Do we have your current contact info?

Happy holidays from all of us at Scott Orthodontic Associates! As you probably know, you can always connect with Dr. Scott 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 we may be able to reach you. Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving, from Scott Orthodontic Associates

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season knocking at our door, our entire team at Scott Orthodontic Associates wanted to stop for a moment and extend our best wishes to you, our patients, referring doctors and families, for a wonderful Thanksgiving.
As always, if you know anyone we can help, just let us know. We promise to give them the same quality orthodontic care that we have given you.
We hope that this Thanksgiving and holiday season brings fond memories. Thank you for being part of our family.

Are you wearing your mouth guard?

With fall sports close to wrapping up and winter sports right around the corner, many patients here at Scott Orthodontic Associates, will once again pick up the ball, bring the cleats out of seasonal retirement and hit the fields for the return of sports action! During this time, however, Dr. Gregory Scott and our team urge our young athletes to play it safe when out on the field. Here are a few ways to ensure your mouth’s safety this fall and winter, courtesy of our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists:

1. Wear mouth guards for contact sports such as basketball, wrestling and hockey
2. Wear a helmet
3. Wear protective eyewear
4. Wear a face shield to avoid scratched or bruised skin
5. Be alert, even as a spectator

We hope that helps! Dr. Scott and team will tell you protective gear is vital for anyone engaging in tooth or mouth-threatening activities. If you have any further questions about any of these tips, please contact our office or ask us on Facebook.
Stay safe!

What are your November plans?

Believe it or not, we’re almost in full holiday mode! But before you go celebrating, Dr. Gregory Scott and our team at Scott Orthodontic Associates want to know: What are your plans for November? Do you have plans for Thanksgiving? Are you planning a winter vacation? If so, we’d love to hear all about it!

You may share your stories with us below, or by posting on our Facebook page!

–The team at Scott Orthodontic Associates

Halloween tips from Scott Orthodontic Associates

Trick-or-treat! In the spirit of today's sweet and spooky holiday, our team at Scott Orthodontic Associates would like to remind all of our patients to be safe while celebrating with friends and family tonight. Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists were kind enough to provide trick-or-treaters with some tips for a ghoulishly good time.

• Young children should always be accompanied by an adult
• Carry a flashlight
• Wear a light-colored or reflective costume
• Choose face paint over masks for young ghosts and goblins
• Have an adult inspect all treats before the children dig in

We suggest looking for foods that are soft, such as soft chocolate that can melt in one’s mouth or peanut butter cups. Otherwise, candies that aren’t sticky, chewy, hard or crunchy are generally acceptable.

Dr. Gregory Scott and team wish you all a safe, fun and happy Halloween!

Join the conversation.

Whether you just began your orthodontic treatment and have a follow-up question for Dr. Gregory Scott or our team, or if you’d simply like to drop us a quick line, we’d love to hear from you! We love connecting with our patients online, whether it’s by sharing news on our blog or communicating ideas on our interactive Facebook fan page.

Please visit Scott Orthodontic Associates on the following networks:

Facebook: Scott Orthodontic Associates
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/lakelandorthodontics
Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/scott-orthodontic-associates-lakeland

5 tips to avoid plaque, from Scott Orthodontic Associates

At Scott Orthodontic Associates, we know nobody likes getting plaque on their teeth. Here are five other ways you can avoid that dreaded enemy of the teeth during orthodontic treatment, courtesy of WebMD.

Let’s start with brushing regularly.. Brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste is vital to a healthy mouth. Make sure you softly brush all the surfaces of your teeth.

Next on the list is flossing daily: a simple daily flossing between teeth clears away plaque before it can cause damage and can also clean plaque at the gum line. Plaque is known to reach the spaces between teeth.

Also, evading a trip to the dentist is probably not a great idea. Let’s say you brush and floss daily. You’re still at risk for plaque. With time, the plaque hardens and turns into tartar. Consider visiting your general dentist at least twice a year or as recommended by your dentist, and you have a lower chance of getting cavities or losing your teeth while wearing braces.

You’ll also want to stop avoiding those fruits and veggies. Believe it or not, there are foods out there that play a key role in keeping plaque off our teeth. They include apples, carrots, cucumbers and other raw fruits and vegetables. You can still eat these types of fruits and veggies if you have braces, but be sure to cut them up into bite sized pieces to avoid breaking off brackets.

Finally, before you pick up that candy bar, remember to not give in to your sweet tooth. Consuming sugary drinks or eating candy or other junk food allows sugar to stick to our teeth. The bacteria, then, becomes plaque, which turns into acid and damages our teeth. Avoiding these five bad habits keeps your plaque in check and your mouth as healthy as can be during your orthodontic treatment with Dr. Gregory Scott. If you have any questions, give us a call or ask us on Facebook!