Stevens Orthodontics share pool safety tips

Spring is here and summer is rapidly approaching, and with summer comes lots of swimming! Our team at Stevens Orthodontics found some helpful pool safety tips that we’d like to share with you, courtesy of our friends at the American Association of Pediatricians.

* Make sure pool gates open out from the pool, and self-close and self-latch at a height children can't reach.

* Install a fence at least four-feet high around all four sides of the pool. The fence should not have openings or protrusions that a young child could use to get over, under, or through.

* Never leave children alone in or near the pool, even for a moment.

* Keep rescue equipment (a shepherd's hook - a long pole with a hook on the end - and life preserver) and a portable telephone near the pool. Choose a shepherd's hook and other rescue equipment made of fiberglass or other materials that do not conduct electricity.

* Avoid inflatable swimming aids such as "floaties." They are not a substitute for approved life vests and can give children a false sense of security.

* Children may not be developmentally ready for swim lessons until after their fourth birthday. Swim programs for children under 4 should not be seen as a way to decrease the risk of drowning.

Have more questions about your children and their safety this summer? Give us a call!

Stevens Orthodontics, supporting National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

Did you know the month of May is designated National Physical Fitness and Sports Month? In 1983, President Ronald Reagan encouraged Americans to incorporate more activity into their lives, and the reminder is even more significant in this day and age, as kids everywhere are distracted more and more by television, social networking and video games.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has provided these health guidelines for your reference. The guidelines call for children and teens to exercise for at least one hour each day of moderate intensity physical activity (such as playing sports or brisk walking) or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity (jogging, dancing and jumping rope).

At Stevens Orthodontics, we always encourage our patients to stay fit by exercising or participating in sports. However, we want to remind you to always wear a mouth guard or other forms of facial protection when playing sports. To learn more about how often your child should exercise, we recommend you check out this series of helpful articles about kids and exercise, courtesy of our friends at KidsHealth.org.

When should you call Stevens Orthodontics?

Happy May Day!

Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) have put together a helpful list that outlines when you should call the team at Stevens Orthodontics. If you experience the following symptoms or conditions, it may be time to check in us:

1. Early or late loss of baby teeth

2. Difficulty of chewing or biting

3. Mouth breathing

4. Finger sucking or other oral habits

5. Crowding, misplaced or blocked-out teeth

6. Jaws that shift, make sounds, protrude or retrude

7. Speech difficulty

8. Biting the cheek or biting into the roof of the mouth

9. Protruding teeth

10. Teeth that meet in an abnormal way or don’t meet at all

11. Facial imbalance or asymmetry

12. Grinding or clenching of teeth

Do any of these warning signs fit you? If so, please give us a call!

Featured patient reviews for Dr. Stevens!

Ok, we've shared patient reviews for Stevens Orthodontics with you in the past, but we received the following two reviews recently, and both made us proud.

"The best aspect of going to my orthodontist is that it doesn't seem like I'm going to an orthodontist...it's almost like going into a Beach Boys amusement park, which is awesome...being an adult adolescent. I truly appreciate the relaxed atmosphere, and all the nurses are cute." ~ Nicholas O.

"Dr. Stevens is very nice and fun!!!!" ~ Lisa W.

If you have a testimonial about your experience at Stevens Orthodontics that you'd like to share, you may post them here or on our Facebook fan page!

Stevens Orthodontics on Facebook!

Did you know Stevens Orthodontics is on Facebook? Our fan page, which keeps growing with each day, provides you the latest news from Dr. Lucas Stevens and our office. We invite you to connect with us and be "in the loop" for all things orthodontics.

Our goal, before the end of summer, is to have 500 fans! Invite your friends!

The benefits of smiling, from Dr. Stevens

Great news to report this Monday! People with big, happy smiles may actually out-live those who don’t. That, according to a recent study conducted at Michigan’s Wayne State University.

Dr. Stevens knows that positive emotion has been linked to both physical and mental health, but researchers at the university did something interesting: they used information from the Baseball Register to look at close-up smiles of 230 players who began their baseball careers prior to 1950 by studying their smile intensity (wide smile, no smile or partial smile).

The researchers then took into account other factors associated with life longevity, such as body mass index, career length and, interestingly, college attendance. They found that players who weren't smiling died at the average age of 72.9 years. Players with partial smiles lived to be at least 75. Those with big, wide smiles, however, lived on average to be 79.9 years old!

Our take-away from the new study? Smile now, smile often and you might just live longer! Have you perfected your smile by visiting Stevens Orthodontics lately? If not, give us a call at 850-385-2822 and have a great week!

Save face this April, from Stevens Orthodontics

Our staff has blogged about the advantage of wearing a mouth guard when playing sports, and we thought a reminder wouldn’t hurt. You see, April happens to be National Facial Protection Month, and it’s a good time to remind our young athletes about staying safe on the field this spring. According to the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation, children, high-school athletes and adults will have more than 5,000,000 teeth knocked out in sporting events this year. By simply wearing a properly fitted mouth guard, these accidents could prevent this along with other traumatic facial injuries.

Not only do mouth guards save teeth and protect jaws from breaks, but they also may protect against neck- and central nervous system injuries. In addition to mouth guards, Dr. Stevens says it’s a good idea to wear a helmet, face shield and protective eyewear when playing sports this spring. Protective gear is vital for anyone engaging in tooth or mouth-threatening activities. If you have any further questions about any of these tips, please contact Stevens Orthodontics. Stay safe and have fun!