May birthdays were a blast!

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Happy birthday

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Happy birthday 〰️

 
 

happy birthday

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happy birthday 〰️

 

Dr. Foss got his gluten free cupcakes (made by our patient’s mom for extra bonus!) to celebrate him! Shayla had her party with us and then enjoyed her own garden party at home where everyone showed her just how fun and loved she is. Ms. Yvette has been celebrating with us for 20 years so we had to do something super special and got her “Golden Girls” birthday decor in addition to a yummy ice cream cake! Happy Birthday May babies!!!

Summer Hydration

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May is such an exciting month with school being almost out and summer starting! If it wasn’t for the crazy heat… we would be in heaven! But we do live in Houston so we need to think about how to keep our kids both active and healthy all summer long. HYDRATION IN THE KEY!!! Keeping the kids hydrated during football, soccer, and other summery outdoor activities is important.  As you probably can guess, we dentists are not fans of Gatorades or other sports drinks.  They have around 10 teaspoons of sugar and acidity close to battery acid.  Those two factors together are a perfect recipe for dental cavities.  Acid penetrates the enamel and makes the environment of the mouth friendly for cavity making bacteria.  Sugar is the fuel for the bacteria to make acid that dissolves enamel of the teeth causing cavities.  And that’s just the teeth! There is also a close relationship of these drinks to childhood obesity, sugar highs and crashes causing mood swings and behavior issues, as well as over-activity of the other systems of the body.   So, what is good for little teeth and your bodies?  WATER is!  Flavored waters are fine as long as they have no sugar added.  Leave the Gatorade and its electrolytes only for those activities that truly need the replacement such as any difficult aerobic activity that takes longer than 90 minutes.  If you kids are running marathons, then Gatorade is needed during the run!  But if they are playing a 60-minute game of soccer, water will be plenty sufficient to rehydrate them in a healthy manner! Electrolytes can be gained in other non sugary ways with sugar free powders that can be dissolved in water. Watery fruits such as watermelons can also be helpful. But mostly carry a water around anytime you are outside and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

We Love Giving Back to our Community!

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Teacher Appreciation Week is here!!!

Happy Teachers’ Appreciation Week!
From all of us at Heights Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for the incredible work you do every day. Every kiddo that comes through our door has a favorite teacher, coach, or counselor that has made such a difference in his or her life!

We know that behind every bright smile is a caring teacher who encourages, educates, and empowers. Thank you for making such a positive impact in our community. We hope that the treats we shower you with this week will keep your tummy happy and your smiles big and bright all year long!

Thank you for being wonderful!!!

APRIL Employee of the Month!

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Introducing our latest

Employee of the Month, Miss Gaby!

She is one of our fabulous patient coordinators! You might hear her lovely voice on the phone when you first call our office! You might have her explain your little one’s treatment plan. Or you might chat with her about your insurance questions. Either way Gaby is fabulous, she works very hard, and she always has a smile on her face and helpful hand to lend to our patients, parents, and her team mates. Her nomination this month is very well deserved!

We Love Giving Back to our Community!

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On April 12th, the HPDO team was a sponsor at the 3rd Annual Halbert Fest!

We love being a part of our community and sponsor neighborhood events. You can often see our team present at school events, festivals, fundraisers and other events in the area. Please come say HI!!! We love seeing our patients out and about and we absolutely love meeting new friends!

 

Latest Office Contest Winner!

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Congratulations to our Texas Contest Winner, Blanca!

 

We are truly thankful for all the wonderful dental offices we get to work with in the Heights!

Here’s some of the fun contests and deliveries we get to share with them. Dr. Zilberman’s office, Heights Dental Smiles, got to enjoy some treats for winning our contest!

March Employee of the Month!

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Introducing our latest Employee of the Month, Miss Yvette!

Congratulations to Miss Yvette! She has been with HPDO since the very start and has worked with Dr. Lindhorst for almost 20 years! She is the face you see at all the festivals and school presentations. She is also the mama bear for our team and patients. Needless to say we wouldn’t be the same without her!

Ms. Yvette

February Employee of the Month!

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It’s time to announce our February Employee of the Month!!!

Congratulations to our newest employee, our fun loving assistant, and our amazing hard worker. She is learning both orthodontic and pediatric dental part of the business. She is always loving on our patients and has been such a great addition to our team. We truly enjoy her being here and we hope you do too!

Congratulations Alma!!!

Way to go!!! We love our team at HPDO!

ALMA! Our newest superhero!

Thankful to all our partners in referrals

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We think that teamwork is dreamwork! We could not see all our patients alone. Our doctors work very closely with many other healthcare providers. We often talk to pediatricians about recommendations for specific treatments, discuss airway, breathing, and sleep disorders, ask for recommendations on sedation options, discuss emotional challenges and best approaches to our dental care, and seek overall advice to make dental care comprehensive and easy for our kiddos!

