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!

June is National Smile Month! From Hughes Orthodontics

June is upon us, and for our team at Hughes Orthodontics, that means one thing: it's National Smile Month, and it's once again time to remind our patients to brush, floss, practice good nutrition at home (and over the summer) to avoid cavities and gum disease, among other dental health issues.

That means you too, parents! After all, there's more and more evidence that suggests folks with gum disease are more at risk for serious health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and strokes.

Here are a few easy steps you can improve your oral health at home:

* Brush at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Here's a helpful video showing you how to brush with your braces on.
* Floss everyday to clean between your teeth.
* Reduce your intake of sugary foods and drinks during treatment.
* Visit your dentist regularly (usually every six months apart).

If you have questions about any of these tips, we encourage you to give us a call at 703-360-8660! We hope you had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

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!