Smile Zone

Beautiful Babies Abound

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:48 -0500

Last summer Dr. Hudkins, Sandy, and Brittney all welcomed new members to their families. Healthy, happy boys were brought home by Dr. Hudkins and Sandy, while Brittney brought home a healthy, happy little boy and a healthy, happy little girl (twins!). All of the babies are doing fantastic—filling hearts even faster than they fill diapers.

It’s amazing to think that they are each about to celebrate their first birthday, and soon, take their first steps. Speaking of which, there has been talk of a Smile Zone crawl/scoot/walk triathlon. But, due to the worry that Brittney’s twins might be able to work together as a toddling dream team, it’s been put on hold.

When visiting the office, feel free to ask any of the ladies about their beautiful babies, and, if you have to, demand to see pictures of the adorable infants. There’s no shortage of photographic evidence supporting each mother’s claim that her baby (or babies in Brittney’s case) might be the cutest thing ever to exist in the history of the world.

Color Your Way to the Ballpark or Theater or Zoo!

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:47 -0500

Your child’s artistry could win you free tickets to the Springfield Cardinals, movie theater, or Dickerson Park Zoo. Simply download one of our coloring sheets at http://www.smilezonedentist.com/resources/kids/, have your child color it, then bring it to your appointment, or mail it to our office with your name, address and phone number. Every picture submitted will be put on display in the office and entered to win your choice of four tickets to a Springfield Cardinals game, four movie tickets, or four tickets to Dickerson Park Zoo. One winner will be selected each month from June through August.

At the beginning of every month you can find the coloring sheet for that month on the home page of our site. There are no guidelines to follow and no rules to abide by—it’s about your child’s unique creative expression.

Winners will be drawn on June 30, July 29, and August 31. Please be sure to include your name and contact information so that, if you are a winner, we can get your prize to you as quickly as possible.

Tickets to the Springfield Cardinals are outfield box tickets, with the game to be selected by you. The movie tickets are good for anytime of day. And zoo tickets are general admission.

We’re excited to see the work of your young artist. Good luck!

Click here to view Coloring Contest Rules

Visit Us at These Upcoming Free Community Events

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:39 -0500

If you like seeing us in the office, trust us, we’re even more fun when we’re out and about in the community. If you and your family are planning on attending any of the free community events below, come find our booth. We’d love to see you and we’ll be giving away some great free gifts. (But you’ll have to come see us to find out what they are.)

Summer SnowFest, June 19, 4–9 pm at Jordan Valley Park. Who says summer can’t have snow? SnowFest features a mountain of snow, live entertainment, military equipment, interactive games, snowman building contests, moonwalks for the smaller kids and fantastic giveaways. Bring the whole family and climb the mountain of snow. For more information call Jordan Valley Park 866-7444.
Step Up for Down Syndrome, July 10, registration begins at 2:30, the walk begins at 5 pm at Mediacom Ice Park. Take a little walk, cheer on the Cards, and help a great cause. Participants walk from Mediacom Ice Park to Hammons Field and then watch a Springfield Cardinals home game, all to help raise awareness, funds, and support for the Down Syndrome Group of the Ozarks. Smile Zone will be giving away 20 tickets to the event, limit four tickets per household. For tickets, call the office at 883-5866. Tickets will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. For more information on the event, call 885-9905 or visit http://www.ozarksdsg.org.
Frontier Days, July 24, 10 am – 4 pm at the Rutledge-Wilson Farm Community Park. Saddle up and join us for a western celebration down on the Farm! Take a journey through hundreds of years of history as we explore the ways of the old west. (Some activities have a small fee.) For more information call Rutledge-Wilson Farm Park 837-5949.

Sign Up for Our E-Newsletter and Treat Yourself at Starbucks

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:33 -0500

We love to share information with you and are thrilled that you take the time to read this newsletter. But we’re also trying to be as responsible as we can with waste and use of natural resources. To do both, we’ll be switching to a completely electronic version of the newsletter in the coming months. To receive our better-for-the-environment and faster-to-you e-newsletter, sign up at smilezonedentist.com.

