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!

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!

Dr. Hughes at the 110th AAO Annual Session

It's no wonder folks in Alexandria and surrounding communities trust Dr. Herbert Hughes with their smiles. Besides creating healthy smiles and balanced faces that will last a lifetime, Dr. Hughes is also passionate about continuing education, and that includes attending important orthodontic-related seminars and conferences. This weekend, Dr. Hughes attended the AAO Annual Session in Washington D.C. The AAO is always an educational event that is also one of the largest orthodontic conventions in the world. It's also a time for Dr. Hughes to consult with dental experts and orthodontists from around the country and stay up-to-date on all the latest technologies and orthodontic treatment options available.

In addition to being a member of the American Association of Orthodontists, Dr. Hughes is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, the current president of the Northern Virginia Orthodontic Study Club and the past president of the Alexandria Dental Society.

He is also an active member of the following organizations:

**Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics
**Diplomate of the National Board of Orthodontics
**American Association of Orthodontists
**Southern Association of Orthodontists
**Virginia Association of Orthodontists
**World Federation of Orthodontists
**Virginia Dental Association
**Northern Virginia Dental Association
**Alexandria Dental Association
**Northern Virginia Orthodontic Study Club
**International Brotherhood of Magicians
**Media (TV & radio) spokesperson for Colgate Oral Pharmaceutical

If you've got an appointment scheduled with Hughes Orthodontics in the coming weeks, we invite you to ask Dr. Hughes about his visit to the AAO Annual Session, including what he learned and how continuing education and acquisition of new technology helps us at Hughes Orthodontics treat you more effectively!

Dr. Hughes wants to know: Do you know where your retainers are?

If you recently completed treatment at Hughes Orthodontics, we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Dr. Hughes will provide—or has provided you—with retainers. After braces are removed, teeth can shift out of position if they are not stabilized. Retainers, however, provide that stabilization. They are designed to hold teeth in their corrected, ideal positions until the bones and gums adapt to the treatment changes. Wearing retainers exactly as instructed by Dr. Hughes is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime. Here are some things to remember when you receive your retainers:


* Wear your retainers full time, until the doctor instructs otherwise. Wearing your retainers at night ensures that your pearly whites won’t relapse.

* Take your retainers out when eating...and always put retainers in their case! (Most appliances are lost in school lunch rooms or restaurants.)

* Clean retainers thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush and only a small amount of toothpaste. Use warm but not hot water.

* When retainers are not in your mouth they should ALWAYS be in a retainer case.

* Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care. If retainers are lost or broken, give us a call immediately.

* Remove retainers when swimming or during any sporting activity in which the retainers could fall out and get broken or lost (cheerleading, basketball, etc.) or when you should be wearing a mouth guard (football, soccer, etc.).

We hope this helps! You can always contact our team by calling 703-360-8660 if you have any questions! Have a great 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.

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!