Here at Wilson Orthodontics, we love for our patients to enjoy their visits with us! According to orthodontic assistant Kelley Moore, one of the things that really separates us in our community is our patient-centric care.

Dr. Wilson and Dr. Lekht are always hosting exciting contests in-office and on Wilson Orthodontics' social networks. We have an iPad drawing two times a year and we're always offering fun trivia contests. Our trivia contests usually last 4-6 weeks at a time. We're currently hosting a "Win With Wilson" Facebook contest - if you refer 10 friends to our page, you might win a $100 or a $1,000 gift certificate to Tara Jewelers! If you enter our fitness trivia contest, you'll have a chance to win a 6 month gym membership to Fitness Forum or an X-box 360 with Kinect!

We encourage you to keep your eye right here on our blog and on our Facebook page for more information up upcoming contests and events at Wilson Orthodontics. Thanks for connecting with us!

Let’s face it- when was the last time you managed to keep a New Year’s resolution? We at Wilson Orthodontics believe the key to sticking to a goal is picking one that is both reasonable and attainable. If you haven’t yet picked a New Year’s resolution, consider setting one that will improve your oral health!

For example, resolve to brush twice and floss once a day. Good oral hygiene only takes a few minutes a day, and can make a big difference in your oral health and overall health too! For more oral health-themed resolutions for you and your family, check out this article.

We would love to see what you come up with, share with us by commenting on this post or on our Facebook page. Whatever your New Year’s Resolution, we wish you the very best for 2012!

-Happy New Year, from your friends at Wilson Orthodontics

"I think our website is very fun and informative. It lets everyone know about the events that are going on at Wilson Orthodontics, and it also tells them about the latest information in orthodontics. We do a lot in our community, and our social networks help to inform everyone about our activities in the local community. They inform our patients and their families of any games or contests that are going on, and also gets everyone involved.

We are constantly updating our social networks to keep patients in the loop about what is going on in and around our office.

We also love hearing from our patients. We take their opinions to heart and try to address things when needed. It is a great way to communicate! We encourage our patients to ask us questions on our social networks.

We love that our patients and their families visit our website and social networks. We look forward to continuing the social networking experience with all of you!"

~ Si Morris, Treatment Coordinator

At Wilson Orthodontics, we know nobody likes getting plaque on their teeth. Here are five other ways you can avoid that dreaded enemy of the teeth during orthodontic treatment, courtesy of WebMD.

Let’s start with brushing regularly. Brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste is vital to a healthy mouth. Make sure you softly brush all the surfaces of your teeth.

Next on the list is flossing daily: a simple daily flossing between teeth clears away plaque before it can cause damage and can also clean plaque at the gum line. Plaque is known to reach the spaces between teeth.

Also, evading a trip to the dentist is probably not a great idea. Let’s say you brush and floss daily. You’re still at risk for plaque. With time, the plaque hardens and turns into tartar. Consider visiting your general dentist at least twice a year or as recommended by your dentist, and you have a lower chance of getting cavities or losing your teeth while wearing braces.

You’ll also want to stop avoiding those fruits and veggies. Believe it or not, there are foods out there that play a key role in keeping plaque off our teeth. They include apples, carrots, cucumbers and other raw fruits and vegetables. You can still eat these types of fruits and veggies if you have braces, but be sure to cut them up into bite sized pieces to avoid breaking off brackets.

Finally, before you pick up that candy bar, remember to not give in to your sweet tooth. Consuming sugary drinks or eating candy or other junk food allows sugar to stick to our teeth. The bacteria, then, becomes plaque, which turns into acid and damages our teeth. Avoiding these five bad habits keeps your plaque in check and your mouth as healthy as can be during your orthodontic treatment with Dr. Ron Wilson and Dr. Svetlana Lekht. If you have any questions, give us a call or ask us on Facebook!

"Over the years technology has evolved more than ever and it allows us here at Wilson Orthodontics to connect with our patients on a whole other level. The internet has changed our practice by being able to advertise everything we have to offer in a more efficient way. Patients can go to our website to be more informed about us before they even come in. We also now have ways to connect with everyone through social networking such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and more. Technology has advanced in so many ways and it will continue to help us expand our office."

