Have you scheduled your fall appointment?

Schools are back in session in Chevy Chase, Bethesda and surrounding communities, which means it's a good time for Dr. Linda Hallman and our staff to remind all our patients about the importance of scheduling your fall appointment in advance. With school, clubs, sports and other activities to consider this fall, we know that it can be challenging to find time to visit Hallman Orthodontics in the coming months. To accommodate all our patients' busy schedules, it's important that you plan ahead for your appointments so that we can provide you with an appointment time that is convenient for you (and your parents).

As always, please remember to give us advanced notice if you're unable to make your regularly-scheduled appointment. If our staff receive enough notice, we can schedule another patient for that appointment. Feel free to give us a call at 301.654.7910 if you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule your fall appointment.

See you this fall and have a wonderful weekend!

The importance of mouth guards, from Dr. Linda Hallman

With the summer (sadly) here for another five weeks, our team at Hallman Orthodontics would like to take this time to remind our young athletes wearing braces to take care of both your mouth and appliances while participating in contact sports (and non-contact sports) this month. After all, we know this is a busy time of year sports-wise, whether you're playing baseball in the park across the street or getting ready for a season of high school football.

Remember, only by using a mouth guard can kids with and without braces avoid serious sports injuries. So, the next time you're in for a visit with Dr. Linda Hallman, we encourage you to ask us for a mouth guard, and we will provide one!

We hope you've had a GREAT summer! Don't forget about our patient contests! See you soon.

National Smile Week at Hallman Orthodontics!

Now through Friday, it's National Smile Week, and an ideal time to remind our patients at Hallman Orthodontics to practice good oral hygiene to keep those teeth shining during your orthodontic treatment at our Chevy Chase office! This includes brushing and flossing regularly, avoiding foods that can stain your teeth such as tea and coffee and visiting your general dentist as recommended.

There are two main reasons to maintain good oral hygiene during your treatment:

• To keep the teeth and gums clean so the teeth won't rot and the gums won't recede away (you'd want to keep your teeth clean for this reason whether or not you are having orthodontic treatment).

• Clean teeth and healthy gums will promote better tooth movement with a healthier result. It may sound absurd, but your body has only so much energy to spend on your mouth so when it is busy fighting decay and periodontal disease, tooth movement slows down considerably.

Perhaps another great reason to smile is this: smiling can actually help you live longer according to a recent study! So keep smiling and have a great rest of the summer!

At Hallman Orthodontics, easy and reliable access to your account any day, any time!

Access to your account, whenever you want, wherever you want it. Sounds nice, simple and convenient, doesn’t it?

Patients at Hallman Orthodontics enjoy access to their individual account 24 hours a day, seven days a week—all through our helpful website. You may look up your appointments and all of your account details at your convenience, all from the comfort of your own home! You can even receive appointment reminders through email or text messages! Take a look at a few patient reviews about this helpful service called OrthoSesame:

"Think this is a great idea. I could look up when Spencer's next appt. is. Also, I see my account is paid up to date. I like that for as long as it will last...!" ~ Frank C.

"I could finally see my treatment pictures online! That was pretty unbelievable." ~ Delila C.

"I am able to check when my appointment is, especially when I have lost the appointment sticker. I am also able to look up my sons files and see his before pictures. Also, updating my profile has been a lifesaver. I also get e-mails from Sesame to confirm appointments." ~ Kimberly Z.

"Dr. Hallman is keeping up with the sign of the times." ~ Teresa P.

"Dr. Hallman is always cutting-edge!" ~ Martha F.

"I am able to do what I need to do without being put on hold from a secretary. All my information is up to date and easily accessible without having to call and request it or even pay a fee to have it sent to me. It's always there for my convenience." ~ Kimberly Z.