Let's Celebrate Memorial Day

Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. (source: History.com)

At Rhode Island Orthodontics we believe it is important to remember and honor those that have served our country. Being that we have patients throughout the West Bay area we want to let you all know where you can celebrate Memorial Day with us.

Memorial Day parades in Rhode Island:

Barrington
When: May 25, 9 a.m.
Where: Lincoln Avenue to Upland Way, Barrington and Maple aves. and County Road.

East Greenwich
When: May 25, 10 a.m.
Where: Academy Field, 111 Peirce St., over to the World War II memorial on Cliff Street, then down Main Street and ending with a ceremony at the town hall. The Leap Frogs US Navy parachute team will jump onto Academy Field to open the parade.

Glocester
When: May 25, 10 a.m.
Where: Chepachet Free Will Baptist Church, Putnam Pike, and continues down Route 44.

North Kingstown
When: May 25, 10 a.m.
Where:  West Main to Brown and Phillips sts., then over to Tower Hill Road for a Memorial Day ceremony at Elm Grove Cemetery. Don't miss a pre-parade concert by the the Lafayette Band in Updike Park. Parade will be canceled in the event of rain.

North Providence
When: May 25, 1 p.m.
Where: North Providence High School, Mineral Spring Avenue, to Douglas Avenue and Governor John A. Notte Jr. Park, where a festival of food vendors, music and more will take place until 6 p.m.

Scituate
When: May 25, 10 a.m.
Where: Berkander Field on Institute Lane to Main Street, Silk Lane and Greenville Road.

South Kingstown
When: May 25, 10 a.m.
Where: Holly Street to Main Street, ending at Saugatucket Park on High Street.

West Greenwich
When: May 25, 1 p.m.
Where: Coventry line, Route 102, to the town hall, where a memorial service will be held directly following the parade.

Westerly
When: May 25, 9:30 a.m.
Where: Pawcatuck Shopping Center, West Broad Street, Connecticut, to Westerly's High Street and Wilcox Park.

For other Memorial Day events in Rhode Island click here.

Mother's Day Sweet Treats

Are you ready for Mother’s Day? One of your Mom’s favorite holidays is only 4 days away! Have you figured out how you’re going to show appreciation for the number 1 lady in your life? Mother’s Day is the when we take time to say “Thank You Mom” in an extra special way. Cards and flowers are just fine, but how about a new way to show Mom you care. Let your mom know she’s the sweetest by serving her a sweet treat. 

Check out these 3 sweet treat recipes for the #1 Mom: (click the dessert name for recipe info)

Chocolate filled Raspberries 

Red Velvet Nutella S’mores 

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake 

These desserts will be great for Mom to enjoy after a day of appreciation. We want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to our patients and parent of patients, we appreciate you all! Let us know how you spent your Mother’s Day, share your photos on our Facebook page!

Ceramic Braces, the Clear Choice

Your smile is an important part of who you are and you want to make sure it looks great. Now that you have decided to perfect your smile you must pick an option that is best for you. Yes, there is more than one option. Technology within the dental world continues to advance, and with advancements your options for treatment is expanding.

Current options:

• Traditional Metal Braces
• Ceramic Braces
• Lingual Braces 
• Invisalign

Which option is the most popular?

We are beginning to see a trend among teens and adults choosing clear ceramic braces.

We are seeing clear braces become more and more popular among young adults, and now you can take the clear route at Rhode Island Orthodontic Group with Dr. John S. Kacewicz. Dr. Kacewicz is now offering Clarity Ceramic Brackets. Clarity Ceramic Brackets work like traditional metal braces, but they are better. Ceramic braces blend in with your teeth for a less noticeable look during treatment. “They are the perfect combination of strength and beauty.”


Benefits include:

• Less noticeable than metal braces 
• Designed to blend into the natural tooth color
• Resistant to staining and discoloration
• Brackets are very comfortable
• Brackets are made of innovative new ceramic materials

Want braces but not feeling the metal look? Going for a discreet look during treatment? Try clear braces! Give Dr. John S. Kacewicz a call at 401-884-6500 to further discuss the clear option.

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22nd. This day is used to spread environmental awareness and show support for environmental protection. The Earth and its natural resources are important to allowing all living organism, from plants to humans, to thrive in the world. However, the environment isn’t going to protect itself. We must take action to make sure Earth is in a clean and healthy state. Since Earth Day was launched in 1970 we have made process with legal acts being put in place to support environmental safety.

