It's National Orthodontic Health Month - Celebrate Having and Maintaining a Healthy, Happy Smile!

Happy October, blog readers! It is hard to believe that we are already just 2 months away from the end of the year. Time has really flown by this year!

With the beautiful month of October comes wonderful fall weather, apple cider, pumpkin patches, lots of Halloween fun, and, of course, lots of Halloween candy and sweets. But did you know that October is also National Orthodontic Health Month?

Every year the American Association of Orthodontists focuses on promoting good oral hygiene and taking the time to recognize the outstanding work of orthodontists around the country. It is a time to remind people not only how important it is to have a healthy smile, but also to keep in mind how to care for braces, retainers, and any other orthodontic appliances they may have.

When it comes to treating yourself to sweets, no one is more enthusiastic than Dr. Jeff! After all, that is why we have our very own Otis Spunkmeyer cookie-making machine in our office. We would like to remind you, though, that not every sweet treat, snack, and piece of candy is ideal for consumption. Be wary of anything crunchy such as tortilla chips, nuts, or popcorn, as these can potentially cause damage to your braces. The same goes for sticky candies such as caramels, licorice, and taffy.

We hope you all will have a safe and fun October and Halloween, but if you find yourself suffering from fright of a more orthodontic nature, feel free to call us at (618) 288-0600 if you are in the Glen Carbon area or (618) 622-3377 if you are in the Swansea area. We are always ready to help if you have any orthodontic emergencies!

For more information on the American Association of Orthodontists, please visit their website at www.mylifemysmile.org.

Setting Aside Money for Medical and Dental Procedures in 2013? Plan NOW For Invisalign Treatments and SAVE!

Have you wanted to straighten your teeth lately but fear that you will not have the funds necessary to put toward your treatment?

Well, if you happen to have any extra dollars from your flex spending account(cafeteria plan), what are you going to do with all the extra money before the end of the year? After all, those funds will not roll over; you have to use it or you will lose it!

It hardly seems possible, but the holidays are approaching rather quickly.  With that in mind, we would like to remind you to take advantage of the “flex plans” that many businesses offer their employees for medical and dental procedures.

Whether you have money that needs to be spent before the year’s end or if you are planning ahead for the procedures you would like in 2013, we urge you to make sure that you are utilizing your flex plan to your best advantage!

When considering procedures for 2013, please be aware that orthodontic treatment is considered an acceptable expense for flex spending accounts. Plan now to get the smile you have always wanted with Invisalign, the gold standard in invisible orthodontics.

This method of straightening teeth without bands or wires has helped millions of patients achieve a beautiful smile in a discreet, comfortable manner – as an Elite provider we can do the same for you!

Our office offers free Invisalign consultations and has financing options that makes starting treatment comfortable for you. Now that should give you something to smile about!

If you are interested in this or would like to know more about Invisalign or braces, feel free to call us at Mastroianni Orthodontics! You can call at (618) 288-0600 in Glen Carbon or at (618) 622-3377 in Swansea! Be sure to check us out online at www.amazingsmiles.com for more information!

What are you waiting for? Don’t put off giving yourself a beautiful smile another year! Give yourself something to smile about when you visit the experts at Mastroianni Orthodontics!

Retainers - Take Care of Them and They Will Take Care of YOU!

As school begins, students of all ages are excited to see their friends again and get back into the routine of learning. Sometimes the excitement can make students forget about their homework, their pens or pencils, and - if they recently finished orthodontic treatment- their retainers.

Well, guess what? Dr. Jeff is here to give you an exclusive checklist to all of you students out there who wear retainers to keep your retainers nice and safe and your teeth beautiful!

Use Your Case – Your case is there for a reason, so use it! Be sure to place your retainer back in your case when you eat lunch in the cafeteria (or anywhere else, for that matter). Not only will you keep your retainers safe and sound, but you will also be much more likely to remember your retainer after you eat your lunch!

Avoid Using Napkins – I know that the idea of simply placing your retainer on your napkin for temporary safe-keeping while you eat is tempting, but I beg you, resist the temptation! Placing retainers on napkins while eating is the #1 reason that retainers go missing. Think about it – if you are late to lunch and need to scarf down your sandwich, you might be more worried about being late to class and may forget all about your retainer! Do yourself a favor – put your retainer in your case!

Handle With Care – Your retainers are not toys; they are very valuable (and breakable), so be sure to treat them with care! Clean them thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush and toothpaste and warm water. This will help remove the plaque on them and eliminate any odors that maybe be lingering. Be sure to rinse your retainer under warm water after you eat and place it back into your mouth right away. If you take good care of your retainers, they will last you for years to come!

Your Retainer is NOT a Treat for Fido – You know who wants to chew on your retainer? Your pets do! If you do not have your retainer in, please do not leave them in the reach of pets; they will destroy your retainers if given the chance.

Always Be Aware of Your Retainer’s Location – I know that there is a lot of information to remember in school, but please remember to be aware of where your retainer is at all times! Be sure to keep your retainer away from hot water, hot car dashboards, your pockets, napkins, and, of course, the washing machine.

