Celebrating National Children’s Dental Health Month

February, which is just around the corner, marks National Children's Dental Health Month, and Dr. Martin and team thought we’d promote good oral hygiene among our patients with a few tips and tricks, courtesy of the American Dental Association.

• Teeth brushing techniques: It takes only two minutes to properly brush using short, gentle strokes and devoting extra attention to the gumline, areas around fillings and hard-to-reach areas such as the back teeth.

• Flossing: hold the floss snugly between thumbs and index finger and insert it between each of the teeth, making sure to go beneath the gumline and curving the floss around the base of each tooth.

• Snack wisely: choose healthy snacks such as cheese, fruits and vegetables and avoid crunchy, sticky, chewy candies that can stick to the teeth. If you eat these snacks, be sure to brush after doing so.

• Carbonated or sugary drinks: these drinks create acids that can damage the teeth when mixed with saliva, so they should be avoided altogether. If you’re going to drink one of these beverages, don’t sip on it throughout the day. Rather, drink it and then brush your teeth.

• Regular dental visits: in addition to visiting our Pleasant Hill, CA office during your orthodontic treatment, you should visit your dentist for professional check-ups and teeth cleaning appointments about every six months.

National Dental Health Month aims to increase awareness about the importance of our patients' oral health. If you have any questions about keeping your mouth healthy, or about your treatment with Dr. Martin, please feel free to give us a call or ask us on Facebook!

Dreaming of a dazzling smile? We can help!

The fact is, most of us aren’t born with a red carpet smile. And that’s where Dr. Jennifer Martin and our team can help. Of course, orthodontic treatment help make your teeth stay strong, healthy and become perfectly-aligned. But did you know you can get the beautiful straight teeth you've always wanted — without braces?

Dr. Martin and our staff are proud to offer an adult-friendly option for straightening teeth called Invisalign, which uses a series of invisible, removable and comfortable aligners that no one can tell you're wearing. So, you can smile more during treatment as well as after. Not only are the aligners invisible, they are removable, so you can eat and drink what you want while in treatment. Plus, brushing and flossing are no problem. They are also comfortable, with no metal to cause mouth abrasions during treatment. And no metal and wires usually means you spend less time at our office getting adjustments. Invisalign also allows you to view your own virtual treatment plan when you start so you can see how your straight teeth will look when your treatment is complete.

If you’ve been thinking about getting that perfect smile, we would love to have you in for a visit. Please give us a call to set one up! A complimentary consultation can determine if Invisalign is right for you. See you soon!

January's recipe of the Month: Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

More great recipes! Here is our recipe for Mexican Chicken Lime Soup. Delicious! Happy MLK Day everyone!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
5 skinless boneless chicken thighs, browned and cut into 1/2 inches
2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, finely chopped plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (more if you like it spicy!)
6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon oregano
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
juice of 2 limes
salt and pepper
1 avocado, thinly sliced
Crushed tortilla chips

In a large saucepan heat oil brown chicken for aprox 15 minutes. Remove to plate and loosely cover with aluminum foil. In same pan cook onion until slightly brown and add tomato paste, adobo paste, chipotle chilies and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder and oregano cook for 1 minute, add chicken broth, cut up chicken and simmer for 10-15 minutes skimming any foam. Stir in the cilantro, corn and lime juice, season with salt and pepper. Garnish soup with avocados and tortilla chips.

The benefits of a beautiful smile, from Dr. Martin & team

At the office of Dr. Jennifer Martin, we know having an attractive smile puts a spring in your step—or two—as well as increases your self-confidence, no matter if you’re 14 or in your late forties.

Smiling not only makes people happy and puts them in a good mood, doing it often can even help you live longer, according to previous studies!

If you’ve been hiding your smile because you have crooked teeth or gaps between your teeth, it’s time to consider orthodontic treatment at Dr. Martin's office. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn how quickly and efficiently today’s most advanced correction techniques can straighten your smile!

Don’t hide your smile any longer—give us a call today to schedule yours or your child’s complimentary orthodontic consultation. See you soon!

Do we have your current contact info?

As you probably know, you can always connect with Dr. Martin and our team on our Facebook page, but we also encourage you to call us and let us know if you have any new phone numbers or if your contact information has changed!

Please contact our office with any updates to phone numbers and addresses, so that we may be able to reach you. Thank you!

-The team Dr. Martin's office