Happy Halloween!

Have you ever been to one of our local haunted houses?? My husband and I took our middle school daughter and her friends to a haunted house a few weeks ago and…. Wow, was that intense! There must have been a THOUSAND zombie actors (ok it was probably more like 30-but if felt like more, they where popping up everywhere) throughout the experience all with the purpose of scaring us to death!  Before we entered the factory, my daughter and her friends asked me if I was scared. I obnoxiously claimed that I would probably ‘laugh the whole time, no way was I scared it was all fake’ (famous last word).  I also tried to prep the girls by telling them to ‘fly under the radar', instructing them to not scream too much or the zombie actors would zero in on our group, terrorizing us the whole time. The girls nodded and assured me that they understood and would try to lay low.

Okay,so the zombies of the
haunted house were a bit scarier than this.

That lasted abooouuuuut... O-N-E second. Literally, the SECOND we entered the haunted house, the zombies were on us!  And, despite my earlier recommendation to those sweet girls, they all immediately started screaming- at the top of their lungs! So, guess what??  The zombies zero-ed  in our our little group, relentlessly.  

Now, let me set the scene for you and how it works at the haunted factory... All ticket holders are divided into groups who go through the factory together. It’s a group of maybe 50-100 people all in 

a single file line, clutching each other’s shirts (yes, strangers- touching each other) not wanting to lose the group. Who wants to get left behind, all alone, with a bunch of zombies? Did I mention that there is fog, flashing strobe lights, and EXTREMELY loud scary noises. Making it so you can barely see your hand in front of your face and you can’t hear each other at all??!? Oh, and my favorite effect, zombies squirting some kind of mysterious liquid on you (hopefully water?), in your face, on your hair, all over your clothes. The haunted house does not allow their actors to touch the guests, but wow did they get close!  Popping out of dark corners, dropping down from the ceiling screaming in your ears! To add to everything else all along the way you have to duck under pipes and valves and go up and down metal or concrete stairs (remember, you can’t see or hear). Worst part... you have to walk into the basement of this factory and squeeze through black inflatable walls- that are closing in on you!! Another fun treat is walking across a metal catwalk through a giant spinning canister (kind of like in a fun house) painted in glowing black light paint, kind of disorienting, while scary zombies are on the cat walk with you. 

This isn't use but I can guarantee
this is what we looked like, the entire time!

My  ‘mother of the year’ moment came when I shoved my 7th grade daughter in front of me to lead us through the chaos! Needless to say, I was unable to stay cool, calm, and collected as I planned.  I screamed the whole time while four young girls clung to me, screaming along with me!  We were like a little pile of people crab walking through the factory tour which seemed to last for hours (ok it was probably more like 25 minutes). 

Meanwhile, my husband was sauntering along behind us with a bored, slightly amused look on his face, that was until my daughter (who, as I said earlier,  I shamelessly shoved out front to lead our group-I know, mom of the year, right?) tells us that she has been clutching onto the stranger in front of us (bless this man’s heart, he was clearly someone’s dad to have been as patient as he was with us). At that point my husband heroically jumps to the front of our group so that she can clutch onto him instead of a random man. 

Call me crazy, but after all of that… it was SO MUCH FUN and we wouldn't have missed it for anything. We will probably make torturing ourselves, screaming through this haunted place, a yearly tradition!

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I love Halloween! Why?  Because it kicks off my favorite time of the year. It’s a time of year that we can dress up, act silly, go to haunted houses and give treats to our friends, family and neighbors.  It’s a time of year that the weather becomes mild and its enjoyable to go outside. All of the neighborhood seems to come out  and participate in fall festivals, trunk or treats, trick or treating, and Halloween parties. I see it as a wonderful month of community. I love that!  

At our office, throughout the year, we host several events to serve our community.  During this time of the year our community service events include a food drive and a backpack initiative for local foster children (more to come on those events later).  One of our favorite service events we are able to host is our Halloween Candy Buy Back, participating with Operation Gratitude.  

Each year my office hosts this event during the first few days of November in which children can donate their unopened Halloween candy to our US Troops. For every pound that patients bring to our office (up to 3 pounds), each child receives 1$ per pound and a goodie bag full of treats.  We also give away Firefly glowing toothbrushes (while supplies last) to all children who make a donation to this cause. We are buying back so that we can give back to our U.S. Troops together!  So, come join us for the Halloween Candy Buy Back this year taking place at our office Monday November 3rd-Thursday November 6th. Look for more information on the blog in the coming weeks about our other service events.  Happy Halloween!