We truly appreciate all the pediatricians, physicians, ENTs, cardiologists, therapists, feeding specialists, myofunctional therapists, lactation consultants and other professionals working with us!

Thankful for all of them and for sharing information and learning more every day! We try to show them our appreciation by showering them with goodies here and there. Here is part of Blue Fish Pediatrics team that supports us and helps us give better care to our wonderful patients!

THANK YOU!!!

Let's talk about THUMB SUCKING!

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Thumb sucking is a natural and comforting behavior that many babies and young children engage in. It’s often part of their early developmental stages providing them with a way to self-soothe. The behavior may become a concern if it persists as the child grows older. It can potentially lead to dental issues such as misalignment of the teeth, narrow jaw development, airway patency concerns, and sometimes affects speech development.

Some children stop thumb sucking on their own by age 3 or 4, but many need help from parents and health professionals. In our practice we start working with kids and parents to wean them off the habit at three years of age. Here are our recommendations on step by step approach:

  1. Positive Reinforcement: Offer praise and rewards when the child refrains from sucking his or her thumb. We provide charts that can help kids achieve daily rewards. We also encourage parents to praise kids abundantly and to bring them to our office for big prizes when completely weaned off. Here is a link to our free and printable charts. https://www.heightspedoortho.com/charts

open bite due to thumb sucking

2. Distractions: If thumb sucking is related to a specific comfort items (like a stuffed animal or blanket), remove them from child’s reach at vulnerable times such as watching TV, car rides, or sleeping. Meantime introduce other soothing techniques such as deep breathing or a calming activity.

example of a thumb guard

3. Physical barriers: If thumb sucking continues beyond the age of 4, try using band aids, gloves, Malvala nail polish, or other physical “thumb guards” to help kids remember not to put the thumb in their mouths.

4. Dental thumb appliance: If all else fails, our team can fabricate custom fitted mouth guard that will be temporarily glued on molars in order to help kids quit the habit completely. It blocks the thumb from creating the suction with the palate, which is the feeling kids crave. These appliances are easy to wear and do not inflict any pain or harm. We recommend wearing them for 6 months in order to ensure full success.

Feel free to call us anytime you have questions about how to help your little one with stopping thumb sucking habit. We know it is a journey and many of our doctors and team members struggled with this issue with our own kids. We have personal experience as well as resources to help our families!

dentist made thumb appliance

Contest Winner

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Contest winner!

We love our patients and their sweet ways to welcome the New Year! Our New Year’s Resolutions contest lasted all January long and we’ve see so many great ways our patients want to welcome 2025! But all good things come to an end so we finally drew our winner!

NICO you’re the one! Nico’s resolution for 2025 is to BRUSH CLOSER TO HIS GUMS AND FLOSS! Way to go Nico. We certainly support this idea :)

What is Swim Stain?

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Swim staining, commonly known as "swimmer’s stain," refers to discoloration of teeth after prolonged exposure to chlorinated water. This staining can be yellowish, brownish or greenish in color and can range from mild to severe. It commonly affects competitive swimmers, recreational swimmers or just swimmers who spend a lot of time in pool water. Chlorine, while essential for keeping pool water clean and free from bacteria, can lower the pH of the water. Highly acidic water increases the likelihood of enamel erosion, which allows staining agents to penetrate the surface of the teeth more easily. Many pools contain metals like copper and iron, often used in algaecides or other cleaning treatments. These metals can bind to the enamel on your teeth, leading to a greenish or brownish discoloration. This is particularly common in pools with poor filtration systems or those that are not regularly maintained. Dry mouth can make enamel more susceptible to damage, so swimmers who also breathe through their mouth instead of their nose, have less saliva production. Less saliva means less protection of the teeth. While staining is the most common noticeable problem, teeth can also appear dull, less glossy or even feel rougher due to the enamel being worn down.

How can you prevent swim stain?

1) Brush your teeth before swimming. This will help remove the plaque or biofilm on the surface of the teeth, and help minimize the amount of chlorine or chemicals that stick to your teeth. Using fluoridated toothpaste helps to prevent tooth decay and protect enamel from acidic breakdown. You can also use a tartar control or whitening toothpaste that has gentle abrasives for helping remove surface stains and specific ingredients that help break down the stains on your teeth.

2) Rinse your mouth with fresh water before and after swimming, and drink water during breaks. This will help keep your mouth hydrated, promote saliva production and minimize the amount of time chlorine or chemicals are exposed to your teeth.

3) Check the chlorine and chemical levels. Make sure the pool water is tested, well-maintained, filtered appropriately, and has a healthy balanced pH.

4) Visit your dentist more frequently for professional dental cleanings. We can use professional dental abrasive pumice and polishing systems to keep the teeth clean, smooth and polished.

If you have noticed swim stain, would like to know more or want to schedule your child for an appointment for a dental cleaning, give us a call at 713-861-4000!