Getting social with Dr. Hughes

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. While Dr. Hughes and our staff takes time to research how to best use social media, we thought we’d ask you, our loyal patients: How would you like us to use our social networks? What would you like us to share on our blog? Please post your thoughts or give us a call!

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!

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!!

Share your Fourth of July plans with Dr. Hughes!

For many of our patients at Hughes Orthodontics, the Fourth of July is a day of fireworks, picnics, playing at the lake or spending quality time with family. Most people recognize Independence Day as a time to celebrate and commemorate the anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence. It's also a time to honor all our soldiers - past and present - who continue to place themselves in danger every day so that we Americans may celebrate our freedoms.

What about you? What are your Fourth of July plans? Are you heading to a barbecue? Hitting the open road with family? Are you planning on using fireworks?

Share your July 4th adventures with us on our Facebook page! We even encourage you to post your photos! Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

Connect with Dr. Hughes on Facebook!

At Hughes Orthodontics, we value the relationships we have developed with our patients in Alexandria and surrounding communities. Even if you only see us for your appointment on a regular basis, did you know that you can now connect with Dr. Hughes and staff on our Facebook page?

We invite you to “like” Hughes Orthodontics on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HughesOrthodontics. We share office news and updates on our Fan Page, so check it out! By Liking our page, you will receive updates from our office automatically in your news feed!

Also, we've been posting photos of our patients and Dr. Hughes' Tricks of the Month! You don't want to miss out on any of it!!

See you on Facebook and have a great weekend,

- Dr. Hughes and staff

What are our patients saying about Hughes Orthodontics?

Dr. Herbert Hughes and staff, serving Alexandria and surrounding areas, deliver the highest quality orthodontic care in a personalized environment. Our team at Hughes Orthodontics make orthodontic treatment fun and enjoyable for our patients - just see what some of them have to say!

"He is the greatest! He makes my son (and other patients) feel so comfortable. The staff is always so nice and helpful. The magic tricks and contests are an added bonus to add to the fun for the kids." ~ William B.

"My kids and I love Dr. Hughes. He is nice to the kids and he does a great job. Its hard to describe it right now. But I wouldn't take my kids anywhere else for orthodontic care. I have tried to get other people to go there as well. Because I just believe that Dr. Hughes office is the best. I was a patient of his father from 2nd grade through 12th grade. I wouldn't trust anyone else w/ my kids mouths. I had one go through there and his teeth are beautiful. I have one currently in care and we love what is happening. Thank you." ~ Melissa B.

"Very competent, has a great way of dealing with kids, I never have to wait long in his office, he seems to really care, I like his phone call when the kids first got their braces." ~ Paul K.

"His sincere genuine care, concern, clarity & staff:-) Oh, the magic is also cool !!!!!!!!!! GOD Bless and Continued Success." ~ Donald F.

"His humorous personality is a great asset because it puts my daughter at ease (she tends to get very freaked out with doctors). But because he makes her laugh, going to Dr. Hughes is a treat for her." ~ Diana S.

Please feel free to contribute your own thoughts about our office! Dr. Hughes and team love getting patient testimonials!

Annual pumpkin contest at Hughes Orthodontics!

Our annual pumpkin contest has begun! Ever year Dr. Hughes grows a large pumpkin in his garden and the patient that comes closest to guessing the correct weight is our winner! The winner receives a pumpkin (not the one Dr. Hughes grew) and a pumpkin carving kit along with one of our custom logo items. Dr. Hughes will be taking pictures of the development of his large pumpkin throughout the summer and into the fall. He will harvest the pumpkin in early October and - hopefully - if it is a blue ribbon pumpkin he might enter it in a local pumpkin contest.

Write a Review of Hughes Orthodontics!

If you've ever been treated at Hughes Orthodontics, you probably know Dr. Hughes' 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. We will continually strive to provide the best orthodontic treatment in a fun and caring atmosphere.

Whether you have visited Dr. Hughes for weeks, months or years, we’d love to hear your feedback about your experience with Hughes Orthodontics! Now with the Internet, it’s even easier to write your thoughts and share them with the world. We'd want to encourage you to write a review of us on our Google Local page - it only takes a moment!

You may write your review here.

Thank you and have a great rest of the weekend!

This Earth Day, are you making a difference? From Dr. Hughes

At Hughes Orthodontics, we support Earth Day, which is designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for our environment and ecosystem. Earth Day marks its 40th anniversary today.

Whether lending a helping hand to plant trees or getting out to volunteer in various projects in our community, today is our opportunity to get involved in making our year-round impact in the community. Are you making a difference today? Tell us, what are you up to? How long have you participated in helping our planet?

If you’d like to join the millions of people around the world who are making small but important changes to help sustain our ecosystem, try these helpful environmental tips, courtesy of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA. For a list of events in our community, please click here.

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!

Don't be fooled! From Dr. Hughes

Today is traditionally known as April Fools' Day. Dr. Hughes and our fun staff would like it if you shared a story about a trick you played, or a friend played on you, on this silliest of days.

Feel free to post them here or on our Facebook page, and try not to get fooled today!

Helpful Invisalign® tips from Hughes Orthodontics

In the past, the team at Hughes Orthodontics has blogged about the advantage of Invisalign treatment with Dr. Hughes. Today, however, we thought we'd share a few helpful Invisalign tips with you, our valued patients. 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. What few people know, though, is that just like traditional braces, Invisalign requires proper care to work effectively.

When wearing your Invisalign aligners, Dr. Hughes wants you to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Am I eating with my aligners on? - These aligners are removable and should be taken out when you eat.

2. Am I drinking anything other than water with my aligners on? - Though it's not a necessity for you to take out your aligners while you drink, think about how sticky a soda is. If you take out your aligners when drinking a soda, you have a better chance of keeping your aligners clean.

3. Am I brushing before putting the trays on? - The aligners have both an inside and outside. Keeping the outside clean is easy. Keeping the inside clean is also easy: just make sure you've brushed your teeth before putting the trays on.

These are all very simple steps, and ultimately, they help to keep you building good oral habits. If you have any questions about Invisalign or your treatment here at Hughes Orthodontics, give us a call!

What Do You Love About Hughes Orthodontics?

From your very first visit to Hughes Orthodontics, Dr. Hughes and his team strive to provide superior treatment in a pleasant, friendly atmosphere. Have you been especially impressed by Dr. Hughes? Did our team go out of their way to make your day? Do you love your new smile?

Whether you’ve just come in for a consultation or your family has been visiting our office for generations, we’d love to hear your feedback on our networks. Or, you can tell us by giving us a call!

Thank you,
The team at Hughes Orthodontics

Hughes Orthodontics wants to know: What did you do in November?

Believe it or not, we’re almost in December – and in full holiday mode! But before you go celebrating, Dr. Hughes and the team at Hughes Orthodontics want to know: Did you do anything exciting this month? Do you have plans for Thanksgiving? If so, we'd love to hear all about it!

You may share your stories with us here, on our social networks or by giving us a call!
--The team at Hughes Orthodontics