#trickortreat #halloween #scared #hauntedhouse #community #ARPD #drrohner #kidsdentist #halloweencandybuyback #HCBB #carepackages #candy #cash #prizes

****Copyright Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry 2014

Breaking The Pacifier Habit

How do we get rid of the Paci? Without all of the crying & days of torment...

Parents of our patients are always looking for tips and advice on how to handle dental concerns. We try our hardest to have a solution and answer to every problem.  Believe or not, we don’t come up with all of these fantastic tips all by ourselves. We learn many methods from real life experience through conversations with our sweet patients and their parents.

One of my favorite parts of my job is being able to interact with the sweet children and with their parents and caregivers.  I LOVE people and I enjoy hearing about their days, their lives, and their experiences! 

If any of you have any children who have/had a pacifier then you know that we parents need all the tips that we can get when it comes to giving up the ‘paci’.  Well… today, one of our four year old patients taught us a fantastic way to give up the pacifier.

This sweet, four –year -old marched into our clinic for her dental cleaning, proudly, holding a brand new stuffed teddy bear from the “Build a Bear” store at the Galleria.  I mean this was no ordinary teddy bear. This was one of the softest, most cuddly, most friendly looking big stuffed teddy bears that I have seen in a while. It had Dark brown silky smooth fur, with soft, kind eyes, you know the type of stuffed bear that I mean!

She promptly handed me her teddy bear and said, “Feel his tummy and guess what’s inside”, while she was smiling and giggling all the while. I anxiously grabbed he bear, I couldn't wait to find out...  I did as she asked and I pushed on the bears tummy and, guess what was inside?!?  That’s right! It was her pacifier, stuffed inside that teddy bear’s tummy! Apparently the sweet folks at the Build-a-Bear store sewed up this child’s very last pacifier safely inside this teddy bear’s tummy in order to ‘help’ her give up her pacifier.  This way, she could give up her oral habit, but she could keep her pacifier nearby (and near her teddy bear’s heart).  How comforting is this and how fantastic is this idea-our patients are so awesome!

We have plenty of ideas around here about how to give up the pacifier or other oral habits- methods ranging from thumb-buddy dolls and books to reward or incentive programs. We love to talk about solutions for how to stop the habits, sharing ideas and exchanging them with our patients and their parents. This Build A Bear was one method that I had not heard yet. 

And, when it comes to ideas on ways to give up those oral habits, I believe that we need to find the best method to suit each individual child. In other words, each child needs his or her own individual plan to make this transition as comfortable as possible. We might have to try several different routes in-between their 6 month checkups but, we will find one!

I am always looking for fun, nurturing new ideas on this topic!  What are some other ways that you all have helped your children give up their pacifiers?  PLEASE let us know! Your advice can help other children that struggle with a hard to break oral habit just like your child’s.

#buildabear #ditchthepaci #ARPD #kidsdentist #advice #ideas #pacifier #drrohner #habits

***Copyright 2014 Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry

Everyone Loves A *Sneak Peak*

After sharing the news of our upcoming renovation we have had plenty of inquisitive questions. We want to share some of the fun details with y-o-u! 

The Phase I of our renovation is the clinical area including; sterilization, treatment chairs, x-ray rooms, supply storage, and the best part- the play area. In order for you to get a good visual we want to introduce you to the official floor plan...

I'm sure this may seem like mumbo jumbo as far as understanding where things are now in aspect to where they will be in this plan. But, the most important part is we worked REALLY hard to get this plan just right. With 5 open bay hygiene treatment chairs, 2 semi-private operative treatment chairs and 1 private treatment room- every child's needs can be met.

Now, for the fun part- COLORS! 

The main colors will include corals, blues, and green throughout the office. We plan to include a fun ocean mural similar to the one we have in our waiting room now. 

For our new color scheme we are going with the soft relaxing beach tones. We will have alternating chair colors in shades of ocean blue and a fun bright green. 

Our clinical dental units will be clean and fresh with white quartz counters and stainless cabinets. Our favorite part of this combination is how it shines!