All you have to do is click on the Newsletter Signup button at the top of the screen, enter your name and e-mail address. Not only will this ensure that you receive all upcoming newsletters, you’ll also be entered for a chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card and a free CD called Discover the Power of a Healthy Smile.

Winners will be chosen at random on June 30, 2010. Five Starbucks gift cards and 15 CDs will be awarded. Odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. If you have already signed-up to receive the e-newsletter, you will not be eligible for the CD, but will automatically be entered to win the Starbucks gift card.

Click here to view sweepstakes rules

Summertime Fun

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:03 -0500

One great thing about living in the Ozarks is that there are so many things for families to do. Some indoors, some outdoors, some active, some relaxing—in fact there’s so much to do that we couldn’t possibly list it all here, but here are a few activities that we particularly enjoy.

Skate your heart out
Whether you prefer skating on hard surfaces or icy ones, between Skateport on Glenstone, Skateland on Campbell, and the Mediacom Ice Park, there’s some kind of skating available every day of the week. And you won’t need to worry about bringing your own skates because each place has pretty reasonable rates on rentals for nearly every shoes size, from toddlers on up.
Catch a free flick at Founders Park
From July 10–August 29, you can see a free movie at Founders Park every Friday and Saturday night. With a mix of recent releases and popular movies from the past couple of decades, PG- and G-rated movies are shown on Friday, and PG-13 movies are shown on Saturday. Free tickets are available at the Busch Municipal Building, Mediacom Ice Park, Chesterfield and Doling Family Centers and the Mediacom offices. (Otherwise, it’s $5 at the gate.)
Hit the local aquatic centers
With 8 outdoor pools and 1 indoor, the Springfield park board makes sure that every family in Springfield has access to the deep ends, diving boards, and splash times that are an essential part of summer. Plus, with Nixa, Ozark, and Republic all boasting aquatic centers complete with large twisting slides (and even a surfable wave simulator in Republic’s case) pretty much no matter where you live in the Ozarks you can enjoy a day at the pool.
Float on Lake Springfield and the James River
At the Lake Springfield Boathouse and Marina, located on the eastern edge of Lake Springfield Park, you can rent canoes and kayaks (one- or two-person) for as little as an hour or as long as a full day. After launching into Lake Springfield you can paddle the gentle water to the east all the way under 65 onto to the James. Rates are $8 per hour, $25 half day, $45 full day. For more information, call 417-891-1550 or visit www.parkboard.org.
Play like it’s 1984
Located just across the street from the YMCA on Jefferson, 1984 is an arcade that offers about 60 video games from the ’80s. Including games such as Galaga, Ms. Pacman, and Joust, plus pinball machines, a soundtrack to match the environment, and only $5 for all-you-can-play, this arcade really will make you feel like you stepped back in time. For more information, visit www.1984arcade.com.
Go for a family bike ride on the Greenways
With more than 60 miles of (mostly paved) trails, the Ozark Greenways offer plenty of opportunities for two-wheeled family fun. If you don’t live near a trail, there are several locations where you can park, unload the bikes, and get moving. For more information, including maps and ways to get involved, visit ozarkgreenways.org or call 417-864-2015.

Healthy Teeth on the Go

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:02 -0500

Amid the sleepovers, road trips, and family vacations of summertime, toothbrushes and toothpaste are easy-to-forget items that often get left behind. Two very simple ways to help teeth is to drink lots of water (not soda or juices) and chew sugar free gum when possible—both will help prevent plaque buildup by removing bacteria. Another good back-up plan is to keep a tube of MI Paste in your goodie bag at all times. MI Paste is specially designed for those moments when you or your kids are without a toothbrush and toothpaste. It truly could not be any easier to use. You simply squirt a dab of the paste onto your finger and then rub it in your teeth. That’s it. There’s no rinsing or spitting, so it’s perfect for picnics, amusement parks, car rides, and especially at schools where students aren’t allowed to bring a brush and toothpaste.

