Braces, all the cool kids do it!

Braces today are “cool” and—many would say—even “fun.” These were among the findings of a 2010 nationwide survey of moms whose children are going through or have had orthodontic treatment. New technologies like advanced computer software, color options, and even popular celebrities—Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Danny Glover, Serena Williams—sporting stylish braces are making orthodontic treatment more comfortable, fashionable and cool for today’s teens.

The study, conducted on behalf of our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists for February’s National Children’s Dental Health Month, found 86 percent of moms reporting that braces are cooler today than when they were children. Sixty-nine percent of moms also said wearing braces makes their children feel cool, and 81 percent reported their children’s experience with orthodontic treatment as either positive or extremely positive.

Different color options and the ability to change colors, for example, provide exciting ways for young patients to customize appearances. That enthusiasm helps them to feel good about their orthodontic treatment with Dr. Weiss, and may contribute to the success of treatment.

Has your child or teen visited Weiss Orthodontics for a consultation? If not, please give us a call and let us help your child begin the journey to a gorgeous smile!

Ask Dr. Weiss: Do cold germs live on toothbrushes?

Fall is here, and with it the dreaded cold and flu season. After recovering from your cold, Dr. Danny Weiss will tell you one of the most important steps you can take to avoid becoming reinfected is replacing your toothbrush!

Germs can linger on the bristles, and you risk prolonging your sickness by continuing to use the same toothbrush. Be smart - keep a spare, just in case! To protect your toothbrush from bacteria all year long, consider the following tips:

• Wash your hands before and after brushing
• Allow the brush to air dry after each use, harmful bacteria dies after being exposed to oxygen
• Store the toothbrush in an upright position to allow water to drain and dry faster
• Replace your toothbrush every 3-4 months. Worn bristles are less effective in properly cleaning your teeth, and can actually be damaging to teeth if used too long!

Hope this tip helps! Feel free to call us at Weiss Orthodontics if you have any questions or ask us on Facebook.

A few tips to stay healthy this cold season, from Weiss Orthodontics

We hope you're enjoying your weekend! It's officially cold and flu season, and once again time to remind our patients at Weiss Orthodontics to try and steer clear of that cold that's been going around lately.

To promote a healthy and clean environment, we give a great deal of attention to sanitation and sterilization in our Memphis and Millington offices at all times, as well as following all requirements for sterilizing instruments and work surfaces.

For the protection of other patients, Dr. Danny Weiss and our staff, we always ask that patients reschedule their appointments if they have any type of cold or illness that can infect others.

Maintaining and protecting oral hygiene equipment is also important this flu season. To protect your toothbrush from bacteria follow these steps:

• Wash your hands before and after brushing

• Allow the brush to air dry after each use, harmful bacteria dies after being exposed to oxygen

• Store the toothbrush in an upright position to allow water to drain and dry faster

• Replace toothbrush after every cold or flu or every 3-4 months when bristles appear worn

Hope this helps! Stay healthy!

- Dr. Weiss and the Weiss Orthodontics team

Dr. Danny Weiss, reminding you September is National Childhood Injury Prevention Month

This month, our staff at Weiss 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. Danny Weiss 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, or AAO.

Injuries can happen at any age: 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, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Collision and contact sports have higher injury rates—baseball, soccer, basketball and football account for about 80% of all sports-related emergency room visits for children between 5 and 14 years of age. Despite the risks, many kids are still not wearing mouth guards and facial protection during games and practices.

Mouth guards are not being used: Sixty-seven percent of parents say their child does not wear a mouth guard, yet, 70% say their biggest fear when their child plays is that they will get hurt. And here’s a chilling stat: One out of every four (27 percent) parents say their child has sustained an injury during an organized sport resulting in a trip to the emergency room, according to the AAO.

Not enough support for mouth guards: 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, the AAO says.

Hard hits occur in every sport: 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! Cheerleading is one of the most dangerous sports, accounting for 65% of all injuries in high school girls' athletics, according to MSNBC.com.

We hope this helps you remember to always wear a mouth guard and other forms of protective gear when participating in fall sports! We encourage you to give us a call if you have any questions!

Write a Google review for Dr. Weiss or Weiss Orthodontics!

Happy Friday! Whether you've visited Weiss Orthodontics for a week, months or even years, we'd love to hear your feedback about how our office has fared during your orthodontic treatment! There are lots of ways you can share your thoughts about our practice, but we encourage you to head to our Google Local page and write a review of Dr. Weiss there.

After all, reviews help Dr. Weiss create more beautiful smiles in Memphis, Millington and surrounding communities Thanks in advance, and we hope you have a splendid weekend!

You may write your review here.

