Halloween safety tips from Hilliard Orthodontics

With Halloween here, our staff at Hilliard Orthodontics know a lot parents here in Lakeland are worried about their kids going overboard on candies this evening.

All those sweet, sour and sticky candies may taste great, but Dr. Keith Hilliard will tell you these treats are known to damage teeth, as well as braces! Did you know sour candies can be acidic to your teeth, and actually wear down the enamel that protects them?

Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists recommend softer treats, such as soft chocolate or peanut butter cups, or melt-in-your-mouth foods. Trick-or-treaters who indulge should make sure they brush and floss between teeth, around brackets and at the gum line. If damage occurs, please call us as soon as possible.

We hope everyone has a fun, safe and scary Halloween!

October also marks National Dental Hygiene Month!

In addition to October being National Orthodontic Health Month, as we discussed last week, did you know that October is also National Dental Hygiene Month? Fall is here, and Halloween is coming soon, but now it is more important than ever to maintain good oral hygiene during your treatment at Hilliard Orthodontics.

Drs. Hilliard and Dietrich will tell you that while all those sweet, sour and sticky candies may taste great, these treats can damage your teeth and braces as well! Sour candies can be acidic to your teeth, and actually wear down the enamel that protects them - this can cause tooth decay and cavities! After eating these candies, be sure to wash your mouth out with water, drink milk or eat a few slices of cheese. These will help neutralize the acid in your mouth.

Besides cavities and tooth decay, many people do not realize that good oral health and hygiene are important to your overall health too - research has discovered the connection between periodontal disease and other major health concerns, such as heart disease! Therefore, it is important to maintain a good oral hygiene routine: see your dentist here in Lakeland every six months, brush and floss daily and use an antibacterial mouthwash.

Hope this helps!

- Dr. Hilliard and Dr. Dietrich

Get those regular checkups! From Hilliard Orthodontics

Drs. Hilliard and Dietrich want to know: Are you brushing your teeth twice a day during your orthodontic treatment? If yes, that’s what we want to hear! But, don’t forget that it’s also important for you to visit your general dentist every six months in addition to brushing your teeth and flossing (and visiting Hilliard orthodontics, of course). Regular dental checkups are important for maintaining good oral health.

Your dentist can check for problems that might not be seen or felt, detect cavities and early signs of decay, treat oral health problems early and show you how to properly brush and floss your teeth.

During an oral exam your dentist can check the health of your mouth, teeth, gums, cheeks and tongue. Checkups will also include a thorough teeth cleaning and polishing. If you have not been to the dentist in the last six months, let us know during your next visit with us, and we will provide a few great references in the greater Lakeland area!

We hope you're having a great summer!

What's your story? What made you choose Hilliard Orthodontics?

At Dr. Hilliard and Dr. Dietrich's office, your orthodontic treatment is about much more than straightening your teeth with braces. You expect great results and we get them because each patient’s treatment is individually planned to meet their needs.

Whether you’ve just come in for a consultation or your family has been visiting our convenient Lakeland office for years, we’d love to hear your feedback. You can write a review on our Facebook page or on our Google listing!

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

Visualize your new smile with the Brace Painter!

Braces at the office of Drs. Keith Hilliard and Andy Dietrich are more fun than ever! With the Brace Painter, parents and children are able to “paint their braces,” and visualize how teeth will look with different colors of bands.

Would you like to try out green and gold bands this March, without the commitment of an all-out St. Patrick's Day look? The Brace Painter allows for you to select different colors, and then assign those colors of bands to certain teeth. Now, you can visualize your braces before you even come in for your appointment!

As always, please let Dr. Hilliard or Dr. Dietrich know if you have any questions about the Brace Painter, or your orthodontic treatment. Have a great week!

Connect with the Braces Brigade!

At the office of Dr. Keith Hilliard DMD, our patients want to get as much out of their treatment as possible. That includes asking a lot of questions and making sure they take care of both their appliances and oral health.

Would you like to learn more about what to expect during orthodontic treatment, from someone with firsthand experience? Well, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recently developed the Braces Brigade blog, where past, present, as well as future orthodontic patients from coast to coast document their (or their child’s) orthodontic journeys. The blog will serve as a source of guidance for others as the patients undergo orthodontic care.

Our team at encourages you to visit the Braces Brigade blog to read these great and informative blogs—who knows, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two! As always, don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions about the Braces Brigade or your own orthodontic treatment with Drs. Keith Hilliard, and Andy Dietrich!

Tell us what's on your mind!

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! By now, you're probably familiar with our blog process: Week after week, our professional team at Hilliard Orthodontics blog about important topics pertinent to orthodontics and your well-being, among other things.

This week, Dr. Keith Hilliard thought we’d step back and ask: what’s on your mind? What would you like to know about the always-changing field of orthodontics? What would you like us to focus on our blog? Perhaps there’s something you’ve been wanting to ask us for a while now? Let us know by posting here or on Dr. Hilliard's Facebook page. Take it away and our team will try to answer any questions you may have! Happy Monday!

Who else is getting braces?

Did you know that back in 2002, Tom Cruise had braces? During this time, he was 40 years old and filmed Minority Report, Austin Powers in Goldmember and the Last Samurai.

