Play it Safe, Protect Your Teeth!

When involved in activities that are physical you need to protect yourself, especially your teeth.

Although National Facial Protection Month is coming to an end we still want to advise all of our patients who participate in any physical or sporting activities to wear a mouth guard. Sports-related dental injuries are reported to be the cause of over 600,000 emergency rooms visits per year. We advise taking extra pre-caution to protect your teeth, during orthodontic treatment. You can take pre-caution by wearing a mouth guard to protect your teeth. A mouth guard is a device that is used to protect your mouth from injury when you are participating in sporting activity. The use of a mouth guard is especially important to orthodontic patients.

A mouth guard can help prevent injury to the teeth, mouth and even jaw. Mouth guards are made of flexible material that is fitted to protect your upper and lower teeth. There are three different kinds of mouth guards. Each one is different in comfort, fit, and cost. Be sure to consult with Dr. Wentz to determine which mouth guard is best for you or your child.

Types of Mouth Guards: (Source: Webmd.com)
Custom-Made mouth guard:
This type of mouth guard is customized to fit made an individual perfectly. It is made by using impression of patient’s teeth. The mouth guard is pressure-laminated during its fabrication and designed to fit the athlete’s mouth exactly.
Boil and Bite mouth guard:
The boil and bite is a thermoplastic mouth-formed protector and is usually softened by immersing it in hot water. It is then shaped to the teeth by using finger, tongue, and biting pressure.
Stock mouth guard:
Stock mouth guards are found at most sporting-goods stores and are ready to wear. It comes in several shapes and is constructed of rubber or polyvinyl material.

Whether you use a stock mouth guard or get a custom mouth guard made, the right fit mouth guard will act as cushions protecting your mouth from hits and preventing serious injury. Without a mouth guard injury can result in permanent damage and we don't want that to happen.

Remember, while involved with any physical activity under orthodontic treatment consult with us for the choosing the best mouth guard for you.

Get the Kids Going Green

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22nd. This day is used to spread environmental awareness and show support for environmental protection.

Just like all good habits if you start young it is more likely these habits will last a lifetime. Children are the future, so teaching kids to "go green" is investing in the longevity of Earth. Going green simply means implementing certain lifestyle changes designed to help you live in a more eco-friendly way. It means becoming more environmentally aware and changing your behavior and lifestyle to reduce the amount of pollution and waste you generate.

Here are 5 easy ways for kids to “Go Green”:

Never Let the Water Run: Teach kids that they should never let water run. For example while brushing teeth you should only run the water when necessary, not the entire 2 minutes you are brushing your teeth.

Recycle or Reuse: Recycle paper, plastics and cans. You can do this easily by creating dedicated bins within your household labeled for each material.

Don’t be a Liter Bug: Teach kids the importance of not littering the streets with trash, also getting your child involved in community projects promoting cleaning up public areas like parks is a great way to develop good going green habits.

Turn it Off:  Even when electronics and appliances are turned off, they still consume energy if plugged in the electrical outlet. Conserve energy by children to unplug their game systems, computers, chargers, or audio equipment. Also, turn off lights and TVs once exiting a room.

Get a Green Thumb: Get in the backyard and try planting and growing your own garden. Grow your own flowers, or take it a notch up and even grow you own vegetables.

Every little action you take to protect the Earth helps, start today and help save the planet. To learn more about Earth Day visit Earthday.org

Shoes for Orphans Souls

“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” -Mother Teresa

In an effort to help those who are most deserving we have teamed up with Buckner International, a Texas based non-profit, to provide shoes to children around the world. There are so many things you can do to help other and providing new shoes is just one way for us as a community to give back the blessings we have earned.

You may be wondering why shoes are the focus of this campaign, but whether you realize it or no not shoes are important to our day to day lives. Here are why shoes are so important to these recipients.

New shoes are important to health: 
Buckner International serves many developing countries. In these countries children don’t have shoes so they must walk around barefoot. In many cases children are walking around barefoot in health hazardous environments, which put them at risk for illness. New shoes help protect children from potentially harmful diseases or injuries that can occur when walking with no shoes.

New shoes are important to education:
Many schools around the world require students wear shoes to attend, for children whose don’t have the luxury of having shoes this poses a threat to their education. Learn is important and everyone should have the opportunity to get an education.

New shoes are important to providing hope:
Children from disadvantaged families and children of orphanages typically share everything including shoes. A new pair of shoes means a lot to these children, it is something of their own which can make a child feel extra special.