Weiss Orthodontics, reminding you to protect your mouth this summer

With summer here for another two months, Dr. Danny Weiss and our staff would like to take this time to remind our young athletes in orthodontic treatment to take care of both your mouth and appliances while participating in contact sports (and non-contact sports) as well. Remember, only by using a mouth guard can kids with and without braces avoid serious sports injuries. The next time you're in for a visit with Dr. Weiss, be sure to ask us for a mouth guard, and we will provide one for you! Have a great weekend! We hope you're enjoying your summer thus far!

Summer traveling tips from Weiss Orthodontics

At Weiss Orthodontics, we know most folks - and most of our patients - take a vacation during the summer, and often forget to pack the most important of things. Recently, our staff came across an article from ParentsAsk.com that outlined five important tips for summer travel with children. We strongly encourage you to give this article a read if you’re heading out with the family this summer. Here are even more tips you can use to ensure your vacation packing – and the vacation itself – goes as smooth as possible this summer!

Happy (and safe) traveling everyone!

- Dr. Danny Weiss and team

Get social with Weiss Orthodontics!

If you know Dr. Weiss and team, you know we embrace anything technology-related. That includes the innovative treatments we offer and the social networks which we are a part of. That includes our Facebook fan page, where we're currently focusing most of our new media efforts.

For social media to work, however, we understand that conversation is vital, and that’s why we invite you to join in and tell us what’s on your mind. Although social networks such as Facebook are hugely popular these days, we know they’re unpredictable and ever-changing.

While Dr. Weiss and team take a little time to research how to best use social media, we thought we’d ask you, our loyal patients: How would you like us to use our social networks? What would you like us to share on our blog? Send us your thoughts or post them on our Facebook page!

Have a great weekend!

Did you make a difference today? From Dr. Weiss

Whether lending your helping hand to plant trees or grasses or getting out to volunteer in various projects in Memphis or Millington, today was our opportunity to get involved in making our year-round impact in the community. Dr. Weiss wants to know: Did you make a difference today? Tell us, what did you accomplish? How long have you participated in helping our community and planet?

At Weiss Orthodontics, we support Earth Day, which marks its 40th anniversary today and is designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for our environment and ecosystem. If you’d like to join the millions of people around the world who are making small but important changes to help sustain our ecosystem, try these helpful environmental tips, courtesy of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Your turn! From Weiss Orthodontics

By now, you're probably familiar with the drill: Week after week, our team at Weiss Orthodontics write about important topics pertinent to orthodontics and your well-being, including innovative orthodontic techniques Dr. Weiss offers. This week, we thought we’d step back and ask you, our great patients and readers: what’s on your mind?

What would you like to know about the always-changing field of orthodontics? What would you like us to focus on our blog? Perhaps there’s something you’ve wanted to ask Dr. Weiss for a while now? Let us know by posting here, and have a great rest of the week!

-- Dr. Weiss and team

Access your account anytime at Danny Weiss, DDS

Access to your account any day, any time. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Patients of Dr. Weiss enjoy access to their account 24 hours a day, seven days a week—on our web site. You can look up your appointments and all of your account details at your convenience, all from the comfort of your own home! You can even receive appointment reminders through email or text messages! Just see what some of Dr. Weiss‘s patients are saying about this innovative service:

"Wow! Am I impressed! Very user friendly! Thanks!" ~ Andy S.

"I considered this to be a very helpful "tool" in accessing my personal information and it is very convenient, so that I am able to access the site at anytime of day. Cutting Edge Technology you might say. Thanks!" ~ Joyce R.

"First and most importantly, it provided a detailed statement of my account. I liked the before pictures and I hope once the braces come off the after pics will be posted as well. Keeping up with her appointments is great too. The whole website is wonderful!" ~ Antwanae B.

"I like being able to get an overview of my treatment and my account." ~ Stacey G.

You, too, may sign up for this convenient service on our web site by clicking the "Patient Login" button on our homepage. Please call our office if you have any questions!

When should you and your child visit Weiss Orthodontics?

Dr. Weiss knows many parents assume they must wait until a child has all of his or her permanent teeth to visit our office, only to find that treatment would have been much easier if started sooner. Consequently, the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO, recommends that every child have an orthodontic check-up no later than age seven.

Ok, so what’s so great about age seven, you ask? Enough permanent teeth have arrived for an orthodontist to make a determination about whether any problems are present. The first molars have come in, providing an opportunity to check for malocclusion, or “bad bite.” Also, the incisors have begun to come in, and problems such as crowding, deep bites and open bites can be detected.

Orthodontic evaluation at an early age provides one of two positive outcomes: For some, early identification or problems will lead to easier or shorter orthodontic treatment in the future. For others, a healthy prognosis will provide immediate peace of mind.

Early evaluation, of course, may signal a need for early treatment. For some children, early treatment can prevent physical and emotional trauma. Aside from spurring on years of harmful teasing, misaligned teeth are also prone to injury and detrimental to good oral hygiene. So if your child is nearing age 7, give us a call at Weiss Orthodontics to schedule an appointment.