 Sterilization is one of the most important parts of a dental practice. This area serves as the greatest point of infection control. Infection control is why we wash our hands constantly, wear protective gear such as jackets, classes and masks, wipe down every part of our dental unit after each patient, and why we sterilize instruments, 

This area will be organized from dirty to sterile side in order to avoid contamination. We went with clean colors here as well.


The planning of this project has been complicated but mostly just long. BUT, the result is going to be exactly what we wanted and what our patients need- so no complaining here!

One of the things we are most excited about is freshening up our current logo. To go along with our change in color schemes we have revamped the Angel Fish logo. We knew what we wanted... something that represented our practice well. Colors that were calm yet fun and inviting. We wanted our Angel Fish to be welcoming and exciting but we didn't want to lose her all together. We thought, this designer is going to kill us! ;) But, it was well worth it!

We think we nailed it...

What do you think? We won't be implementing it until 2015 (following the renovation) but are just too excited to keep from sharing it. 

There are a lot of changes going on here, but we'd rather call them improvements! If you stop moving you are standing still, and we all know that no one ever gets anywhere standing still. We love hearing from you about the excitement for the renovation. Any questions or comments you have we are more than happy to answer. So, keep the positive feed back coming! Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.

#renovation #ARPD #bigchanges #improving #kidsdentist #bestdraround #drrohner #fun #kidsloveus #fish #fishdentist #logo #logodesign #floorplan #colors #beach #ocean 

****Copyright Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry 2014

Until The Good Is Better & The Better Is Best!

 “A Person’s a person, no matter how small.” I Love that quote by, one of my favorite authors, Dr. Seuss.  At Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry we live this quote every day. We service the “smallest people” of our society. Knowing this, we make it our priority to make them feel like the only person in our world! 

In our pediatric dental profession, we treat the physical and mental needs of our patients. We believe that every child is different, special, and important. So, we know that each child needs to be treated that way, as the individual they are.  However, when it comes to their dental needs, they are quite similar in that they all deserve the best.   And, because each patient’s physical chemistry, dietary habits, and family history are different, the dental care that we provide needs to be tailored to each child’s individual needs.

I’m sure you are wondering, where are we going with this?  Well, we have decided, as stated best by the world’s most well-known children’s entertainer…

So, that’s what is going to happen!   We are going to quit talking about our beliefs and put our beliefs into action… we are about to “….begin doing!”

This leads us to our BIG announcement...

Drum roll, please…

We are RENOVATING!  We know that, as a healthcare practice, new technologies and equipment become available every day. But, after 15 years of serving the children of our community, it is our time- Out with the old and in with the new!

We are replacing ALL of our dental equipment and are going to reconfigure our entire floor plan. Each patient will have the latest in dental chairs; smooth gliding, super comfortable, and curved to fit! The floor plan will be even more open than it is now, supplying an inviting and comfortable atmosphere for children. New calming colors, fun murals, and inviting lighting will make each child feel at home.

Why now you might ask?  The short answer is, we need updated equipment to continue to better serve our patients. 

Want more reasons why? Gladly! First, in order to understand us a little better you need to know what our mission and values are here at Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry (ARPD).

The mission of ARPD is the following: 

At our office, we ensure that our patients receive the most advance pediatric dental care.  Our staff regularly attends seminars and conferences devoted to the new treatments, new technologies, and excellent patient care practices.  PATIENT CARE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY.  This is our commitment to you and your child. 

The values of ARPD are the following:

PATIENT CARE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY.  We value compassion, kindness, patience, honesty, trust, education and teamwork.

 

Bottom line... #1 reason why is that PATIENT CARE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY, in case you missed that the first two times. ;)

Our building and dental office were originally designed and equipped in 1973 and remodeled in the late 80’s. Therefore, chairs and dental units (that we use to power our hand pieces and dental equipment) were originally installed many, many years ago.

In order to provide the best, most accessible patient care for our patients, we need dental chairs and dental units, as well as, a clinical floor plan that is easier for ALL of our patients to access as well as ergonomically comfortable for our staff members to use to provide care the best dental care possible.

So, after 18 months of planning… yes, that’s right! This has been in the works for 18 LONG months! From visiting equipment vendors all over the USA, talking to architects and equipment salesman, finding an interior designer and contractor… All of our ducks are finally in a row.