Follow Dr. Jeff’s Instructions – Want to have an amazing smile? Just follow our instructions! Wear your retainers full-time until we instruct otherwise, always bring your retainer to your appointments, and never try to adjust your retainer on your own.

If you have any questions or concerns about your retainer, be sure to call us at Mastroianni Orthodontics at (618) 288-0600 for our Glen Carbon office or at (618) 622-3377 for our Swansea location! Check out our website at www.amazingsmiles.com to see what we can do for you!

Get Rewarded for Great Oral Hygiene with the Mastro Bucks Program!

We all have to take care of our teeth; there is no doubt about that. While the benefits of getting your teeth cared for by professionals should be a great reward in itself, it is always nice to get rewarded for following your orthodontist’s instructions, taking care of your teeth, or simply showing up to appointments on time.

Well, guess what? At Mastroianni Orthodontics, you can earn money while you are in treatment! We have an incentive program called “The Mastro Bucks Program” to help encourage our patients to be active participants in creating their amazing smiles.

At Mastroianni Orthodontics, we feel it is super important to celebrate our patients’ achievements and to let them know how proud we are of their successes, so we are giving our patients the chance to earn wooden nickels for being great patients!

Every time you come into our office, we will rate your hygiene as “Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor.” You must be given either an “Excellent” or “Good” rating for the day to earn wooden nickels, which are small wooden tokens that can be collected throughout your treatment and turned in after your braces are removed for a prepaid Mastroianni Orthodontics American Express credit card!

The number of wooden nickels you collect throughout your treatment will determine dollar amount on your card. Here is how the amounts are broken down:

Wooden Nickels                                                         Dollar amount

25                                                                               $10

50                                                                               $20

75                                                                               $30

100                                                                             $40

Want to know how to earn your wooden nickels? Here is how you can do it!

1.     Keep your teeth clean – When you come in for a visit, your brushing will be evaluated. If you are given an A or B grade, then you will earn 1 nickel, and, more importantly, you will qualify to earn more. Your teeth must be clean to qualify to earn coins in this and in other categories.

2.     Come to your appointments on time - Our computer tracks what time you arrive for your appointments, so we will use it to determine if you are on time or not. (1 nickel)

3.     No broken or “loose” brackets – Help keep your braces attached to your teeth by avoiding foods on your “do not eat” list! (1 nickel)

4.     Be compliant – If we ask you to wear rubber bands or headgear, then please do so for the proper amount of time each day. (1 nickel)

Here are some special ways that you can earn more nickels:

*Refer a Friend – When you refer and friend and that friend starts treatment with us, you will receive 20 nickels!

*Good Grades – Get A’s and B’s on your report cards (NO C’s or below!) for nickels! You can bring in your report cards twice each year and earn 5 nickels each time!

*Get Your Teeth Cleaned Twice a Year – Simply bring a note in from your general dentist that your teeth have been cleaned, and you will receive 5 nickels.

*Appear in the Newspaper – When you appear in the newspaper or win a special award (such as trophies, medals, ribbons, etc.), show us, and you will earn 5 nickels!

*Send a Postcard on Vacation – Going on a vacation? Be sure to send us a postcard! We will post it to our bulletin board at the office and will give you 5 nickels in return!

You can collect up to 5 wooden nickels at each of your regularly scheduled visits. Keep the nickels in the cup we will provide you and turn them in at the end of your treatment. It is that simple!

We believe that by rewarding your good behavior you will take pride in your treatment – we want to give you the credit that you deserve!

If you are ready to receive orthodontic treatment, give us a call at our Glen Carbon office at (618) 288-0600 or at our Swansea office at (618) 622-3377 or make an appointment online at www.amazingsmiles.com! We look forward to hearing from you soon!

We've Got School Spirit! How 'Bout You? Then Show Us and Win $500!

Summer is ending soon (to the dismay of many students), and the new school year is beginning in full force locally and nationally.  Some students may be, well, less than thrilled when it comes to returning to school, but the patients whom we see in our office are often talking about how excited they are for school to begin once more, and we have to say, we’re excited FOR them!

That is why we plan on holding a fun School Spirit video contest for them this year!

What is this video contest all about, anyway? Well, it is quite simple! All you have to do if you want to enter is create a brand new school spirit video! Make a video about how much school spirit you and your friends have for the upcoming school year, and then upload it to YouTube. 

After you have done that, email us the link of your school spirit video on YouTube at marcia@amazingsmiles.com to officially be entered into our contest! You have until October 1 to enter your video into our contest. By the way, our contest began August 1st, so start making your video now!

After all the videos have been submitted, we will then post all entrants’ videos to our Facebook fan page on October 1 (if you haven’t liked our Facebook page yet, then you totally should, especially since you can see your video there!).

Now here is the important part – the entrant’s video with the most “likes” by October 24 at 8 a.m. will be the winner! He or she will then receive $500 to be dedicated to the school department of his or her choice!