~ Flavius Ticarat

Summer has flown by and now we are looking forward to the beautiful colors and cooler days of fall here at Wilson Orthodontics, serving the Gainesville, Cleveland, Hoschton/Braselton, Oakwood, Flowery Branch, Dahlonega, and surrounding Georgia areas.

As usual, summer was a very busy time at Wilson Orthodontics. We all worked hard to accommodate our patients' needs during their “off” time, and to fit everyone into the schedule before school started. We love taking the first week of school off, just to recuperate from our busy summer, and then it is onto autumn. The fall season is a great time to get things done that have been put off during the fun summer months, so we will be busy catching up. The holidays will be right around the corner and our office will be as busy as ever as we try to fit in treatment before the end of the year! It’s a cycle that never ends, which we love!

~ Si Morris, Treatment Coordinator

To me Thanksgiving is a time of reflections and to count our many blessings. I am most thankful to God, family, friends, good health and my job. There is nothing sweeter than the smells of our Thanksgiving dinner, the sharing of our family and friends. Fall is such a wonderful time of year, the crisp air and the beautiful changes of color in our land. This brings renewal to the spirit of life. Here at Wilson Orthodontics we are particularly thankful for our wonderful and dedicated patients. You are a blessing to our office of employees. We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, a safe and healthy holiday.

This year brings new additions to our family and office. Dr. and Mrs. Wilson welcome their brand new baby daughter, Lilly-Kate! She is absolutely beautiful and such a joyous blessing to our family. Secondly we have renovated our office with a new waiting room area, web cafe and charity spa along with many other surprises. The changes can be viewed on our website at www.WilsonBraces.com. It is Awesome! We are very proud of our new additions and invite you to visit with us.

Finally, but not least we welcome our newest employee, Debbie Brown! Debbie will be our new patient coordinator and will enjoy working in her new surroundings. We offer the latest technology in our new patient rooms. Dr. Wilson and Debbie will enjoy meeting you and making your new patient visit pleasant and informative.

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving,

Linda Boss and the entire Wilson Orthodontics team

Hey parents! Focusing on your kids' teeth and oral health so much that you're neglecting your own? If you've been thinking wistfully about having your own set of perfect teeth, our staff at Wilson Orthodontics can help! We are specialized in an adult-friendly option for straightening teeth called Invisalign.

This course of treatment consists of a set of clear aligners that are molded to fit your teeth using a proprietary technology. You wear them all day and night, except for meals, brushing, and flossing – when you can easily slip them out to make eating and cleaning a snap!

Because they're clear, your teeth will be steadily straightening – and no one will know it but you!

Please give us a call to set up a consultation, so we can discuss the specifics of your treatment.

With summer almost over we receive a great amount of calls from parents who are in a panic, telling us "We have to start before the school year starts!" We wanted to express the importance to give your orthodontist a call even before summer break begins. We try to accommodate everyone's needs, and offer special days worked into our schedule at the end of summer break to place the braces. We also offer free consultations where you are given the fees and breakdown of the treatment, so that you are able to plan for orthodontics in your budget ahead of time! If we see you in May we can schedule you to begin in August, but we don't have to place the orthodontic appliances within any certain time. So call early get started and started back to school with a new "TIN GRIN".

From Cheryl Poole, Front Office Coordinator at Wilson Orthodontics

Four of our lucky patients are going to win big this summer. The Wilson Orthodontics' "Summer Photo Contest" is still running, but you only have 2 weeks left to enter! Submit your best summer photo on our web site at contest.wilsonbraces.com

The fabulous prizes include:

• An Apple iPad

• A Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer

• A Sony Digital Picture Frame

• A Be Digital Pocket Pix digital picture storage and viewing device

Submit your entry today, we want you all to have a chance at winning!

Good luck and best summer wishes!

-Dr. Wilson and Ortho Team!