As of last week we have purchased the equipment, finalized our floor plan, and hired an architect, an interior designer, a contractor, and an information technologies firm. We are FINALLY, yes finnnnaaalllyy ready to begin.  And, we couldn't be more excited about it!

Throughout all of this planning I have been approached by several colleagues (you would not believe how many) who have looked at me and said ‘Are you crazy? … to remodel at this point in your practice career? Why take on that expense? Do you know how hard it is to remodel a dental practice? Why would you do this?  Your practice is already successful…’

Why?  Because that is what our patients need.  That is what my staff and I need to provide even BETTER care to our patients. 

Now, this is going to be a process:  We have divided our renovation into two phases.  In phase 1, we will be renovating our clinical area; all dental equipment, sterilization areas, and x-ray rooms.  In phase 2 we will be renovating our bathrooms, administrative areas and our waiting rooms. (Do you know what that means? Long road ahead, so please be patient with us as we work hard to improve for you!)

Phase 1 starts very soon. How soon, you ask? Phase 1 will take place December 2014! And, we cannot WAIT for you all to see the results! Stay tuned for “before and after” photos of the process as it moves along. We also plan to have video progressions, as well as, periodic updates.

Call me a dreamer, but this project is something that I have wanted for you all for a very long time! This dream might still be in the works, but you better bet that when it comes to my practice, my staff and my patients- I am going to always be continually working to improve. We are working until the good is better and the better is best!

Stay tuned,

Dr. Rohner

#we<3ourpatients #patientcaretoppriority  #kidsdentist  #waltdisney  #daretodream #ARPD #PattersonDental  #HeidiCoreInteriorDesign  #Alltech  #MilamConstructionCo  #drrohner

Tobacco Free Is The Way To Be

First of all, let me put this out there... We DO NOT like tobacco in any shape or form!

As pediatric dentists and pediatric dental hygienists, we will screen your teen for tobacco use at their dental checkup appointments.  The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that we screen for tobacco use at each dental visit in order to help prevent pain, disability and death due to tobacco related illnesses.  We are also charged with the mission of helping our patients get treated for tobacco dependence and educating the public about the health related costs (both to our life and wallet) of smoking and chewing tobacco. 

So, you might be thinking…. “Why do pediatric dentists screen for tobacco use?”…  We treat kids, right?  Right! But, according to the American Caner Society, “Initiation of tobacco use begins before age 19 for 90 percent of adult smokers”  Wow!  Can you believe that?

In fact, about 3600 young people between ages 12-17 will try smoking everyday with 1100 young people per day BECOMING ADDICTED to smoking or tobacco use.  Because we provide dental care to patients from birth through age 18…. One of our responsibilities is to help prevent what is the ‘…single greatest avoidable cause of death’  according to the US Surgeon General’s report.

Here is a list of many health consequences from tobacco use that I am sure you are all familiar with:

·         Cardiovascular disease

·         Reproductive problems

·         Cancer

·         Pulmonary disease

·         Abdominal aneurysm

Did you know that exposure to SECONDHAND SMOKE imposes significant risks too? So often it is children who are exposed to secondhand smoke through no fault of their own. 

Infants and children who are exposed to secondhand smoke have a much higher risk of :

·         Heart disease and lung cancer risk increases up to 30% in nonsmokers (children)

·         Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

·         Respiratory infections

·         Ear infections

·         Pneumonia, allergies, asthma,

·         CAVITIES in baby teeth are related to secondhand smoke exposure

·         Weak tooth enamel  in baby teeth and adult teeth

Finally, what about THIRDHAND SMOKE?  Third hand smoke is the layer of toxins and residue that lays all over the home or car where smoking occurs. … After the cigarette has been put out!  Guess who crawls and plays around in the areas of the home and car where the toxic poisons of third hand smoke land?  Kids and babies…. Play and lay and crawl around and ingest TWICE the dust of an adult.  Studies have shown that children have Cognitive DEFICITS as a result of third hand smoke exposure in addition to the list of health problems listed above that the children will also get from second hand smoke exposure…

Bottom line… Please, do not use tobacco in any form… Please, do not allow anyone to use tobacco in any form around your children... Please, do not allow your children to use tobacco… (and we will help with that too! when screening for tobacco use when your kids visit with us for their checkups).    

#stayawayfromtobacco #dontsmoke #thisaintajoke

American Cancer Society. “Stay Away from Tobacco”. Website.  Accessed September 5, 2014.

