Introducing Nicole & Matt's Beautiful Daughter

All of us at Orthodontic Partners are so happy for Nicole and Matt on the birth of their beautiful daughter, Adalyn Ann. Adalyn was born 5/25/11 at 6:50pm, weight - 7lbs 5 oz, length - 20 inches. What a great reason to smile!!!

Team Ortho supports MS Walk

Recently 3 of our staff members Marcy, Joyce and Jeanette participated in the MS Walk raising $640 for this worthwhile event. We love all of our staff members and all the amazing things they do. Go Team Ortho!!!

Will Thumb Sucking affect the growth of my child's mouth ?

Over time a child with a thumb or finger habit will likely develop a high narrow arch and what is known as an open bite where the front teeth do not come together. Along with the open bite, children will often develop a tongue thrusting habit which can further compound the orthodontic problem and lead to speech problems. Also people with narrow arches are more prone to snore.

Thumb or finger habits can relieve stress and be relaxing for children. The habit usually consists of forming a suction between the thumb/finger and the roof of the mouth. There are many tried and true methods to break the habit, but if if your child has reached the age of 4 and is still having a problem, there are orthodontic appliances that can be used to stop the habit. And if the development of your child's mouth has been affected by the habit, they should have an orthodontic evaluation no later than age 6. This will allow us to work with the natural growth of your child's jaw to correct the problem and give them the smile you want them to have.

Rock-N-River Marathon

Three of Orthodontic Parners' staff members, Amy, Jeanette and Tracy along with Tracy's daughter, Libby participated in the Rock-N-River Marathon this weekend. Jeanette and Tracy (on the right) completed the 5k and Amy and Libby (on the Left) completed the half marathon. Amy beat her previous time by 11 minutes. Way to go girls!!!!

Dr. Corbridge's Family

From time to time we have shown you photos of Dr. Bruntz's family so we thought you would enjoy seeing a photo of Dr. Corbridge's family. In the center is Dr Corbridge's wife Andrea and his four daughters (starting on the right) Riley, Meckel, Brook & Jordan. The best part... they are all just as sweet as they are beautiful. What a lucky guy!

Dr. Bruntz attends SureSmile Conference....

Recently Dr. Bruntz was in Florida attending the annual SureSmile conference. SureSmile is the advanced technology we have at Orthodontic Partners that uses 3-D imaging to create custom made archwires which provide the best results and reduces treatment time by about 40%. Orthodontic Partners is the worlds most experienced provider of SureSmile. Fortunately, Dr. Bruntz was able to spend some time with his family at Disney World while he was there. This was Carrigan's first visit and was quite excited to meet Micky Mouse. Landon is more adventuresome and loves both Space Mountain and Splash Mountain.

Introducing Wes Michael....

Orthodontic Partners would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Wes Michael. Wes is the grandson of Katherine, our 3-D Imaging Technician. Wes was born 3/22/11 at 8:21am weighing 6lbs. 5 oz. and is 17 1/2 inches tall. This is Katherine's 1st grandchild and she is loving every moment. Please join us in congratulating Katherine.

St. Patrick's Day Contest Winner

Congratulations to Madelyn Klupfell, the winner of Orthodontic Partners' St. Patrick's Day Trivia Contest. Madelyn was the 1st person we drew who had all the correct answers. She is thinking about using her prize money to purchase accessories for her American Girl dolls.

This contest was pretty tricky so in case you need to brush up on your St. Patrick's Day Trivia here are the answers:

1. St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.
2. St. Patrick died in 461 AD
3. This is one a lot of people got wrong... St Patrick did not drive the snakes out of Ireland. That's just a well known myth.
4. We wear green in memory of Ireland and so we don't get pinched.
5. A Leprechaun is a make believe Irish Fairy who makes shoes... not a little man with a red pointy hat as many people thought.
6. It is said there is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
7. There are four leaves on a lucky clover.

We hope you enjoyed our contest and had a wonderful St Patrick's day. May the luck of the Irish be with you.

Guess Who's Expecting

Orthodontic Partners is very pleased to announce that we are going to be having three new additions to our Orthodontic Partners' family. Two of our assistants, Nicole and Ciera, are soon to be Mom's and Katherine, our 3-D Imaging Technician, is soon to be a Grandma.

Ciera just found out she's expecting so it's too soon to know if it's a boy or a girl but we're hoping for one of each. Ciera's little bundle of joy is due October 30th.

Nichole is a little farther along and is going to be having a little girl. She and her husband want to wait to see their daughter's beautiful face before deciding on a name. Nicole's little girl is expected to make her debut on May 29th.

Katherine's daughter, Michele, is expecting a little boy on the 27th of March. His name will be Wes Michael. We have no doubt that Katherine is going to make sure her grandson is thoroughly spoiled.

With these new additions, the children and grandchildren of the Drs and Staff of Orthodontic Partners' will increase to 30 children and 3 grandchildren. What a great reason to SMILE!

The Experience of Orthodontic Partners

Just for fun we calculated the average employment length for the staff of Orthodontic Partners. We are happy to report our employees have been with the practice for an average of 9 years each and that doesn't include the education and experience they had before coming to work for Orthodontic Partners. Our oldest staff member has been with us for 25 years and our newest staff member has been with us for 2 years. That means when you come to Orthodontic Partners, not only will you you be working with the very best doctors, you can feel confident everyone you come in contact with is highly trained, able to answer your questions and provide you with the very best care. We are proud of our staff and wanted to share this little bit of trivia with you.