Each orthodontic patient has unique needs and wants for the treatment customized for them. There are many questions that new patients ask such as, "What is involved in fixing my teeth?,  How much is this going to cost?,  Do you accept insurance?, and most importantly, How long will I have to wear my braces?  We have a complementary exam available to all patients. We will go over all of these answers with you and answer any additional questions you may have. We are very thorough and will be happy to  take the time it takes to make you feel comfortable. There is no such thing as a dumb question, so ask away!
Current patients  have many questions as well. Some of them are, "What are we going to do today?,  Is this going to hurt?  How do you put the braces on?  How long will this appointment going to take? " I always take the time to talk to the patients and make them feel welcome. I like to greet them with a smile and ask them how they re doing.  After I seat them, I then will ask them about school, sports,  work, hobbies etc., just to make them feel more comfortable if they are nervous or feeling anxious.  I also explain to them exactly what we will be doing step by step so they know what to expect.
No matter what , we will always treat our patients with  the kindness and respect they deserve and have come to expect.

--Shannon Hicks, Chairside Assistant at Wilson Orthodontics

Using floss is essential in preventing gum disease and in daily maintaining oral health at large. Using a toothbrush to clean teeth is a wonderful first step in caring for your mouth, but toothbrush bristles cannot reach in between the tight spaces of teeth to effectively remove trapped food and bacteria film. Oral bacteria, left untouched will harden into tartar, a substance that can only be removed by dental professionals.

As these severe (and largely preventable) conditions take place, the early stage of gum disease know as gingivitis can manifest itself in the form of swollen bleeding gum tissue. The decay-causing plaque will not only continue to attach the tooth enamel, but it can also continue to irritate the gums causing them to pull away from the teeth, forming pockets filled with more bacteria and destroying the bone around the teeth altogether. Now there's a lovely image! And to think, effective flossing could have removed that plaque in the beginning.

I recommend Oral-B Floss threaders or Crest Glide. You can use the floss threaders to help you guide your floss, which makes things easier, especially when you are in orthodontic treatment. Using a Water Pic or a Bryton Pic can also be very helpful. While flossing may be a nuisance, Try to at least floss once a day. It's better than the alternative: losing your teeth!

--Michele Bellew, Chairside Assistant at Wilson Orthodontics
　

With warm weather and longer days, many of our patients will be involved in summertime sports and activities. Knowing how to keep your teeth safe if very important while participating in these things.

If you should get hit in the mouth and a tooth gets knocked out, the first thing you want to do is either put it back in place, put in under your tongue, or put it in a glass of milk. Call your dentist or go to the emergency room.

Protecting your teeth with a mouth guard is highly recommended while playing any sports. Should I wear one if I have braces or any type of appliance on? Absolutely! Not only will it help protect your appliance, but the inside of your mouth as well.

Be sure to drink plenty of water so you will stay hydrated, and try to stay away from sports drinks due to the sugar content.

Have fun and play safe!

-Margie Boyd, Receptionist at Wilson Orthodontics

Congratulations to the winners for the Wilson Orthodontics' Video Contest, and thank you to everyone for their participation:
1st place (Flip Mino HD): If You Choose Wilson Orthodontics You Won't Be Sorry by Claire Stephens

2nd place ($100 Best Buy Gift Certificate): How to Take Care of Your Braces by Morgan Helton

3rd place (...$50 Best Buy Gift Certificate): Dr. Wilson is the Bomb Diggedy, Yo! by Maggie Reeves and kids

While the video contest is over, we are excited to announce our next contest, the "Where in the World Are Our Patients?" Photo Contest. We are asking patients to submit their best summer photo for a chance to win one of four amazing prizes, including the grand prize: a 16gb Apple iPad! You can enter on our contest page, and stay tuned for more details and announcements on our Facebook page as well!

We have been receiving some great video contest entries, and we wanted to remind everyone that the contest ends in one week, so there is not much time left to enter! We are offering some very cool prizes, including a Flip Mino HD camera, and gift cards to Best Buy! Check out the latest entries below, and then head to our Contest page to learn how to make your own video entry! Good luck!

