Smile Zone

Brush Up on Fun Brushing

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:24 -0600

Brushing teeth twice a day is essential to maintaining a healthy smile. Regular brushing helps prevent plaque (a clear film of bacteria) from building up on your teeth. The bacteria turns to acids that eats holes in the teeth–ewww! These are cavities! Plaque build-up can also lead to gingivitis which is a gum disease that causes the gums to become red, swollen and sore–ouch!

Brushing doesn’t have to be a chore; it can be fun! There are flavored toothpastes and fun-designed toothbrushes for children to enjoy. Brush your teeth with your child and make funny faces in the mirror! Download our brushing calendar to chart your child’s success for healthy brushing habits. Making it fun makes a difference!

Smile Zone Kids are Miracle Kids

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:17 -0600

Smile Zone is so proud of two of their patients, Danielle Roeder (age 12) and Blake Shanks (age 7), who took part in the Cox Health Medical Mile event this past summer. Both children have been part of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for much of their young lives.

Just a few years ago, it didn’t seem that either child would be able to run or be active due to their serious health conditions. Danielle was in a wheelchair with L-Dopa Responsive Dystonia and Blake was born with a serious heart condition. With substantial medical treatment over the years, both were able to enjoy the race, walking and running alongside their family. Way to go, Danielle and Blake!

See more of their story here.

Watch your mouth!

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:10 -0600

During practice and games, it is important to wear protective gear including mouth guards. Mouth guards help to protect your child’s teeth, jaw, lips, tongue and even their face from sport related injuries. There are essentially three types of mouth guards: ready-made, boil-and-bite and custom mouth guards made by your dentist.

Important factors to consider are that the mouth guard is resilient and tear resistant, fits properly and is comfortable. Mouth guards may be purchased from your dentist or at your local sporting goods store. Come see us to determine the best type for your child!

You're Social, We're Social!

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:08 -0600

Smile Zone is now on Facebook and we are enjoying interacting with our fans! Our second contest is already underway!

Find us on Facebook to enter our current Back-to-School contest! Two lucky boys and two girls will win a backpack full of school supplies! Two tubes of Mi Paste will also be included–one for home; one for school. Mi Paste is a one-of-a-kind product that strengthens and restores essential minerals to teeth. Find out more about Mi Paste: http://mi-paste.com/home.php. Hurry! The contest ends September 30, 2011.

Congratulations to the Seats family, Hinds family and Carter family! They all won family memberships to the Dickerson Park Zoo during the last Smile Zone Facebook contest.

Newsletters

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:38 -0600

Sign up for Smile Zone’s e-newsletter and be the first to hear about upcoming events, news and receive tips for your child’s dental care.

Example Newsletter

Keep those Colorings Coming

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:27 -0600

We are thrilled to announce that we’re continuing our coloring contest all the way through December! Your child’s artistry could win you free tickets to the movies or Discovery Center. Simply download one of our coloring sheets at www.smilezonedentist.com (look for the button on the home page), 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 movie tickets, four tickets to The Discovery Center, four tickets to Jump Mania, or four tickets for ice skating at Mediacom Ice Park.* One winner will be selected each month through December. 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. For full details and rules, just visit our website. *The ice skating prize is only available for November and December (sorry October).

Find us Out and About

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:25 -0600

Some of the best things about the Ozarks are all of the community events. If you take a look around, you can almost always find something fantastic to do with your family and friends. And if you start to frequent these festivals and events, there’s a good chance you can find us there too. We love to get out in the community and talk to kids and their parents about dental health. The good thing is that if you do find us, we might also have a prize or giveaway to share with you. So when you’re at community events this fall, keep your eyes peeled for us. If you ever want to check if we’ll be at a certain event, just visit our website to find out where we will be.

Candy Buy-Back is Back!

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:17 -0600

Last year’s candy buy-back program was such a success that we’ve decided to bring it back. For the entire month of November, Smile Zone is offering $1 for every pound of donated candy. This way, the kids still get to trick or treat, but they also keep those lovely, healthy teeth. If you have an appointment scheduled during November, just bring the candy with you then. If you don’t, feel free to bring the candy by during normal office hours, or go ahead and schedule that appointment you’ve been putting off. After all, cavities are much scarier than ghouls or goblins. Trust us.

Brushing Tips from Teeny to Tweeny

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:40 -0600

The cornerstone to all healthy teeth is good brushing. But every age has its own unique needs and its own unique challenges. The tips below will help make brushing for every age a little easier and more effective. (By the way: You can pick up a FREE toothbrush when you come to visit our office.)

Infants

Even before babies have teeth, they still have dental needs. Before your baby begins teething, you should dip a soft infant wash cloth in warm water and wipe his or her gums once a day. Once your baby begins teething and has more than two teeth, it’s time for the toothbrush. The first brush should have no more than two rows of extremely soft bristles and a large handle to make it easier for you to brush their tiny teeth. The best way to do this is to hold your baby in your lap while sitting in a comfortable chair or on the sofa. Ideally, you should do this after every meal, gently moving the toothbrush around your baby’s mouth, brushing the teeth well. You should do this twice a day with a smear of fluoridated toothpaste for children under two years of age. Also, be sure to replace your toothbrush every few months.

Toddlers 2-5

For children in this age range, it’s important to use a toothbrush with soft bristles to protect their ever-growing teeth and gentle gums. It’s probably too early for your child to brush on their own, so you’ll still be holding the brush. (As they start to develop stronger coordination, hand the brush over to them little by little.) Start at about a 45–degree angle and gently move back and forth in short strokes or little circles. Make sure to brush the outside and inside of every tooth, and all chewing surfaces.
When brushing the inside of the front teeth, hold the brush vertically and use small up and down strokes. Do this twice a day with a pea sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste and your toddler will be on the way to a healthy smile. This is also a good age to make brushing more fun. Let your child pick out their toothbrush; sing a brushing song; bring a stuffed animal audience into the bathroom; use a timer from a board game to track tooth-brushing time; or just brush side-by-side with your child. If you think it’s fun, they will too. Another fun—and oddly important—part of brushing is spitting. Really. And one good way to practice the age old art of daily saliva hurling is with training

Ages 6-12

At this age you probably only need to monitor your child’s brushing, giving assistance as needed; the big challenge is to make brushing consistent. One simple trick is to create a tooth brushing chart that your child can mark each time they brush their teeth. This can even become tied into their allowance—offer a weekly or monthly reward for brushing twice a day and marking it on the chart. Perhaps the easiest and most effective way to ensure regular brushing is to set a routine. Whether it’s just before school and just before bed or, as soon as breakfast is finished and after bath time, the more consistent you can be, the better (both for your sanity and their teeth).

For more brushing tips for all age groups, and even some fun activities, click here.

Beautiful Babies Abound

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:48 -0600

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.

Visit Us at These Upcoming Free Community Events

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:39 -0600

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.

Summertime Fun

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:03 -0600

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 -0600

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 -0600

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 -0600

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 -0600

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 -0600

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.