Pediatric Dental Specialists want to know: How was your Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving has once again come and gone, but the calories remain. The team at Pediatric Dental Specialists want to know: What did you do? Where did you go? Anything exciting? Also, what are you up to in December? We’d love an update!

If you have any stories or pictures to share with us, we'd encourage you to send them along or call our offices and ask how.
--Dr. Cortez and team

A great braces-friendly fall recipe! From Pediatric Dental Specialists

Fall is here, and sometimes we here at Pediatric Dental Specialists just feel like a hot delicious meal is in order. Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) made an appetizing (and braces-friendly!) fall dish that is sure to delight. Remember, a healthy diet provides essential nutrients and helps you achieve the best possible result from your orthodontic treatment.

Pasta Pomodorini
Ingredients:
•¾ pound spaghetti or spaghetti
•¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
•¼ cup sliced garlic
•½ teaspoon finely minced Calabrian chilies, or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
•1 pint small cherry tomatoes, stems removed, crushed between your thumb and forefinger
•Sea salt, preferably gray salt
•½ cup fresh basil leaves, each torn into 2 or 3 pieces
•Wedge of Parmesan cheese

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta. While the pasta cooks, heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the garlic and cook until the slivers are golden brown and crisp, then add the chilies and cook for about 30 seconds. Raise the heat to high and add the tomatoes. Simmer briskly to soften the tomatoes and thicken the juices, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. When the pasta is al dente, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the warm pot off the heat. Add the sauce and the basil and mix well. Add some of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and grate Parmesan over the top to taste. Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy this great fall dish and have a great week!
--From the team at Pediatric Dental Specialists

Getting you through flu season, from Pediatric Dental Specialists

Traditionally cold and flu season starts in Fall, but this year it seems to have started much earlier and with the number of patients canceling appointments because of flu and H1N1 symptoms Pediatric Dental Specialists are taking additional precautions to help prevent the spread of germs.

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

For the protection of other patients 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 and give us a call if you have any questions! Stay healthy!

Pediatric Dental Specialists want to know: What are you up to in November?

October has come and gone, and—believe it or not—we’re almost in full holiday mode! But before we forget about the spooky month that just wrapped up, we’d like to know how you celebrated Halloween! What did you wear? How much candy did you get? Did you have fun?

If you have any photos or videos that you would like to share with us, please send them our way! Our doctors and staff hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween! Also, what are you up to this month? Anything exciting happening in your life? If so, we’d love to hear all about it.

--The team at Pediatric Dental Specialists

Getting Married This Fall? Smile Bright with Pediatric Dental Specialists!

It’s Fall. Leaves are turning shades of orange and red, the wind is picking up and getting cooler, and pumpkin patches are full of bright orange pumpkins. Families gather together, kids head out trick-or-treating, and as always, wedding bells are ringing. That's right, Fall is one of the best times of year to tie the knot! If you are gearing up for a wedding this Fall, consider matching that white dress to a perfectly white smile!

At Pediatric Dental Specialists we offer in-office tooth whitening for the bride, the groom, or the entire wedding party! You get the girls together to get their nails done, and now you can get them together to get their teeth done!

In-office whitening is the quickest, most effective way to achieve whiter teeth. Because we are dental professionals, we have the expertise to use higher percentages of whitening agents than the at-home systems allow. So you can get a brighter white, usually in just one visit!

Give us a call and let us add some extra sparkle to your “I do”!