Just check out his smile in Jerry Maguire, Rain Man or The Firm and compare to the post-braces Tom Cruise in Valkyrie or Tropic Thunder. The fact is, movie stars need to look their best for the silver screen, and it wouldn't be possible without orthodontists like Dr. Keith Hilliard and Dr. Andy Dietrich.

In fact, lots of Hollywood stars have had orthodontic treatment. Check out this slideshow of famous faces with braces. If you’ve thought about getting the perfect smile you’ve always wanted, please give Hilliard Orthodontics a call at 863-644-0430.

Have a great weekend all!

Are you wearing your mouth guard this summer?

With summer here for another five weeks, Drs. Hilliard and Dietrich and our staff at Hilliard Orthodontics would like to remind our young athletes in treatment to take care of both your mouth and appliances while participating in contact sports (and non-contact sports) this summer. Whether you're playing touch football in the backyard or on your way to football or soccer practice, make sure to grab that mouth guard!

Remember, only by using a mouth guard can kids with and without braces avoid serious sports injuries. The next time you're in for a visit at our Lakeland office, be sure to ask us for a mouth guard, and we will provide one for you!

Lastly, have you checked out our Facebook page! If not, we invite you to join us at Facebook.com/HilliardOrthodontics.

Share a smile, Watch the Idols!

From now until the end of July, YOU can win TWO tickets to the 2010 American Idol Tour on August 4th at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa!

There are five ways to enter our contest: If you “Like” our page on Facebook, we will award you ONE entry. Write a short testimonial on our wall, and you’ll also get ONE entry. But, if you post a video testimonial, Dr. Hilliard and team will award you TWO entries. If you invite a friend to “Like” our page, you will receive ONE entry (be sure your pals post on our wall to let us know you asked them to like us! Finally, post one of your Scavenger Hunt Contest photos on our Facebook wall (or a photo of you wearing your Hilliard Orthodontics tee) and you’ll get TWO entries!

The winner will be announced on July 30th! Good luck everyone, and have a GREAT weekend!

Hilliard Orthodontics photo shoot at Hollis Gardens!

A few weeks ago, our staff at Hilliard Orthodontics had a photo shoot day at Hollis Gardens! All of us had fun, and later posted the photos to our Facebook fan page, so be sure to check them out! Also, our entire staff would like to congratulate Dr. Andy and Bobbi! They have set an April 2011 date for their wedding - we know it will be beautiful!

Share your experience at Hilliard Orthodontics with the world!

At Dr. Hilliard’s office, your orthodontic treatment is about much more than straightening your teeth with braces. You expect great results and we get them because each patient’s treatment is individually planned to meet their needs. We offer a variety of the most advanced options in orthodontics today for both adults and children. This includes affordable metal and clear braces, retainers and so much more.

Whether you've visited Hilliard Orthodontics for a week, months or even years, we'd love to hear your feedback about how our office is faring! There are lots of ways you can share your thoughts about our practice with the rest of the world, but we encourage you to head to our Google Local page and write a review there.

After all, reviews help Drs. Hilliard and Dietrich create more beautiful smiles in Lakeland and surrounding communities.

You may write a review here.

Thank you and enjoy your weekend! We look forward to reading your reviews!

Hilliard Orthodontics, supporting National Physical Fitness and Sports Month!

You might not know this, but May is designated as America's Physical Fitness and Sports Month? In 1983, President Reagan encouraged Americans to incorporate more activity into our lives, and the reminder is even more important in this day and age as kids are distracted more and more by television, social networking and video games. Kids living an active lifestyle can improve their health, productivity and overall well-being, and best of all? It doesn’t have to take a lot of time!

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has provided these public health guidelines for your reference. The guidelines call for children and teens to exercise for at least one hour each day of moderate intensity physical activity (such as playing sports or brisk walking) or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity (jogging, dancing and jumping rope).

At Hilliard Orthodontics, we always encourage our patients to stay fit by exercising or participating in sports. However, we want to remind you to always wear a mouth guard or other forms of facial protection when playing sports. To learn more about how often your child should exercise, we recommend you check out this series of helpful articles about kids and exercise, courtesy of our friends at KidsHealth.org.

And Happy Mother's Day to all the moms who come to our office! Enjoy your day on Sunday!

Hilliard Orthodontics want to know: What are you up to in January?

It typically doesn't get too cold here in Lakeland, but can you believe we're only a couple of months away from spring? Dr. Hilliard and team thought we'd ask: What are you doing in January? What have you accomplished this year? Are you keeping up with your New Year's Resolution? Any big mid-winter break plans? Anything exciting going on in your life?

If you have any photos or videos that you would like to share with us, please send them our way or call our office and ask how! Have a great rest of the week!

What Do You Love About Hilliard Orthodontics?

From your very first visit to Hilliard Orthodontics, Dr. Hilliard and his team strive to provide superior treatment in a pleasant, friendly atmosphere. Have you been especially impressed by Dr. Hilliard? Did our team go out of their way to make your day? Do you love your new smile?

Whether you’ve just come in for a consultation or your family has been visiting our office for generations, we’d love to hear your feedback on our networks. Or, you can tell us by giving us a call!

Thank you,
The team at Hilliard Orthodontics