At Wilson Orthodontics, we see patients of all ages for their orthodontic care. For either adults, teens or children, the Gainesville and Hoschton communities trust Wilson Orthodontics as their "Hometown Orthodontist"! Check out this video where a few of our teenage patients explain why they enjoy visiting Dr. Wilson and his team. We strive to offer a fun, relaxing environment for our patients and their families, call us today to schedule your free consultation, and see for yourself!

Hear what our patients are saying about us! We love our patients and we do everything we can to make sure they have a good experience as well as a GREAT smile. Just listen to Rhonda and Dani Lacko as they describe their orthodontic experience with Dr. Wilson and the team!

Now that we are into the month of March, all three of the clues to our Video Contest have been revealed on our Facebook Fan Page. If you haven't yet checked them out, head to our fan page now to get all the details. The contest ends on April 30th, and there are some fabulous prizes to win, so get started soon!

-Wilson Orthodontics

Just a reminder for everyone that our video contest has begun. head to our Facebook fan page to get all the details, and watch for the clues we have been announcing each week. We will be announcing a clue next week and the following week, so become a fan and keep checking back!

Have a great weekend everyone!

-Wilson Orthodontics

Keeping your teeth clean is more important than ever when you have braces. Food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and shorter treatment time. Keep plaque at bay with these top ten tips:

One tooth at a time. When you brush, take time with each individual tooth – at least 10 seconds each – and pay careful attention to the spots where your teeth touch your braces.
It’s all about the angles. Brush the tops of your teeth and braces with your brush angled down toward where they meet. Brush the bottoms of your teeth and braces with your brush angled up.
The tooth, the whole tooth, nothing but the tooth. While the front surface of your teeth may seem like the most logical to clean, it’s equally important to clean the inner surface of your teeth (tongue side) as well as the chewing surface. And be sure to clean along your gum line – a key spot for plaque buildup.
Step 1: eat, step 2: clean. While you’re in treatment, it’s important to brush after every meal. Bits of food can easily get caught between braces and teeth, and these food bits interact with bacteria in your mouth to cause decay. The longer food is in contact with your teeth, the greater opportunity for plaque to form. If you are eating somewhere that you can’t brush, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.
Like a Boy Scout, always be prepared. The easiest way to be sure you can brush after every meal is to get in the habit of taking a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you wherever you go. Designate a special container just for your teeth-cleaning tools and keep it in your purse, backpack, or laptop case.
Remove the moving parts. If you have elastic bands or headgear, remove these parts before you brush or floss.
Fluoride is your friend. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Be sure to brush with fluoride toothpaste, and rinse with fluoride mouthwash.
Pointy brushes reach tiny places. Interproximal brushes (sometimes called proxa brushes or interdental brushes) are cone-shaped and come in very handy for reaching spots around your braces that standard brushes can’t.
Find the floss for you. Regular floss works for some patients, but others find it easier to work with a floss threader, which helps you get the floss into tight places. Other patients like an all-in-one product called Superfloss, which comes with a stiff end for easy threading, a spongy section for cleaning wide spaces, and regular floss for narrow spaces.
Make time for the pros. It’s your job to take care of the everyday cleaning. But make sure to visit your dentist regularly while in treatment, to get the deep, thorough cleaning that only a professional can provide.

Hope this helps!

-Dr. Wilson

Dust off those video cameras, and keep a close eye on our Facebook Fan page in the coming weeks, as we are planning another exciting new contest! We will be providing more information soon, but for now, head over to our fan page, become a fan, and post your best guess of what our new contest will be!

If you become a fan of our page on Facebook, you can easily check for updates on this contest and future events, and will get updates automatically! If you don't already have Facebook, create a profile today! its easy, and it is one of the best ways to connect with Dr. Wilson and team online!

All of us at Wilson Orthodontics want to wish you a safe and happy new year!

The whole team at Wilson Orthodontics wanted to wish our orthodontist, Dr. Ron Wilson, a very happy birthday today, and to thank everyone for the birthday wishes on Facebook too!

Have a great weekend!

We are excited to announce that new Damon Clear brackets and Invisalign Teen are now available at Wilson Orthodontics! Have you ever wanted to improve your smile, but don't want everyone to know you are in braces? Now you can, with Damon Clear and Invisalign Teen!