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.  Policy on Tobacco Use. Pediatric Dentistry 2013;35(special issue):61-64.

***Copyright 2014 Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry

The 'Pooh-isms' of Our Dentistry

So, here is another little known fact about Dr. Rohner. 

I LOVE Children’s Books!  And, I love to read.  Reading is one of my favorite past times and I manage to read at least 1-2 hours per day, late nights and early morning, before and after the kids are asleep!  

I especially love Children’s Books that teach a lesson.  Some of my favorite children’s authors include Chris Van Allsburg, C.S. Lewis, Laura Ingalls Wilder, P.L. Travers,  Lucy Maud Montgomery, and, of course, A.A. Milne.  

Who doesn't love A.A. Milne’s Winnie- the -Pooh!  Such wisdom from that little bear. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, also known as "Pooh-isms": 

·         “You are braver than you believe.  Stronger than you seem.  And smarter than you think.

·         Piglet: “How do you spell ‘love’?”  Pooh:  “You don’t spell it… you feel it.”

·         “The things that make me different are the things that make me”

·         “If the person you are talking to does not appear to be listening, be patient.  It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in this ear.”

·         “If there comes a day when we can’t be together keep me in your heart.  I’ll stay there forever.”

·         “Sometimes the smallest things take the most room in your heart”

·         “Some people care too much, I think it’s called love”

·         “Rivers know this:  there is no hurry.  We shall get there some day.”

·         “If you live to be a hundred, I want to live a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.”

Much of how we practice here at Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry is described by many of A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh quotes listed above.

At our practice….

We believe in taking TIME to spend with every child.  We believe in being very patient with our sweet patients and moving at their pace.  We want to hear about their day at school and their favorite thing about summer (spring, winter, or fall… )… We want to talk to our patients and visit with our patients, and if they are worried about their dentist visit, we want to find out what is worrying them and help them work through their fears.

We believe that every child and every parent is different, and we treat every child as the individual that they are.  We strive to tailor each of our procedures and visits to the individual needs of each child. We believe that every child is Good and Strong and Brave and Smart and we LOVE to remind our patients of that and compliment them every step of the way when they are visiting with us.  

We are honored that our patients and their parents have chosen us and we strive to honor our patients with blessings and praise as they have honored us with their choice.

We believe that it is okay for kids to be kids.  We believe that it is okay for kids to cry if they are sad or worried and laugh and giggle and run about when they are happy and excited.  We believe in playing with our patients while they are here with us… having tea parties, brushing the stuffed animals teeth, letting our patients dress up in our masks and our gloves to ‘be the dentist’. 

We believe that it is VERY IMPORTANT to teach our patients how to tolerate dental visits.  I believe that one of my most important missions in life and in my profession is to teach children to see the importance in maintaining good dental health so that they can have a “Healthy Smile for a Lifetime”… does that sound familiar?  If so, it is because it is part of our logo and I take that mission very seriously.  We want to help ‘raise’ patients who see the value and importance of going to the dentist even when they ‘age out’ of our practice and move on to the adult dentist.  And, unfortunately, sometimes maintaining ‘good dental health’ means getting a ‘filling’ or having another type of dental procedure.  We teach children how to tolerate dental procedures with as little apprehension and anxiety as possible.  We take pride in the fact that we use the ‘tell, show, do’ method when performing procedures on our patients.  In other words, we tell children exactly what they are going to taste, feel, hear or see, we show our patients the dental ‘tools’ that we will use to repair their tooth, before we ‘do’ any part of the procedure. 

And, finally, we believe that it is important to work in a profession that you LOVE and for which you have a passion. All of us here at Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry love what we do! We are excited about coming to work each day and getting to work with our sweet patients and their families. We feel honored to get to participate in our patients lives while they are part of our practice.  In fact, we tell our older teen patients who are ‘age-ing out’ to the adult dentist that the only unhappy part of our job is that our patients grow up and have to leave us. But, we are super honored to serve them for 18 years and look forward to serving our ‘grand-patients’ as they come along. 

So, how about you all?  What Children’s Books do you like?  What is your favorite Winnie-the-Pooh “Poo-ism”? How can you apply these wise sayings to your life?

Feel free to comment or talk to me about this when you stop by… I love to talk about books!

