Tips for Scheduling your Orthodontic Appointments

During the summer it was easy to get a 3pm appointment... now that school is back in session those appointments are like gold so here's the inside scoop to help you out.

Most of your appointments will be relatively short, about 30 minutes. That's why our schedule is set up to have the longer, more involved appointments during school hours, reserving the before and after school times for the shorter easier appointments. That way we can accommodate as many patients as possible during the most desirable times. It also allows us to focus on your more involved appointments during a quieter time.

Even with all this careful planning we still can't always get you in after school. That's why we ask you to rotate every other appointment between school time and non-school time hours. That way everyone gets their fair share. And since most of your appointments will be six to eight weeks apart you should normally only miss school about once every three months.

Here are a few tips...

1. Bring your calendar with you to your appointments and schedule your next appointment as you leave. The longer you wait to schedule, the fewer choices you will have of available appointments.
2. When you do have to take your turn at school time appointments, rotate them around so you don't always miss the same class.
3. Our lunch hour changes so it's possible we could have an available appointment during your lunch hour.
4. We work a lot of the minor holidays, so that may be an option for you. Just don't plan a ski trip and forget about us.
5. Keep an eye on your school calendar and take advantage of days you'll be getting off early.
6. Please don't miss your appointments. This will extend your treatment time and we know you want to get your braces off as soon as possible.

You may be asking "what if I have a bracket come off or a wire poking". We do reserve time for these types of appointments during the less busy school hours.

One last item we thought you would like to know... the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees adopted a policy that considers a medical absence as an approved/excused absence if the student completes the make-up work. To see the entire policy visit http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/school-sites/corbett-es/attendance-policy

We know your schedule is busy so we hope this information has been helpful.

M&M Contest Winners

Orthodontic Partners is pleased to announce the winners of our M&M contest. Cole had the closest guess of 1577 in our Reno office, Rachel had the closest guess in our Sparks office of 1569 and Roger had the closest guess in our South Meadows office of 1567. The actual number of M&Ms in the jar was 1587. We hope you enjoy your M&Ms.

Orthodontic Partners Congratulates Pattie on the Birth of her Daughter

Orthodontic Partners is pleased to congratulate our very own staff member, Pattie, on the birth of her beautiful new daughter, Hope Elizabeth, who was born on 8-9-10 at 4:56pm, 7lbs 8 oz, 18 inches. She's adorable!

New York Times talks about SureSmile

We know we have been telling you about the benefits of SureSmile but did you know that Dr. Lee W. Graber, president of the American Association of Orthodontists, uses SureSmile for his patients. Follow this link http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/fashion/08skin.html?_r=3 to view an article recently printed in the New York Times that highlights some of the current technologies in orthodontics including SureSmile. For more information on SureSmile, visit our website at http://www.orthodonticpartners.net/suresmile.html.

Hunter Helwig is Orthodontic Partners most recent recipient of an I-Pod

Dr Lohse, Dr. Corbridge & Dr. Bruntz are proud to announce Hunter Helwig is our most recent recipient of an I-Pod. Hunter's name was drawn from all of our patients over the last 6 weeks who have referred their friends and family to come to see Orthodontic Partners for a complimentary orthodontic exam. We take it as a compliment when our patients recommend our office and this is just one of the ways we like to say Thank You.

Orthodontic Partners celebrates Debra's 25th Anniversary

Dr. Lohse, Dr. Corbridge & Dr. Bruntz took Debra to lunch at Mario's Portofino to celebrate her 25th year with Orthodontic Partners. Debra is one of our friendly Treatment Coordinators who helps our new patients through the process of getting started with braces. She brings so much to the practice and we are so lucky to have her.

National Smile Month

In the United States, National Smile Month is May 1st through May 31st. In the UK, National Smile Month is May 16th through June 16th. It’s strange our months don’t coincide but we thought we would take advantage of their June 16th date and celebrate this great event by finding out what makes everyone smile. On June 16th we’ll post a list of everyone’s responses. So help us out by telling us …what makes you Smile?