Buckner International asks specifically for shoes for the simple fact that is vital to provide children who have so little with durable shoes in their best condition. These children deserve so much this is just a little gesture to show that there are people in the world who care.

We are proud to say that until April 30th, 2015 we will be an office dropout station for the Shoes for Orphans Souls Campaign. As and added “Thank You” to any patient of Wentz Orthodontics who donates a pair shoes will be entered to win a $200 gift card to Cardinals Sport Center. For more info please email tamara@wentzmail.com

Join us in supporting this great cause! For more information about this wonderful campaign visit shoesfororphansouls.com

National Facial Protection Month

Each year during April the Academy for Sports Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and the American Association of Orthodontists sponsor National Facial Protection Month.

National Facial Protection Month focuses on spreading awareness about the importance of protecting children and adults from oral and facial injuries. Many injuries that do occur during sporting activities could have been prevented had the proper protective gear had been worn. An estimated 12 million people between the ages of 5 and 22 years suffer a sport-related injury annually. A recently published study by the University of Alabama at Birmingham analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a database of injuries treated at hospital emergency departments, for the period 2001-2008. Researchers found the five most common causes of childhood injuries were, in order of frequency, basketball, football, bicycling, playgrounds and soccer.

For our patients we want to remind you that it is important for you to protect your mouth during treatment. For protection you must wear a mouth guard. A mouth guard can help prevent injury to the teeth, mouth and even jaw. Mouth guards are made of flexible material that is fitted to protect your upper and lower teeth. You can buy a stock mouth guard or get a custom guard made. The right fit mouth guard will act as cushions protecting your mouth from hits and preventing serious injury.

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons advise that you to take five, and take in these five simple safety tips:

Mouth Guards are a Must
Mouth guards are significantly less expensive than the cost to repair an injury, and dentists and dental specialists can make customized mouth guards that hold teeth in place and allow for normal speech and breathing.  

Helmets are always Helpful
Helmets absorb the energy of an impact and help prevent damage to the head.  

Have 20/20 Vision with Protective Eyewear
Eyes are extremely vulnerable to damage, especially when playing sports.

Face Shields Save Skin…and more. 
Hockey pucks, footballs and racquetballs can cause severe facial damage at any age.

Cheer and Shout Out Your Support for Mandatory Protective Gear.  
Athletes who participate in football, hockey and boxing are required to wear mouth guards. If mouth guards have been proven to significantly decrease the risk of oral injuries, why is it not mandatory in every sport for kids to wear them?

To learn more about National Facial Protection Month please visit AAOMS.org

5 Tasty Easter Day Treats

This Sunday, April 5th, we are going to take time to celebrate the resurrection of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. As we celebrate the rising of Christ we can also make sure our friends and family feel the joy that Easter brings. Cooking is a labor of love and we want give you a few ideas to spread that love through sweet treats.

Bunnies and eggs have become fixtures in our culture to symbolize Easter. Get creative in the kitchen and create these Easter themed treats for everyone to enjoy.

Here are 5 fun treats:

Easter Kit-Kat Cake

What you’ll need:
Two 8 or 9 inch round cake
Frosting
4-6 King Size Kit Kat Candy bars
Coconut
Food coloring
Ribbon
Easter candy of choice for decorating
Twizzlers Pull & Peel licorice for the handles of the basket
For detailed instructions click here


Garden Carrot Cupcakes

What you’ll need:
Chocolate Cake:
Chocolate Frosting
Crushed Oreos
Strawberries
Orange chocolate melts
For detailed instructions click here 



Swimming Peep Jell-o Cups

What you’ll need:
Blue jello mix
Cool whip
Blue food coloring
Chick peeps
For detailed instructions click here 





Bunny Pancakes

What you’ll need:
Bisquick™ Original baking mix
Whipped cream
Sliced strawberries
Chocolate chips
For detailed instructions click here






Easter Egg Fruit Pizza

What you’ll need:
A cookie base
For the Frosting:
cream cheese
Strawberry jam
Powdered sugar
To Assemble:
8 cups assorted fresh fruit, washed and sliced
For detailed instructions click here

Remember, if you are under Orthodontic treatment make sure all foods you consume are safe for your braces. Also, after eating sweet treats you should rinse, brush and floss!

Share your Easter day fun with us on Social Media:

Post pictures on our Facebook wall 

Tag us on Instagram @Wentz_Orthodontics

Or Tweet us @Wentz_Ortho #WentzOrthodontics