The 2010 holiday season is upon us, and our team at Hodgkins Orthodontics would like to wish all our patients and their families the merriest of holidays and best wishes for the New Year. 
In this season given to tidings of comfort and joy, and as the team at Hodgkins Orthodontics reflects on the year that was, we’d like to ask you, our wonderful patients: What do you love about the holidays this year? Being with your loved ones? A clean slate for 2011? Opening presents by the fireplace? All the delicious food? Also, what is your favorite holiday song?
Access to your account, 24/7. Sounds simple and convenient, doesn’t it?
Braces aren’t just for pre-adolescents and teenagers anymore! Dr. Hodgkins will tell you that anyone, at any age, can benefit from orthodontic treatment, whether it’s correcting a problem not treated in your younger years, or catching a problem early. 
Dr. Hodgkins and team would like to wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy a day filled of friends, family, and great Thanksgiving food! 
Dr. Hodgkins and our team at Hodgkins Orthodontics would like to point you to a few of our amazing patient videos, located on our YouTube Channel. 
Have you entered the Hodgkins Orthodontics iPad Contest yet? Now through Dec. 1, we encourage all of our patients to submit their entry for a chance to win a brand new iPad. Please remember to include both your first and last name in your entry. 
Many parents assume they must wait until their child has all of his or her permanent teeth to see Dr. Hodgkins for a consultation, only to discover treatment would have been much easier if started earlier. Did you know the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child have an orthodontic check-up no later than age seven?
With Halloween only a week away, Dr. Hodgkins knows that there will soon be many tricks and treats! While this festive holiday is full of costumes and fun activities, it can also be a harmful time for the teeth and braces of our Cedar Park and Austin, TX young trick-or-treaters. Many treats can cause havoc for trick-or-treaters who are going through orthodontic treatment, and these treats may cause damage that could prolong your treatment time. 
Trick-or-treat! In the spirit of October’s sweet and spooky holiday, Halloween, Dr. Hodgkins would like to remind all of our patients to be safe while celebrating with friends and family. The American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO, has provided trick-or-treaters with some tips for a ghoulishly good time. 
Did you know that October is National Orthodontic Health Month? Our team at Hodgkins Orthodontics knows how tempting this time of the year can be for your sweet tooth, especially with all of the hard, sticky, crunchy, and chewy treats that are often passed around to trick-or-treaters.
Dr. Hodgkins, serving Cedar Park and Austin, TX and surrounding areas, invites all of our patients to participate in our drawing for a new iPad. All entries should include your first and last name. The winner will be drawn on Dec. 1, 2010, so don't hesitate to enter today!
Everyone loves fun facts. Fun, fun, fun! The American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO, has come up with some fun facts about orthodontics that our team at Hodgkins Orthodontics thought you might enjoy. 
Hey parents! Focusing on your kids' teeth and oral health so much that you're neglecting your own? If you've been thinking wistfully about having your own set of perfect teeth, our staff at Hodgkins Orthodontics can help! We are specially trained to offer an adult-friendly option for straightening teeth called Invisalign.
At Hodgkins Orthodontics, we embrace technology, whether it’s through the innovative treatments we offer, our high-tech web site or our Facebook fan page. As you can probably tell, we love connecting with our patients online, whether it’s by sharing news on our blog or communicating ideas on our fan page. For social media to work, we understand that conversation is vital, and that’s why we invite you to join in and tell us what’s on your mind. Although social networks are hugely popular these days, we know they’re unpredictable and ever-changing. 
Hey, Moms! Have you signed the Moms for Mouth Guards Pledge?
There are so many ways you protect your teeth throughout your orthodontic treatment with Dr. Hodgkins. You brush your teeth twice a day, floss regularly and protect your mouth and appliances from being damaged. But did you know there is another, often forgotten about, way to keep your teeth clean and healthy during your treatment? Fluoride – a mineral that helps prevent cavities and tooth decay – can help keep your teeth strong! Fluoride comes in two varieties: topical and systemic. Topical fluoride is applied directly to the tooth. Topical fluoride includes toothpastes and mouth rinses. Systemic fluorides are swallowed in the form of a dietary supplement.
Now is your chance to win an iPod Touch from Hodgkins Orthodontics! This summer, Dr. Hodgkins and our team will be giving away an iPod Touch to one lucky patient. Send us your best summer fun photo and we will enter you in the drawing for an iPod Touch. 
Many people know that Invisalign is a great solution to braces if you don't want to experience the look and feel of traditional metal braces. Few people realize that, just like traditional braces, Invisalign requires proper care to work effectively. Good oral hygiene is highly important for all our patients' health, even when wearing removable aligners. When wearing your Invisalign aligners, Dr. Hodgkins wants you to ask yourself the following questions:
Lately, Dr. Hodgkins and our team have been receiving some very interesting patient questions about teeth and braces. Today, we thought that we would share a few of these questions and their answers with all of our patients. We hope that this will help with any teeth and oral health questions that you may have!
