600!

Great news! We have 600 Facebook fans and counting! Dr. Hughes and team can't wait to get to 1,000 ... thanks to all of our patients and friends for connecting with us on Facebook!

At Hughes Orthodontics, we embrace new technology, whether it is through the innovative orthodontic treatments that we offer, our high-tech web site (coming soon!) and social networks, or our modern office conveniently located in Alexandria.

Braces off song!

At Hughes Orthodontics, we love serenading our patients when they get their braces off, and hey, look! Another patient gets her new, gorgeous smile from Dr. Hughes! Congrats - your teeth look perfect!

For more videos, please head to our YouTube page!

Invisalign® promotion through December 31st!

The holidays are a great time to have the smile you deserve. We have an Invisalign promotion running through the end of the year.

Call our office today to schedule your complimentary Invisalign consultation with Dr. Herbert Hughes. Invisalign is a series of clear, removable teeth aligners that Dr. Hughes uses as an alternative to traditional metal braces. Aside from being invisible, Invisalign aligners are removable, allowing you to eat and drink what you want while in treatment. They are cosmetically superior to other orthodontic appliances and more comfortable because they have no metal to cause mouth abrasions during treatment.

You can learn more about Invisalign on their web site at www.invisalign.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Is your contact information at Hughes Orthodontics current?

Are you having a great week so far? Well, if you've seen the news, you probably know there is nasty weather ahead this fall and winter in Alexandria and across the entire eastern seaboard.

Please help Dr. Herbert Hughes and our staff at Hughes Orthodontics get prepared by calling us and letting us know if you have any new phone numbers or if your contact information has changed!

At times of power outages and inclement weather, we need to be able to get a hold of you. Please call us with any updates to phone numbers and addresses, so we may be able to reach you. Thank you and Happy Holidays from Dr. Hughes and our entire staff!

Happy Birthday, Thuy!

Congratulations to Thuy, who turned the BIG 30 today! Thuy has been an integral part of Hughes Orthodontics for the past 8 years.

Enjoy your day!

The 411 on Halloween candy, from Dr. Hughes

For moms and dads worried about kids going overboard on candies, sugar and other sweets, Halloween is a dreaded annual event.

All those sweet, sour and sticky candies may taste great, but 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? This can cause tooth decay and cavities!

Sour and fruity candy, such as Starburst and Skittles, are the worst for your child’s teeth since these candies have a low pH value, which can ruin enamel. In addition, we also want your child to steer clear of sticky, chewy, gummy and nutty goodies.

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, give Dr. Hughes a call as soon as possible.

We hope that everyone has a safe and scary Halloween!

Hughes Orthodontics visits Cookology!

Last Wednesday, our staff at Hughes Orthodontics enjoyed a team building experience at Cookology. It was a lot of fun and our lunch was surprisingly delicious!

We have a winner!

Caleb is going to the movies on us! He was our appointment card winner for September! Be sure to stop by our convenient Alexandria office this month to enter our next contest!

Featured patient review for Dr. Hughes!

One of Dr. Hughes' patients, Richard, recently wrote a nice testimonial for our office! Thanks for writing in and for your kind words!!


"WOW - Bottom Braces on!!!"

The Bottom Braces are on and it is amazing! I absolutely LOVE Dr. Hughes and his entire staff! It is such an Ohana (Hawaiian for Family) feeling office. Mahalo (Thank you) for making this experience fabulous.

Dr. Herbert Hughes and staff, supporting National Orthodontic Health Month!

This weekend marks the official start of National Orthodontic Health Month, and our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists have created a helpful website that provides important information on protecting your braces, including tips for trick-or-treaters, braces-friendly Halloween recipes, facts about braces and treats you should avoid while wearing braces.

Dr. Herbert Hughes and our staff recommend you check out the AAO's website as well for helpful tips on keeping your braces in tip-top shape. If you have any follow-up questions, please feel free to give us a call at 703.360.8660, ask us on Facebook or ask Dr. Hughes during your next visit!

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

At Hughes Orthodontics, our goal is to create healthy smiles, as well as balanced faces that will last a lifetime. Our mission is to be a happy, harmonious, efficient team of professionals who exceeds our patients, parents, referring dentists and team mates expectations.

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

Thank you in advance! We hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Jerry celebrates the removal of his braces!

Check out Jerry and his new smile! Great job!!

Ask Dr. Hughes: At what age should my child visit for a consultation?

Many parents in Alexandria and surrounding areas believe they must wait until their child has all of his or her permanent teeth to visit Dr. Herbert Hughes for a consultation, only to discover treatment would have been much easier if started earlier. When, exactly? Age seven, according to our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists, who recommend that every child have an orthodontic check-up no later than age seven.

That’s right—seven.

You might be thinking: "What’s so great about age seven?" Enough permanent teeth have arrived for Dr. Hughes to make a determination about whether any problems are present. The first molars have come in, providing an opportunity to check for malocclusion, or “bad bite.” Also, the incisors have begun to come in, and problems such as crowding, deep bites and open bites can be detected.

Orthodontic evaluation at an early age provides one of two positive outcomes: For some, early identification or problems will lead to easier or shorter orthodontic treatment in the future. For others, a healthy prognosis will provide immediate peace of mind.