#ARPD #poohisms #childrensbooks #lessonslearned #wisdom #drrohner #pediatricdentist 

**Milne, A.A. and Ernest H. Shepard.  Winnie-the-Pooh.  New York:  Dutton, 1961.  Print.

***Copyright 2014 Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry

Mouth Guards, The Next Cool Thing?

Should my child wear a mouth guard for sports?  ABSOLUTELY! 

Our recommendation, and the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), is that ALL athletes should always wear a mouth guard during any organized sport practice or game which carries the risk of face or mouth injury.  

So… basically if your child plays organized sports, then they need a mouth guard!  And, if your child plays baseball or softball, then an ASTM-certified face protector should be required anyway. According to the AAPD, The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) classifies mouth guards in three categories:  Custom fit, Mouth Formed (boil and bite) and Stock Mouth guards. 

A  Custom Fit Mouth Guard is definitely our number one recommendation for all athletes playing organized sports.  You can get a custom fit mouth guard from your pediatric dentist, your family dentist or your child’s orthodontist.  However, I know that cost is often a barrier to custom mouth guard use. 

My favorite Mouth Formed (boil and bite) mouth guard is the “ShockDoctor” line of mouth guards. Each of my soccer loving children have one of these! These mouth guards are easy to make and comfortable to wear.  If your child is not wearing braces, then choose the Gel-Max or the Gel-Nano mouth guard.  You can choose a strapped or strapless mouth guard and choose the mouth guard according to your child’s age and sport. The mouth guards come with easy to understand instructions on how to make the mouth guard fit your child’s mouth securely. If your child is currently in braces, then I recommend the Braces or Ultra Braces mouth guard by ShockDoctor.  These also come with easy to use instructions.The ShockDoctor mouth guards can be purchased at our office, at many athletic stores around town (Hibbetts, Dick’s Sporting Goods, etc), or online at ShockDoctor.com.

The differences in these Mouth Formed or “Boil and Bite” mouth guards are few, essentially they are all great products that will help to protect your child’s teeth and gums from trauma.  The ‘Gel –Nano’ and the ‘Ultra Braces’ mouth guards are more low profile allowing the child to talk more easily while the mouth guard is in their mouth.  I find that my own children are more compliant about wearing mouth guards if the mouth guards are less bulky and obtrusive.

Finally, my least favorite are the Stock Mouth guards. These are mouth guards that are designed to be used without any modification or change and must be clenched to be held in place.  So, these are the least protective of the different types of mouth guards.

Also, by the way, take my advice as a fellow soccer (or name your sport) mom… get the mouth guard case that clips onto your child’s sports bag.  It’s easy for these mouth guards to get lost if there is no case to put the mouth guard in after practice or games... And, it keeps it cleaner (Yuck). 

So, what if my child doesn't wear a mouthguard... Tooth trauma can have lifelong consequence. Trauma to the face and teeth cause pain, psychological effects (tooth loss/discoloration/ fracture), and have significant economic implications (in other words, fixing broken or missing teeth costs a lot so AVOID IT!). Traumatic dental injuries also have indirect implications including children’s lost hours from school, parents lost hours from work, consequences that burden children and their parents. The majority of tooth and face trauma that occurs during sports affects the upper lip, upper jaw and top front permanent teeth.  Use of a mouth guard can protect the top front teeth !  The teeth that we all smile with our whole lives!  Yes, even with a mouth guard in place and used properly, studies do show that dental and facial trauma can still occur, but chances are BETTER that it won’t!

What not wearing a mouth guard looks like...

Most importantly to remember…. Attitudes of parents, other players, coaches and officials influence mouth guard usage GREATLY!  There are only a few sports that require mouth guard use to play; football, ice hockey, lacrosse, field hockey and wrestling. It is up to us parents to ENCOURAGE our children to wear mouth guards for all organized sports, because the more players that are wearing mouth guards, then the easier it is to get kids to WEAR mouth guards… you get what I mean… right?  

Let’s make Mouth Guards the next COOL THING!  

**American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.  Policy on Prevention of Sports-related Orofacial Injuries.  Pediatric Dentistry 2013:35(special issue):  67-71.

***Copyright 2014 Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry

Dentists Need Hobbies Too!

One thing that you will learn about me through this blog is that I LOVE to travel!  Traveling is one of my families’ favorite hobbies and we are typically planning trips at any given moment… constantly looking for our next adventure.