So if you want to give an extra 500 bucks to your music department, athletic department, language arts department, science department, or whatever, then put on your thinking cap and start devising this year’s winning School Spirit video!

Oh, and we almost forgot! We need to give you guidelines! Follow these guidelines below to make sure that your video still has a chance to win $500:

*Your video must be less than 5 minutes in length.
*Your video must be “ family-friendly.”
*Your video must also be submitted on time – no later than Mon., October 1!

So what are you waiting for? Get those creative juices flowing and show us how much school spirit YOU have in your School Spirit video! You never know – you might just win money for your school!

Braces Are Not Just For Kids Anymore!

I see many parents come into my office for their children’s orthodontic needs. It is great that these parents are so involved in making sure their children’s teeth are straight, but I would like to take a moment to address their personal dental straightening needs.

Parents, having recently been given the title of Elite Preferred Provider from Invisalign, I am confident that I can help align not only your children’s teeth, but also yours. Perhaps you had at one time considered getting braces yourself but felt you were past the age of getting them. Maybe you feel that you would look awkward with metal braces while working at your office. With Invisalign this is no longer a concern.

Invisalign uses clear aligners that conform to the shape of your mouth and gradually reposition your teeth into the beautiful smile you have always wanted. Simply keep the aligners in your mouth all day and night, removing them for meals, brushing, and flossing. Also, Invisalign can be easily removed for cleaning- something standard wire braces cannot do.

Using our new iTero scanner, we can have you in for impressions and fitted for Invisalign in a matter of weeks. Since all impressions with the iTero scanner are digital, we can have them immediately sent to the Invisalign lab overseas so that you’ll be working on straightening your teeth in much less time that it would traditionally take with the paste impressions.

It’s never too late to have a great smile! If you are interested in getting fitted for Invisalign for yourself, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (618) 288-0600 for our Glen Carbon office or (618) 622-3377 for our Swansea office. We hope you enjoy the rest of the Summer and look forward to seeing you!

You May Take a Vacation, But Your Teeth Shouldn't! Don't Forget Your Braces!

School is now out across the nation, and summer vacation has commenced for many students. What better time to take some time to kick back and relax with your family on a summer vacation?

At Mastroianni Orthodontics, we hope that you can get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life with your family this summer, if just for a little bit. Just remember, no matter where you go or what you do, whether it’s camping in your favorite state, soaking up the sun on the east or west coast, or sight-seeing in your favorite city, your teeth are never on vacation!

The first thing to do is to let Dr. Jeff know that you are going away on vacation so that he can make arrangements for your next appointment when you return. You wouldn’t want to miss an appointment for a tightening because you were busy soaking up the sun on a beach in Florida, even if it’s a pretty nice alternative to missing an appointment. Also, make sure to add our office’s phone number (Glen Carbon: (618) 288-0600, Swansea: (618) 622-3377) to your emergency contacts. If a bracket falls off or a wire snaps, be sure to call us immediately!

Secondly, make sure that you bring a kit of braces cleaning supplies for while you are away! The kit should include the following:

·      Toothbrush

·      Proxy Brush (the little thin brush that helps you clean behind the wires of your braces)

·      Floss and Floss Threaders

·      Travel-sized containers of mouthwash and toothpaste

·      Orthodontic Wax

·      Bands (If Required)

·      Pain medicine (Tylenol or Ibuprofen)

The toothbrushes and floss may be common sense recommendations, but you’d be surprised how often those things can get left behind, both at home and in the hotel room!

Make sure to bring plenty of dental wax along. The last thing you want happening is a wire constantly poking you in the mouth during a weeklong outing and not having any wax on hand to cover it up.

On that note, be sure to bring spare bands with you, or pick up some extras from our office if you are running low. If you’ve dealt with bands for any amount of time, you know they sometimes get worn thin and snap, and you don’t want to be far away from home without some backups!

Keep Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or any other over-the-counter painkiller on hand in case your teeth begin to get sore or achy. These dull aches are rare, but they can happen, and you would do well to plan ahead.

Also, don’t forget the travel-sized toothpaste and mouthwash. Many airports won’t allow full-sized bottles of liquids on the plane, and you could find yourself in another country without the proper tools to clean your teeth if you hadn’t planned for this ahead.

Remember to mind what you eat. As always, sticky foods like gum and hard foods like jawbreakers are not recommended as they can cause damage to the brackets and wires of your braces, so avoid those types of foods as best as you can.

Finally, for those of you who have had your braces removed, but are wearing a standard removable retainer, make absolutely sure to keep the retainer with you when you take it out. It’s very easy, and sadly quite common for people to accidentally misplace their retainers, or worse, throw them away as they leave a restaurant. Having to replace retainers can be time-consuming and costly, so it pays to take the effort to prevent any possible mishaps with them.

We hope you all have a safe and fun summer vacation, and spend lots of quality time with your friends and family. Don’t hesitate to take lots of pictures. Dr. Jeff and everyone here at the office would love to see them!