comfortable with the treatment they are about to be given.

Either Dr. Moles or Dr. Ferri would always be in the office and willing to come over and offer there expertise on any procedure to ease a new patient’s worries before they get their braces.

We also started a new program in the office, called the Passport. Patients of any age can bring these with to appointments and earn stamps that go inside what looks like to be a real passport. The stamps can be redeemed for gift cards. And they can earn all different denominations for the gift cards. Stamps are very easy to obtain as well.

Patients will earn stamps for 1) being on time to their appointment 2) receiving an A for brushing. (brushing grades are A thru F) this help’s younger patients stay on top of their oral hygiene. Stamps are given out for a few other criteria once in treatment with braces. Patients are loving the Passport program so far!

We also offer tooth brushes and tooth paste to our patients to brush before they come back for their appointment to help keep those braces shiny and new!

The technology we offer and the highest quality of treatment we offer here at Moles Orthodontics is unmatched. We don’t settle for so-so treatment and really aim for the best result a patient could imagine! We want them to be in love with their smile when they finish with us.

Here is a testimonial from Google that speaks for itself!

The orthodontist of my dreams!‎‎

By Jeraline - Mar 11, 2010

I started my orthodonic treatment 17 months ago at age 55. It was tough growing up, being called names because of unattractive teeth. When I first met Dr. Moles he assured me he could give me a "Knock-em-dead" smile. At my age, I wondered? With each visit I was able to see the progression to my final goal. His staff are professional, caring, genuinely warm people whom I have grown to admire. Appointments have little wait time if any at all. Next month I have my braces removed and I cannot wait to see how my "bucky beaver" smile has been transformed to one that I can truly love. To Dr. Moles and his staff I thank you for making a dream come true.♥‎

Ask Dr. Moles: what’s the deal with flossing?

Flossing is so important! And these simple 6 reasons will change your mind and make you want to take the time to floss daily.

First things first, flossing prevents tooth decay, plaque left in between the teeth can cause decay even if you’re a avid brusher. Not to mention to prevent gum disease, halitosis, and tarter build up. Which some people are more prone to those three, that they need to floss more than once a day. In the morning and at night is recommended then. The last two are just as equally important, flossing aids in reducing the risk of heart disease and avoiding complications of diabetes. Scientific evidence has shown that a person with diabetes can see their case complicate due to gum disease.

We encourage all of our patients to floss regularly and even offer them floss and floss threaders to make flossing a cinch!

Taking ten minutes out of the day to really do a proper flossing of your teeth, can really save your gums, your health, and the people around you! Only brushing daily will not eliminate odor’s from bacteria lodged between your teeth. Which in turn even if you have brushed that day, that odor can still linger.

With braces and permanent retainers flossing is not an option. It becomes even more important. People with braces or other appliances in the mouth, need to be even more aware of the plague that will build up and collect on those appliances. Floss threaders work for both braces and a permanent retainer. We offer those in the office for all of our patients. They can even be found in local drug stores or super markets.

FLOSS ONCE A DAY TO KEEP THE PLAQUE AND BUILD-UP AWAY!

How do we "Go Green" at Moles Orthodontics?

At Milwaukee's Moles Orthodontics, we are always taking steps to be more environmentally friendly. We first started with energy efficient light bulbs throughout our offices. We took it another step further with water that is filtered. We no longer have our water delivered.

We also went from having all patient charts to scanning our documents from our charts into the patients computer file. This eliminated copies being made and possible cross- contamination as well. We are striving to a completely free paperless office. Were heading towards our goal with the amount of work were doing with papers and charts dwindling fast!

We have recycle bins in our offices in Milwaukee, Racine and Brookfield, and every one of our employees recycles daily. Even in the winter we try to keep the office thermostat a couple degree’s lower and a couple degrees higher in the summer months, to reduce the heating and cooling costs in the office. We do keep it comfortable for our patients though.

Everyone can do their share to start going green and protect the planet our future generations will be living in.

Passport Program at Moles Orthodontics!

Our belief at Moles Orthodontics is that you should be rewarded for being a great patient! We are proud to introduce Moles Orthodontics’ Passport Program. The passport program is an incentive program designed to help you reach your treatment goals. You will receive stamps in your passport at your visits to our office, which you may use to redeem for gift cards to cool places! It’s our way of thanking you for doing a great job! The number of stamps that you get depends on you! Here’s how it works:

1) Being on time to your appointment
2) Having an “A” grade for your brushing
3) No loose or broken appliances (brackets)
4) Wearing your elastics, head gear or other appliances as instructed (if applicable)
5) If all of the above areas are met you will receive an extra stamp.

Bonus stamps are given for:
1) No cavities at your 6mo check up with your dentist. You will need your dentist or hygienist to sign your last page in your passport
2) refer a friend and receive 20 bonus stamps!
Prizes are awarded after your first 20 stamps!
Save your stamps up or spend them along the way its up to you!

To learn more about our program ask the orthodontic technician working with you at your next appointment!

Featured Patient Review for Dr. Moles!

Our staff at Moles Orthodontics recently received a review from Jeraline, a former patient, who reminded us why we love creating warm, beautiful smiles. Here's what Jeraline had to say:

I started my orthodonic treatment 17 months ago at age 55. It was tough growing up, being called names because of unattractive teeth. When I first met Dr. Moles he assured me he could give me a "Knock-em-dead" smile. At my age, I wondered? With each visit I was able to see the progression to my final goal. His staff are professional, caring, genuinely warm people whom I have grown to admire. Appointments have little wait time if any at all. Next month I have my braces removed and I cannot wait to see how my "bucky beaver" smile has been transformed to one that I can truly love. To Dr. Moles and his staff I thank you for making a dream come true.♥‎

Talking retainers with Moles Orthodontics

If you've recently finished your treatment at Moles Orthodontics, we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Drs. Moles, Sanfelippo or Ferri will provide—or have provided you—with retainers. After braces are removed, teeth can shift out of position if they are not stabilized. Retainers provide that stabilization. They are designed to hold teeth in their corrected, ideal positions until the bones and gums adapt to the treatment changes. Wearing retainers exactly as instructed by one of our orthodontists is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime.

To learn more about the advantages of wearing retainers after your orthodontic treatment with Moles Orthodontics, please read this helpful article about retainers from KidsHealth or give us a call!

What helps you relax at Moles Orthodontics?

Trust us when we say we realize not everyone enjoys going to their orthodontics. But at Moles Orthodontics, provide outstanding service in a warm and caring atmosphere with a friendly, dedicated staff. We also strive to bring you the best and most comforting experience at each visit.

Today, our staff wants to know: What is it about Moles Orthodontics that makes you comfortable or puts you at ease? Is it something about our pleasant office environment? Our friendly staff? Perhaps it's something special about Dr. Moles?

Let us know by posting here or by giving us a call!

Hero(in)es at Moles Orthodontics!

Our office at Moles Orthodontists heroes are our clinical technicians. Our technicians work hard every day of the week. Every one of them completes many different office tasks, from helping at the front desk, to the X-ray department. There isn’t an area in the office these girls couldn’t handle. On really busy days to accommodate patients, they will work straight through without bathroom or water breaks from 8-1 and 2-5.

The most amazing thing is they have been doing this for years and years without complaints. They put the patients first, and want the best care for them. Same goes for patients who run into traffic, or are just running late -- the girls will have to double-seat patients to make sure everyone gets seen on time. That can make for one hectic day.

The girls also make the whole experience for the patients better. You really get to know them and they get to know you. You feel like you’re coming to an office where your friend works. It’s a great atmosphere, and our clinical technicians make it that way every day.