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This month, our staff at Tavarez Orthodontics want you to be extra careful with your braces and appliances. After all, September marks the start of fall sports and an increased risk to mouth injuries. September also happens to be National Childhood Injury Prevention Month, and Dr. Kathleen Tavarez thought it’d be a good idea to share a few sobering facts about sports and facial injuries, courtesy of our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists.

*More than half of the seven million sports and recreation-related injuries that occur each year are sustained by youth between ages 5 and 24. Collision and contact sports have higher injury rates—baseball, soccer, basketball and football account for about 80% of all sports-related emergency room visits, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

*Sixty-seven percent of parents say their child does not wear a mouth guard, yet, 70 percent say their biggest fear when their child plays is that they will get hurt.

*Of the parents whose children do not wear a mouth guard, 84 percent say it's because the league or coach does not require it, according to the AAO.

*The average high school baseball pitcher can throw a fast ball between 75-to-85 miles per hour. This compares to being hit in the mouth by a speeding car!

We hope this helps you remember to wear a mouth guard and other forms of protective gear when participating in fall sports! We encourage you to give us a call if you have any questions about mouth protection! We hope you have a great weekend!

Great question. Our good friends at the American Association of Orthodontists have put together a helpful list that outlines when you should call Dr. Kathleen Tavarez. Here are some early warning signs indicating it’s time to check in with us at either our Menlo Park or San Carlos office:

1. Early or late loss of baby teeth
2. Difficulty of chewing or biting
3. Mouth breathing
4. Finger sucking or other oral habits
5. Crowding, misplaced or blocked-out teeth
6. Jaws that shift, make sounds, protrude or retrude
7. Speech difficulty
8. Biting the cheek or biting into the roof of the mouth
9. Protruding teeth
10. Teeth that meet in an abnormal way or don’t meet at all
11. Facial imbalance or asymmetry
12. Grinding or clenching of teeth

Do any of these warning signs fit you? If so, give us a call as soon as possible! Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!

Absolutely not.

In fact, our staff at Tavarez Orthodontics read a fascinating statistic recently: the number of adults getting braces has actually jumped 24 percent since 1996! It's true that braces help make your pearly whites strong, healthy and perfectly-aligned, but perhaps another reason for the spike in adult braces is this: people want to look and feel great.

In an age—and society—where looks matter as much as anything, and at a time when evenly-aligned teeth might be the difference between getting a job or a promotion, adults are choosing—wisely—to invest in orthodontics. Treatment with Menlo Park and San Carlos orthodontist Dr. Kathleen Tavarez can be successful at any age, and we know that adults especially appreciate the benefits of a beautiful and healthy smile.

If you’ve been thinking about getting that perfect smile, Dr. Tavarez would love to have you visit for a consultation! Please give us a call to set one up!

Now that many of our patients at Tavarez Orthodontics are back in school (or are getting ready to head back), our staff wants to remind all of our patients about the importance of scheduling appointments in advance. With school, clubs, sports and family functions to consider in the fall, we know that it can be challenging to find time to visit Tavarez Orthodontics. In order to accommodate all of our patients' busy schedules, it is important that you plan ahead for your appointments so that Dr. Tavarez is able to provide you with an appointment time that is convenient for you.

As always, please remember to give us advance notice if you are unable to make an appointment. If we receive enough notice, we might be able to schedule another patient for that time. Feel free to give us a call at 650-592-3111 if you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule your fall appointment.

And... don't forget about our new patient contest! From now through October 11th, come to our office and GUESS HOW MANY PENCILS are in the jar!