Call our office today at 678-971-2461 to learn more!

Halloween may be long gone, but we wanted to share a few fun photos with you from our Halloween celebrations! Check out all the fun costumes that the Wilson Orthodontics team by heading over to the Wilson Orthodontics Facebook Fan Page.

How was your Halloween? What was your costume? Share a photo or a story by becoming a "fan" and leaving a comment!

This week, Kelly explains a memorable patient at Wilson Orthodontics:

In this field of work you really build a personal relationship with most of your patients because you see them on a regular basis and over a period of a few years. I always will remember this one teenage girl that was a patient in the office, she always had the best time when she came to her appointments and we always look forward to seeing her too.

When it was time to remove her braces she was happy but she cried and just begged me to put them back on, I asked her "why in the world would you want me to do that, you have been waiting for this day for a long time!" She cried and said she wanted them back on because she still wanted to see us! This will always stick with me because we made such a positive impact on her life.

-- Kelly Moore, Chairside Assistant at Wilson Orthodontics

Orthodontic Consultations is the description that fits Dr. Ron Wilson's office the best. Our office is always trying to provide the best orthodontic care to Hall County and encouraging people from all around to come and see us for our advanced Damon System.

Our offices is not only one of the most advanced offices, but, to the kids its one of the coolest offices! We have one of the fastest braces systems which is the Damon System. Patients that come and visit our office and see our slide show, instantly see the dramatic changes people have experienced with this product. With the serious aspects of our office also come the fun side. The kids and parents not only feel welcomed as soon as they come through the door, but they always feel comfortable and at home in our relaxed waiting area, which is another very strong point in choosing Wilson Orthodontics as your hometown orthodontist.

If you've ever visited us at Wilson Orthodontics, you already know that Dr. Wilson and the rest of the team love connecting with their patients. We love the ability to communicate with all of you online too! Besides our web site and our blog, Wilson Orthodontics is on many other networks too!

* Share a video with us, or watch one of ours on YouTube

* Follow our "tweets" on Twitter

* Become a "fan" of Wilson Orthodontics on Facebook

* View and comment on our photos on MySpace

See you around the web!

--Wilson Orthodontics

Its summer here at Wilson Orthodontics, a season full of vacations, adventures and great memories. Whether you are headed to a barbeque, a camping trip, or just having fun in the sun, we want to hear about it! Leave a comment on our blog and tell us about your summer!

Happy Travels,

-From Wilson Orthodontics

Wilson Orthodontics wants to know, where does all that soda pop go?

On average, the typical person consumes over 50 gallons of soda pop per year! The amount of acid and sugar found in a can of soda can cause serious tooth decay and lead to cavities, gum disease, and even tooth loss!

We at Wilson Orthodontics know that you don’t want to lose your teeth, so take the soda pop quiz, presented by the Minnesota Dental Association, and learn more about how to keep your smile healthy.

It’s a fun interactive quiz, so enjoy! From Wilson Orthodontics.

Our wonderful chair side clinical assistant Sonya (above, with her husband) has been working the orthodontic field for over 20 years. She has worked with a ton of different treatments, but says that Damon® System is definitely “tops!” Damon System braces are advertised as “non-extraction, less pain, fewer office visits, no palatal expanders, and beautiful broad smiles.” For Sonya, “it works,” and here’s why:

“My husband is 43 years old and had severe upper and lower crowding. He had wanted to have his teeth straightened, but was very hesitant because he did not want to have extractions. After months of considering and deciding if maybe he should just be okay with the way his teeth were, he finally went with what I knew would be something he would be glad he did. After having the [Damon System] braces for only four months now, you would not believe the change. He has already had fellow employees, family, & friends comment on how straight his teeth are!”

Damon System braces can treat almost any smile! If you’re interested in learning more about the Damon System, please visit our web site, or contact our practice at (770) 536-0882. Have you already had a treatment with Damon System? If so, let us know what you thought! We would love to hear your feedback, and share your experience with others.