Last week, we asked you, our wonderful patients, what you most liked about your experience at Hodgkins Orthodonitics. Well, we received some pretty great reviews, and thought we’d share a few with you today. Please feel free to contribute your own thoughts about our office! Dr. Hodgkins and team love getting patient testimonials!
From your very first visit to Hodgkins Orthodontics, Dr. Hodgkins and our team strive to provide superior treatment in a pleasant, friendly atmosphere. That's why we offer a high level of professionalism, the latest in orthodontic techniques, and bilingual staff both at the front desk and chairside. 
Proper oral care habits are essential to the health of your mouth and teeth. Braces present new cleaning challenges since food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth. Hence, you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and shorter treatment time. Keep plaque away with these top ten tips: 1. One tooth at a time. When you brush, take time with each individual tooth – at least 10 seconds each – and pay careful attention to the spots where your teeth touch your braces.
2. It’s all about the angles. Brush the tops of your teeth and braces with your brush angled down toward where they meet. Brush the bottoms of your teeth and braces with your brush angled up.
3. The tooth, the whole tooth, nothing but the tooth. While the front surface of your teeth may seem like the most logical to clean, it’s equally important to clean the inner surface of your teeth (tongue side) as well as the chewing surface. And be sure to clean along your gum line – a key spot for plaque buildup.
4. Step 1: eat, step 2: clean. While you’re in treatment, it’s important to brush after every meal. Bits of food can easily get caught between braces and teeth, and these food bits interact with bacteria in your mouth to cause decay. The longer food is in contact with your teeth, the greater opportunity for plaque to form. If you are eating somewhere that you can’t brush, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.
5. Like a Boy Scout, always be prepared. The easiest way to be sure you can brush after every meal is to get in the habit of taking a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you wherever you go. Designate a special container just for your teeth-cleaning tools and keep it in your purse, backpack, or laptop case.
6. Remove the moving parts. If you have elastic bands or headgear, remove these parts before you brush or floss.
7. Fluoride is your friend. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Be sure to brush with fluoride toothpaste, and rinse with fluoride mouthwash.
8. Pointy brushes reach tiny places. Interproximal brushes (sometimes called proxa brushes or interdental brushes) are cone-shaped and come in very handy for reaching spots around your braces that standard brushes can’t.
9. Find the floss for you. Regular floss works for some patients, but others find it easier to work with a floss threader, which helps you get the floss into tight places. Other patients like an all-in-one product called Superfloss, which comes with a stiff end for easy threading, a spongy section for cleaning wide spaces, and regular floss for narrow spaces.
10. Make time for the pros. It’s your job to take care of the everyday cleaning. But make sure to visit your dentist regularly while in treatment, to get the deep, thorough cleaning that only a professional can provide. If you need help finding the right Dentist for you, feel free to contact our office - we’d love to help!
As summer approaches us here in Austin and Cedar Park, Texas at Hodgkins Orthodontics, we know that many of our patients are planning family vacations, picnics, and days at the beach. While lounging in the sunshine, why not pick up a classic novel or best seller? Immersing yourself in a summer read is a great way to enjoy those beautiful days. Reading can help improve your vocabulary and critical thinking skills, which is ideal for keeping kids’ minds sharp while they're on a summer break from class.
Folks with big smiles may actually live than those who don’t, according to a March 2010 study at Michigan’s Wayne State University. We have known for quite some time that positive emotion has been linked to both physical and mental health, but researchers at the university did something quite interesting: they looked at photos of 230 ball-players who began their careers in baseball prior to 1950 and studied their smile intensity (ranging from big smile, no smile or partial smile). The players' smile ratings were compared with data from deaths that occurred from 2006 through 2009. The researchers then took into account other factors that impact life longevity, including body mass index, career length and even college attendance.
Some people wonder why Dr. Hodkins and our team work tirelessly to give our patients straight teeth. Of course it’s nice to have a smile full of evenly aligned teeth, but did you know that straightening your teeth at Hodgkins Orthodontics can keep them healthier? Straight teeth lead to better oral hygiene, increasing your chances of keeping your own natural teeth for a lifetime!
It's June already! Where does the time go?
Yes, it is, and that’s part of what makes it work. To find out if you are the right candidate for Invisalign treatment, the first thing we do is to take an impression of your teeth as they are now and digitize it. Using special software, we look at the current positioning of your teeth and compare it to the way your teeth should look. 
Dr. Dudley M. Hodgkins is a Board Certified Orthodontist who received his Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry from Southern Methodist University and both his Doctor of Dental Surgery and Master of Science in Dentistry, with certification in Pediatric Dentistry, from Baylor Dental College. After five years of private practice in pediatric dentistry, Dr. Hodgkins pursued his interest in orthodontics and growth and development and returned to school to complete his Orthodontic Specialty training at the University of Louisville Dental College. Upon receiving his certification, he moved to Austin with his wife, Deborah, and one year old son, James.
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