February is National Dental Health Month

February is National Dental Health Month. The purpose is to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. It's always important to get regular dental cleanings but it becomes even more important when you have braces because there are more places for food to catch. If you have not had a dental cleaning recently, Dr. Lohse, Dr. Corbridge and Dr. Bruntz encourage you to schedule an appointment with your general dentist and if you're a patient of Orthodontic Partners be sure to pick up a dental cleaning certificate from one of our offices to have signed by your dentist. With each signed certificate we will give you 10 wooden nickels you can use in our office to get great prizes like movie tickets, Starbucks and much more. We want you to have a beautiful healthy smile.

St. Patrick's Day Trivia Contest

Would you like a little "Green" for St. Patrick's Day? Stop by any of Orthodontic Partners' four convenient locations to take our St Patrick's Day Trivia contest and you could win $50. Almost as good as finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. All correct entries will be put in a drawing to be held on St Patrick's Day, March 17th. For office hours, call (775) 825-4804. May the luck of the Irish be with you.

Margaret gets her Braces Off

Watch our You Tube video as Margaret Aranguena shares her SureSmile orthodontic experience as she gets her braces off. Another beautiful smile by Orthodontic Partners.

Click Here to watch Video.

Valentine's Day Ideas to Make Someone Smile

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and since everyone at Orthodontic Partners is all about making smiles, here are a few easy ideas to help you make some smiles of your own on Valentine's day.

• Make some homemade valentine cards and send them to your favorite people. It's amazing what you can do with a little red paper, glue and glitter.
• Bake some heart shaped cookies for a good neighbor.
• Put a handwritten note of appreciation in a loved one's lunch bag or brief case.
• Is there a friend of relative who would love to hear from you? Give them a call.
• Smile at everyone you see... you will be amazed at how many smiles you will get back in return.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Staff of Orthodontic Partners supports the UNR Wolf Pack

Many people would credit the skill and talent of the UNR Wolf Pack players for winning the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl but we would like to think that the amazing cheering of Amy (our very own staff member) also had something to do with it. Amy must have made an impression... her photo appeared on both ESPN and RGJ. By the way, those beautiful teeth she's showing off were straightened by Dr. Lohse, Dr Corbridge & Dr. Bruntz.

Orthodontic Trivia

When were Braces invented?

• Mummies have been discovered by archaeologists with crude metal bands wrapped around individual teeth. It has been surmised that catgut was used to close the gaps.
• Pierre Fouchard first constructed braces in 1728. They were made of a flat metal strip connected to the teeth by pieces of thread.
• Delabarre introduced the wire crib in 1819 which marked the birth of contemporary orthodontics.
• In 1841 Schange invented the 1st bands which consisted of metal strips with screws to adjust the size.
• Maynard was the first to use gum elastics in 1843.
• In 1850 Tucker started cutting rubber bands from rubber tubing.
• Eugene Solomon Talbot was the first person to use x-rays for orthodontic diagnosis in the late 1800's.
• Edward Angle invented brackets in 1915. The Brackets were attached to the bands that went around the teeth. Today brackets are bonded directly to the teeth.
• Tooth colored brackets were invented in 1976.
• SureSmile technology was made available in 2004.

Where does the term Orthodontics dome from?

• The term orthodontia was coined by Joachim Lafoulon in 1841.
• According to Wikipedia, Orthodontics is derived from the Greek work orthos "straight or proper" and odus "tooth". Orthodontics is the specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions (improper bites).

What is the difference between an Orthodontist and a Dentist?

• An orthodontist needs four years of college, four years of dental school, and two years of postgraduate study in orthodontics before they can practice orthodontics.
• All orthodontists are also board certified dentists.

At what age should Orthodontic Treatment begin?

• Orthodontic treatment can be started at any age however the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child see an orthodontist by age seven. Many Orthodontic problems are easier to correct before the jaw growth has slowed.

What is SureSmile?

• SureSmile is an advanced technology that makes it possible for the orthodontist to use 3D computer images to create customized archwires. The customized archwires are bent by a robot using heat-activated shape-memory wires. In order to bend these wires the robot has to heat the wire to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The SureSmile technology enables the orthodontist to achieve better orthodontic results. And because teeth are moved more efficiently, treatment time is reduced by about 40%.
• Orthodontic Partners is the world's most experienced provider of SureSmile.

What do retainers do and how long should they be worn?

• Retainers are worn to keep the teeth from moving after braces are removed.
• Retainers should be work 24 hours a day for the first month after braces are removed and nightly there after.

Snow Shoeing at Lake Tahoe

This weekend two of our staff members, Debra and Ann spent the day snow shoeing at the meadows overlooking Lake Tahoe. If you go, be sure to take a little bird seed. The chickadees will love you. It's a trip that will definately make you smile.

Orthodontic Partners on the Today Show

Two of our staff members, Amy & Jeanette, recently visited New York and surprised us by holding up a sign with Orthodontic Partners' name on it at the Today show on November 30th. You guys are the best... We loved it!

By the way, the 30th just happened to be Amy's 30th birthday. Please join us in wishing her a Happy Birthday.

OP is Cooking

You already know we make beautiful smiles but did you know Orthodontic Partners can cook? You've got to check out our cooking video at http://www.youtube.com/user/OrthodonticPartners. It's great to work and play with such an amazing team.

Bennett Wallace Wins iPod

All of us at Orthodontic Partners take great pride in providing the very best orthodontic care, so it means a lot to us when our patients recommend our office to their friends and family. That's why we are so excited to announce that Bennett Wallace is our most recent winner of an iPod Shuffle. Bennett recommended our office to a friend. When Bennett's friend came in for an orthodontic evaluation, we sent Bennett two movie tickets and entered his name into our drawing for an iPod. This is our way of saying "Thank You!"


We hope you are our next iPod winner.