Early evaluation, of course, may signal a need for early treatment. For some children, early treatment can prevent physical and emotional trauma. Aside from spurring on years of harmful teasing, misaligned teeth are also prone to injury and are detrimental to good oral hygiene. So, if your child is nearing his or her seventh birthday, give us a call at Hughes Orthodontics to schedule a consultation! End of the summer is a great time to come in!

Back to school with Hughes Orthodontics

Now that many of our fantastic patients are back in school (or are getting ready to head back), Dr. Hughes and our team want 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 Hughes Orthodontics. In order to accommodate all of our patients' busy schedules, it is important that you plan ahead for your appointments so that we are able to provide you with an appointment time that is convenient for you.

As always, please remember to give Dr. Hughes and our team 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 703.360.8660 if you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule your fall appointment.

Happy learning,

Dr. Hughes and staff

Are you reading this summer?

With summer here for only six more weeks, Dr. Hughes and our staff wanted to remind all our patients about the importance of reading. With school out, we know it’s easy to keep putting off reading and learning this time of year, but reading during the summer is actually a vital step in brain development and helps ward off the dreaded “summer slide.” Plus, grabbing a book you just can't put down is always fun!

Today, we thought we’d ask: What's on YOUR summer reading list? What are some of your all-time favorite reads?

Out of ideas for great summer reads? Then check out these summer reading lists for the entire family that we came across this morning, from Barnes & Noble.

Happy reading! Be sure to share with us your summer picks or your all-time favorites on our Facebook page!

Don't forget that mouth guard this summer! From Dr. Hughes

Would you believe we're already halfway through summer? As the weather gets - and stays - hot, the chances for you athletes to sustain a mouth injury gets likelier and likelier (because most of you are spending so much time outdoors or participating in more sporting events). Dr. Herb Hughes and our staff at Hughes Orthodontics would like to remind our young athletes in treatment to always take care of both your mouth and appliances while participating in contact sports.

That includes wearing a mouth guard at all times when you're out on the field. Only by using a mouth guard can kids with and without braces avoid serious sports injuries. And don't forget to ask us for a mouth guard - Dr. Hughes will provide a mouth guard for anyone in active treatment! We hope you're having a terrific summer!

Ask Dr. Hughes: What’s so bad about biting my nails?

We’ve all heard that biting your nails is an awful habit, but you many wonder- really- what’s so bad about it? Recently, our team at Hughes Orthodontics found an interesting article that discusses how biting your nails affect your teeth and oral health.

Nail biting, also known as Onychophagia, is a common habit among various age groups, including primarily children, teens and young adults. Nail biting is generally triggered by stress and most often decreases with age. That being said, nail biting is unsanitary, unattractive, as well as unhealthy for your teeth!

Here’s why:

• It’s unsanitary. Your nails are dirty, almost twice as dirty as your fingers! Hence, biting your nails is just asking for germs and bacteria.
• No good things come to your teeth. Nail biting causes your teeth to constantly be chewing, which is not good for them. This excessive motion wears your teeth down faster than a non-nail biter’s and puts a large amount of stress on your front teeth- contributing to teeth misalignment.
• Braces don’t love it either. Braces already put pressure on teeth, nail biting ads unnecessary pressure, further stressing your teeth and weakening their roots.
• It can be costly. Nail biting can result in up to $4,000 in additional dental bills over one lifetime, according to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). Yikes!

What can you do about it?

Now that you know how harmful nail biting can be, it’s time to take action to break your nail biting habit. Try to be conscious of your fingernails and to keep them looking good - this will help you resist the temptation. We hope this helps!

Dr. Hughes performs his April "Magic Trick of the Month" at the AAO!

Dr. Hughes loves fun and games. While attending the AAO Annual Session in Washington D.C a couple of weekends ago, he got a chance to perform his Magic Trick of the Month of April.

We hope you enjoy this clip - Dr. Hughes at his best!

And if you're visiting Hughes Orthodontics in May, have we got a treat for you!

Hughes Orthodontics, reminding you to play it safe this spring

April, also known as National Facial Protection Month, is upon us, and for Dr. Hughes and our team at Hughes Orthodontics, that only means one thing: it’s once again time to remind our dear patients to protect their faces and pearly whites. Above is a helpful video from our friends at the AAO about staying safe on the ball field this spring.

According to the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation, children, high-school athletes and adults will have more than 5,000,000 teeth knocked out in sporting events this year. For our team at Hughes Orthodontics, that's just not acceptable.

We hope the above video helps. Dr. Hughes will tell you protective gear is vital for anyone engaging in tooth or mouth-threatening activities. If you have any further questions about any of the tips offered in the video, please contact Hughes Orthodontics. And remember to have fun and stay safe!

Smile, and you might just live longer! From Hughes Orthodontics

People with big smiles may live than those who don’t! That, according to a March 2010 study at Michigan’s Wayne State University. Dr. Hughes has 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.

The players' photos were enlarged, and then 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 corrected their analysis to account for other factors associated with life longevity, such as body mass index, career length and even college attendance.

The results? Researchers found that players who weren't smiling in the photos died at the average age of 72.9 years. Players with partial smiles lived to be 75. Those with big smiles, however, lived on average to be almost 80 years old!

Smile now, smile often and you might just live longer! Have you been perfecting your smile by visiting Hughes Orthodontics on a regular basis? If not, give us a call!