If you are interested in purchasing MI Paste, it’s available at the office for $21 a tube, with each tube lasting about 3 months with regular usage. For more information on MI Paste, visit www.mi-paste.com

Trick or Treat, Troops & Teeth

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:00 -0500

Aside from the creepy costumes and crazily cut jack o’ lanterns, if you asked kids what they associate with Halloween, the answer is surely candy. Candy corn, candy bars, candy whatever—for one night, every ghost, ghoul, and goblin’s goal is to grab anything and everything sugary and sweet. And they’re so good at doing this that almost every child collects more than they could or should eat on their own. That’s where we come in.

This Halloween, Smile Zone will be hosting a candy buy-back program that will allow you and your kids to help protect their teeth and support the troops while also earning a few dollars in the process.

Just bring your extra candy to the Smile Zone office on Monday November 2 from 3–6 p.m. We’ll weigh what you bring in for donation and give you $1 for every pound of candy. Then, the candy will be collected and sent to Operation Gratitude—an organization that sends care packages to United States military stationed around the world—to be included in care packages (along with lots of toothbrushes). Plus, every family who visits will get a free gift bag

“We’re not trying to put down trick-or-treating,” said Dr. Hudkins, “we love Halloween. But most kids collect a lot more candy than they can ever eat. This candy buy-back still lets the kids have fun on Halloween, but then they can use some of their candy to bring a smile to someone who is really far from home.”

A little tidbit about sugar to keep in mind: It’s been estimated that Americans consume about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, which equals 84 lbs. of sugar a year*. Visiting the dentist twice a year and brushing twice a day are good preventative steps, but limiting the amount of excess sugar your kids eat is vital to the health of their teeth. So, trick or treat your heart out on Halloween, then stop by on November 2 to keep their teeth healthier and make our troops happier.

A Heartfelt Thanks

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:00 -0500

Though many dental offices probably claim to have good clients, we’re pretty sure that we have the best. With the many referrals we’ve seen lately, we want to thank you for telling friends, family, and others about how much you like Smile Zone. We always do our best to make sure that you and your kids have as good an experience as possible when visiting the dentist. To know that you think we’ve done a good job—and that you’re willing to tell others about it—means the world to us. And for that, we want to say thanks.

Growing, Growing, and Gone (for just a little bit)

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:59 -0500

For most families, summertime is filled with poolside fun and backyard barbeques. But for three members of the Smile Zone family, this summer is going to be filled with newborns, diaper changes, and the joys of becoming a parent.

Dr. Hudkins, Sandy, and Brittney are all expecting their first children this summer. Baby boys will soon be in the arms of Dr. Hudkins and Sandy, who are due July 16th and June 18th, respectively. While Brittney will have her hands full with twins (one boy and one girl). And though she’s due July 28th, chances are that her little boy and girl will be here much sooner than that.

Rest assured that even with all this excitement the office will be open and seeing patients as usual, and should be back to normal by early August. Dr. Hudkins is planning on being off for 3 weeks, returning just in time for back-to-school cleanings. Should anything delay her return Dr. Brell will be filling in as needed.

Please wish all three women the best as they welcome new additions to their beautiful families.

Dr. Hudkins is Back!

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:58 -0500

We’re very happy to say that Dr. Heather Hudkins is back in the office full-time. After giving birth to 8 lb. 04oz. Alex on July 10, 2009, Dr. Hudkins took some much needed time away from the office to recuperate and become accustomed to being a mommy. But now she’s back and taking appointments as usual every day of the week. If you’re in the office, don’t hesitate to ask Heather about little Alex. After all, one of the best things about being a parent is talking about your kids.