Great idea for a family trip….New York City!

My husband and I took our four children to New York City last week for a long weekend trip, four days and three nights.  On the first day, we flew into JFK and our first adventure was to take the trains and subways to our hotel rather than a taxi.  With six people in our immediate family, if we cannot get a ‘van’ type taxi, then we end up in two separate cabs which is no fun and very pricey.  So, we decided to try our hand at the trains into Manhattan.  

Here is what we did; First, we downloaded an app onto our i-phones called ‘Embark NYC subway-New York City’ (free version of course) and it was the best app ever!! The app knows your current location in NYC, you then enter the address or landmark to which you are trying to travel via subway, then the Embark App will tell you exactly which trains to take, which subway station to use, how long before train arrives and the app is constantly updating to take into account construction and delays (so easy to use). We took the Air Train from the JFK airport to Jamaica Station which is a subway station hub. Then, we took the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to Penn Station.  At Penn Station, we caught the subway to Columbus Circle to our hotel on the West Side of Central Park.  Another reason that we chose to take the trains/subways into Manhattan was that our flight arrived during rush hour on a weekday and we had been told that the commute into Manhattan via taxi or car would be around 3 hours!  Our commute into Manhattan via the trains was just a little over an hour, much better if you ask me. All of the trains and subways were clearly marked and easy to use and there were transit authority workers happy to help along the way with our frequent questions. There were a lot of tourists and families on the trains so we felt very comfortable and safe.  

We stayed at the JW Marriott Essex House for three nights.  This hotel is located on the West Side of Central Park and is in easy walking distance to Times Square, Central Park, several museums, and most importantly, the biggest toy stores in the world (according to my six year old)!

We ate breakfast each day at a nearby deli named Angelo’s (the hotel breakfast looked great but was too pricey for our family of six). We visited Little Italy on the first night for dinner at Pellegrino’s and Pastries at Ferrara’s Bakery. We took the subway to and from Little Italy. 

On the second day, we took the subway to Battery Park and the ferry to Liberty Island to visit the Statue of Liberty.  Now this activity is a good four to five hour excursion, but it is definitely worth it to stand at the foot of an amazing monument and hear the FREE (yes I said free, which is a plus to any vacation) audio tour about what this monument means to many of our ancestors who came through Ellis Island.  

After the statue tour, we took the Subway back to the Central Park area and visited Dylan’s Candy Bar and window shopped at the designer stores along 5^th avenue… Then, we all took a long nap!  

New York City requires A LOT of walking. Like, more walking than we do in Disney world and that is a lot! My advice is to wear very comfortable walking or running shoes and carry a backpack/daypack for all of your ‘mom supplies’. Everybody there seemed to have a small backpack on, even the locals.  And another bit of advice… Don’t wear heels on the subway!  I tried to wear cute Wedge Sandals out to dinner to Little Italy on our first night and I ended up tripping getting onto the subway, rolling my ankle and falling backwards into the arms of a very kind stranger who broke my fall and kept me from injuring my head. It was flats for me after that for sure! 

The best part of our trip was when we toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a tour guide who was working on her PHD in Italian Renaissance Art. This guide, who was in her late 20s, was fantastic with kids, brought the art to life with stories about each painting, sculpture, and artifact. She told the most amazing stories about the Egyptian pyramids, mummies, tombs and kept the kids attention so well that the KIDS  requested that she stay with us an additional HALF HOUR (yes the children wanted to do more learning)! 

Other activities that we did throughout the weekend, that I definitely recommend... We saw Aladdin on Broadway which was fabulous! We ate dinner at John’s Pizza Times Square and enjoyed every bite. We also spent an afternoon walking through Central Park seeing the street performers and climbing boulders, which of course is my children’s absolute favorite thing about NYC… bouldering in Central Park (who'd a thunk it?).They love it so much that we got up early on our departure day so that they could climb more boulders!

To sum it up- NYC… GREAT family trip! 

And… by the way, I love to TALK about traveling too!  So feel free to ask questions if anyone is considering a trip to NYC with kids!

#nyc #familytravels #rohnerstakeNY #motherhood #children #kids #hobbies #art #centralpark #statueofliberty #broadway #aladdin

***Copyright 2014 Angelica Rohner Pediatric Dentistry