And the Nominees Are...

As you know, our own Provo dentist, Dr. Blake Matthews is giving away a set of braces to one lucky winner!  They will start treatment in 2014 and get a New Smile for the New Year!

We wanted to introduce our amazing nominees, selected by Dr. Matthews and the MatthewsSmiles team. And they are...


1. Quinlan

Story: My son Quinlan was born at 26 weeks and weighed 2 pounds 3 ounces when he was born over 12 years ago. He has survived over 57 surgeries and is doing great. He has cerebral palsy and cannot walk but does really great other than that. He was born on 09/14/01, I actually went into labor on 09/11. He is an amazing boy.

On his birthday this year he asked for one thing and one thing only...... Braces! Who does that??? Well he is very insecure about his smile. He tells me his teeth are "jacked up". It breaks my heart but I wanted to wait until he was a little older and understood how important beautiful teeth and a beautiful smile are. I think he's ready.

Please consider giving this amazing kid the chance at having straight teeth and the confidence he deserves to have, in an amazing smile.

2. Alexa

Alexa is a beautiful girl with a fun personality.  Our family has gone through a job loss and a cross-country move in the last year.  Money has been tight and we are needing to get Alexa into braces. Please help us make her smile.

3. Andy

Andy never got a chance to have braces as a youth.  His father worked construction which provided for the family but never had insurance that would pay for braces to fix his smile.  Now that he is an adult, the cost of braces is prohibitive even though he has always tried to take care of his teeth.  Andy has always wanted to have a nice smile and where he wasn't ashamed when he was happy in front of other people. 

To vote go here: http://woobox.com/46gnfp

Let's share our Jimmerosity!  And join Dr. Matthews and the Fredette Family Foundation in picking someone special to get braces in 2014.  Voting runs until 12/9 and the winner will be announced 12/10.  

Grateful for Good Dental Care with Dr. Matthews

It’s November and if you’re like me, this month has you feeling a little more thankful.  Now, I confess I’ve NEVER said “really great dental care” when it was my turn to say what I was thankful for around the dinner table, but a conversation I overheard not too long ago has me pretty tempted this year.

by Andrea Harris

I found myself waiting in a long line the other day. Usually in cases like that, I’d just browse around on my phone to stay busy, but on this lucky day I found myself sandwiched between a dental hygienist and a dental hygiene student studying for a big exam.  At first, the two women were swapping study techniques and commiserating about the amount of memorization required to graduate. (Let me just say, hats off to the people who work in the dental industry. These are some dedicated, hard-working people. It’s not an easy job!) Then, they started into the more interesting stories about internships at free dental clinics.  

I listened in fascinated horror to the seasoned hygienist recount her tales of working in a free clinic in an economically depressed, rural  town. She described one patient who came in for a cleaning.  A middle aged woman, as she described her, who only had about six teeth in her mouth. An eyetooth or two and a few molars… Can you imagine?  I have to be honest. I can’t.   

She went to explain that the only thing holding the molars left in this unfortunate patient’s mouth was several years’ worth of plaque build-up.  After consulting with the clinic’s capable dentist,  they concluded it was better to leave the plaque and let the woman keep her existing teeth as long as possible.  The three of us now involved in the conversation talked candidly about our sorrow for the woman’s plight and what it must be like to not have access to regular dental care.

It’s one of those things I admit I take for granted regularly and sometimes even grumble about.  But this year, I’ll probably add it to my list of things for which I’m genuinely grateful.    

Trick or Treat Truth

by Andrea Harris

I’m pretty sure I’m one of the few kids in the world who didn’t love trick-or-treating.  I mean, how weird is that?  While all the other kids were running pell-mell from house to house trying to get as much candy as possible, I just wasn’t into it.  I think the year I was 10, I stopped going out entirely.  But let’s be honest, I had come up with a MUCH better system of getting the goods.  While my friends got bundled up for hours of waddling around in the freezing cold, I stayed in my warm house and helped “pass out” the goods.  One for you, one for me… All night long, I set aside my stash. That way I got just as much candy as my friends without having to beg for it. And let’s be honest, my mom got the good stuff.  No wimpy Smarties or lollipops for me!  I got 100% pure chocolate. I might just be a Halloween genius!  The only problem with this little system was that I ended up with a stash that lasted until Christmas.  Now, as a 10 year old, that wasn’t so much of a problem as is was all my dreams coming true.  However, in retrospect, I wasn’t really doing myself any favors.  

According to WebMD,  Moderation and rules are not characteristics we often associate with Halloween, but, say child health experts, the holiday can be a good time to teach your kids important lessons about nutrition and dental care. "In general, I tell parents that kids who eat many times a day are at higher risk of tooth decay," says Jim Steiner, DDS, "It's the kids who have access to…snacks all the time that are at high risk for tooth decay. It's that kind of chronic exposure that causes [cavities.]"

And that's why Halloween is a problem with the dental profession. Some children will hoard their favorite candies and eat them a little bit at a time over a long period of time. (Aww, nuts!  That was totally me! ) And the truth is, as far as oral hygiene goes, it is better to eat five candy bars at once than to eat one every few hours. In the first scenario, acid will build up in your mouth, but your saliva will naturally neutralize this over the course of an hour or so. And then that acid is gone. In the second scenario, you are constantly exposing your teeth to acid throughout the day, too much for saliva to wash away.

So here are just a couple of suggestions to help your kids enjoy the holiday in healthy way (and not be a  total Halloween killjoy!):

• After trick-or-treating, select an age appropriate amount of candy for each child to enjoy.  Toss, trade-in, or donate the rest.
• Allow your child to enjoy their Halloween haul after meals or at set snack times. No secret noshing!
• Be sure to have your child brush their teeth thoroughly after indulging in sugary treats.  It’s a good habit to have anyway!

Happy Halloween from the Matthews’ Dental Group!!