Here are 5  Earth Day Facts (Source: dosomething.org)

• Earth Day originated in the US but became recognized worldwide by 1990.

• On Earth Day 2009, Disney released a documentary film called Earth that followed the migration paths of four animal families.

• Every year on April 22, men, women, and children collect garbage, plant trees, clean up coral reefs, show movies, sign petitions, and plan for a better future for our planet.

• Some schools and communities celebrate Earth Day for a whole week to expand the time frame that people focus on the earth and how they can preserve it.

• On Earth Day 2012, more than 100,000 people rode bikes in China to reduce CO2 emissions and save fuel.

Let’s celebrate this Earth Day by "Going Green". Going green simply means implementing certain lifestyle changes designed to help you live in a more eco-friendly way. It means becoming more environmentally aware and changing your behavior and lifestyle to reduce the amount of pollution and waste you generate.

Every little action you take to protect the Earth helps, start today and help save the planet. To learn more about Earth Day visit Earthday.org

April is National Facial Protection Month!

National Facial Protection Month focuses on spreading awareness about the importance of protecting children and adults from oral and facial injuries. Many injuries that do occur during sporting activities could have been prevented had the proper protective gear had been worn. An estimated 12 million people between the ages of 5 and 22 years suffer a sport-related injury annually.  A recently published study by the University of Alabama at Birmingham analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a database of injuries treated at hospital emergency departments, for the period 2001-2008. Researchers found the five most common causes of childhood injuries were, in order of frequency, basketball, football, bicycling, playgrounds and soccer.

For our patients we want to remind you that it is important for you to protect your mouth during treatment. For protection you must wear a mouth guard. A mouth guard can help prevent injury to the teeth, mouth and even jaw. Mouth guards are made of flexible material that is fitted to protect your upper and lower teeth. You can buy a stock mouth guard or get a custom guard made. The right fit mouth guard will act as cushions protecting your mouth from hits and preventing serious injury.

To learn more about National Facial Protection Month please visit AAOMS.org

Easter Day Fun!

Bunnies and eggs popping up everywhere, well that’s because Easter Day is coming. Easter is this Sunday, April 5th and with the beautiful weather that spring has brought on it is a perfect time to get outside with your family and get involved in Easter themed activities.

Easter Day activities are fun for kids, but can bring joy to the family as a whole. And the great part about these activities is that you can pick up supplies at your local store for a round of DIY fun!

Here are 3 EGG-cellent Do It Yourself activities:

Dying Eggs
Traditionally eggs are off-white, but with beautiful colors blossoming from nature why not add a little life and color to our eggs on this holiday. The main things you need are eggs are food coloring. For detailed instructions on dying eggs click here.

Easter Egg Hunting
The day of Easter is the perfect time to invite family and friends over so kids can enjoy a fun-filled Easter egg hunt. What you’ll need is plastic eggs and mini treats. You’ll need to put the treats inside the plastic eggs, after you fill the eggs it is time to strategically hide the eggs in your yard. Let the kids run wild and find the hidden eggs. To make the hunt more fun you can pick a grand prize for the child who finds the most eggs!

Bunny Crafts
Since Easter is synonymous with bunnies having your kids create bunny crafts can be fun! Here are some ideas for bunny crafts.

Click here for more fun ideas

Share your Easter day fun with us on Social Media:

Post pictures on our Facebook wall
Tag us on Instagram @RIOrtho #RIortho
or Tweets Us @PoserOrtho

Develop Good Habits Early

Are you looking to get the kids in your household excited about oral hygiene? Well we have some great tips for you.

Although it is not recommended that children see an Orthodontist until age 7, children should begin a oral health routine by age 3. If your child does need to receive orthodontic treatment when they are older is it best that we are to able to work on healthy teeth and gums.

Here are a few tips:

Listen to fun songs that promote brushing: Kids love a catchy songs, search YouTube for fun songs like "Teach Me How to Brushy".

Play oral health related mobile apps: Mobile gaming applications like "Toothsavers" promote healthy brushing habits as kids work to save a fairy tale kingdom.

DIY Home activities: There are many fun activities that you create with kids to promote habits like flossing. Colgate has a site dedicated to family activities, click here.

Character themed dental products: Oral B has introduced new Frozen themed toothbrushes and toothpaste! This a great way to get kids excited about oral hygiene.

Lead by example: Brush with your child and show them the proper way to brush their teeth for two minutes, two times a day.

For more information on oral hygiene and early treatment visit our site riortho.com