Choosing the Best for your Child

Parents want was is best for their kids, that is a fact. Of course they want them to have a healthy smile but the main reason they seek care is that they want them to look great. Straight teeth, no spacing or over-lapping is generally what is expected. Great! The trick comes with choosing the right doctor to accomplish this, and the choices are seemingly endless. There is however a misconception that all doctors with a license can accomplish the same results.
 
Not all dentists are orthodontists. An orthodontist is a specialist with intensive training after dental school to learn the details of the complex biological system we will call a "bite". Just as a specialist in the medical field, such as an orthopedist and a dermatologist, deal with their specific part of the body, an orthodontist limits his practice exclusively to orthodontic care.

Dr. DiCiccio is an orthodontic specialist. He has been specially trained to see past your child's six crooked front teeth and see their bite three dimensionally. He uses his extensive knowledge to put together an individualized plan to create a beautiful, yet healthy and stable bite. Dr. DiCiccio is able to visualize how your child's smile should look at the end of treatment and then coordinate all of the variables that go into achieving that outcome.

Dr. DiCiccio also has a private, single-doctor practice. The benefit of this  is that  Dr. DiCiccio and his team see fewer patients each day than a larger, multi-doctor or clinic type practice. This allows them the time to create a very specific, individualized treatment plan to insure great results for your child's specific needs. They have flexibility at each appointment to do what it takes to "get things right". Achieving a great result does take more time than just doing an average job.

Sure, you want your child to have a dazzling smile, we want that too! Your child deserves the best—a dazzling smile with stable, long-lasting results. The orthodontist you choose does make a difference.

What's in a Smile?

A smile can convey all sorts thing. Ever hear the saying..."A smile is worth a thousand words"? A smile can convey friendliness, show compassion, create laughter, and even the devious side of a person. While we know how to read smiles and gauge their meaning, does the real secret lie in teeth themselves? Did you know the different shapes of the teeth suggest personality types?

Analyzing Your Teeth

The two front teeth, or the incisors, show a person’s age. Generally, the younger you are the more rectangular and rounded the corners of your incisors are. As you age, your front teeth become squarer and the corners begin to shorten.

Next to your incisors are your lateral incisors, which indicate gender. More feminine lateral incisors are slightly shorter and more rounded at the ends. The womanly look is referred to as a “gull-wing” silhouette. More masculine lateral incisors are almost the same size as central incisors and more squared.

Cuspids, or the teeth to the immediate left of your lateral incisors, show aggressiveness versus passivity. More pointy canines indicate more aggressive and powerful personalities. People with a more passive nature typically have flattened canines that are rounded at the tip of cuspids. 

Not only does the shape of the teeth reveal your personality but the straightness and health of the teeth say something as well. An individual with a bright, beautiful smile is going to have a healthier self-image and greater self-confidence. It's not a secret that someone with greater self-confidence will be more energetic and go further in life. Dr. Pat DiCiccio and team love helping to create beautiful smiles and improve the self-confidence of their patients.

You can't change your personality! You are who you are. But by doing what you can to straighten your teeth and taking care to keep them healthy with good oral hygiene, you will certainly go a long way toward keeping a positive self-image and making you who you want to be.

Committed...PROVE IT!

Have you noticed that when you are fully committed to something...whether it is a cause, a goal or even a relationship that you become bold, decisive, gutsy and unstoppable? 

When you are committed, you have lots of energy and are driven by a strong sense of purpose to achieve what you want. You unlock the doors of your imagination, your vision expands and your creativity is boundless.

There are two fundamental conditions for commitment. The first is having a set of beliefs. As the old saying goes, "Stand for something or you'll fall for anything." The second is sticking to those beliefs with your actions. Possibly the best description of commitment is "persistence with a purpose".

All of us at DiCiccio Orthodontics are committed to making your experience at our office reach far beyond your expectations. We are committed to delivering excellent customer service and providing outstanding patient care. We care about our work and the work of each of our team members. Each day, we show up and we make a commitment to each other and to our patients to have fun, to be engaged and to put our commitment into action.

Please share your experience of our commitment here and with anyone who might be be in need of our services. If you aren't a patient and would like to be...give us a call at (559) 225-2251.  We would love to put our commitment into action for you!

What's the WORD?

We are taking our mission statement to a whole new level...have you noticed?

Our mission statement is important to us at DiCiccio Orthodontics.  It reflects not only our commitment to each other but also our commitment to our patients.
Starting this week, you will notice each team member wearing a colored ribbon corresponding to one of the 10 key points in our mission statement. We wear these ribbons as a reminder of our commitment!

POSITIVE ATTITUDE is our first ribbon and we would like to share this week's winning story...

One of our dear families lost their father/husband very recently this past year. It was very unexpected and rather sudden. We were all very saddened by the loss and it's nearness to the holidays made it that much worse. With the approach of the holidays, this amazing family had the choice to sit at home and mourn their loss, which they would have had every right to do, but instead they chose to make a difference for someone else. They helped 15 other families decorate and prepare for the holidays. Their Positive Attitude made a huge difference in the lives of many other people and allowed them to celebrate as well.

We look forward to sharing the rest of our mission statement with you in the coming weeks. Feel free to ask us what each of the words or phrases mean to us or tell us your story!

Earlier this year we posted a blog which included our mission statement...if you are interested in reading the entire mission statement, check out the link below:
http://diciccioorthodontics.blogspot.com/2011/07/our-commitment-to-you.html

Project 365

If you were going to do one thing everyday for an entire year, 

what would it be?

I don't just mean brush your teeth, comb your hair or sleep. I mean something that could change your life or the lives of others.

Our team at DiCiccio Orthodontics challenge you to find your passion for 2012. Let's call it Project 365! Find something you enjoy doing and decide how you can use that to make life better for someone else. Maybe you like to take pictures? Maybe you are passionate about food? Or maybe you just like to smile?

The world is in your hands, so take hold and see what you can do with it! The possibilities are endless.

Give the Gift of a Smile

Until December 31st, Dr. Pat DiCiccio is donating $1.00 for every new LIKE to the DiCiccio Orthodontics Facebook page back to the Smile For a Lifetime-Fresno/Clovis Chapter. Visit our page and give us a LIKE.

Help us spread the word...Applications are now being accepted for qualified kids 11-17 years of age, who live in Fresno or Clovis, California. For qualification guidelines and the application, please visit our website at www.DiCiccioOrtho.com. Our next board meeting is scheduled for January 10th to determine our next scholarship recipients.

                   

Just a reminder...our office will close December 21 at 4:00 PM and reopen January 4 at 8:00 AM. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday!!

Happy Holidays from all of us at DiCiccio Orthodontics!

Tis the Season

Feeling in the holiday spirit yet? It is difficult not to get caught up in the "hustle and bustle" and forget the true meaning of the season which is to look outside ourselves and do something for someone else. All of us at DiCiccio Orthodontics would like to challenge you to take the spirit of the season and carry it with you throughout the coming year. Simple acts of kindness don't cost you a thing but they are priceless (to both the giver and the receiver!). "You don’t need more money to smile more at everyone, or to send thank you note, or to do the little things that let people know they are loved and appreciated", so simply stated by Joan Garbo in her recent blog post.

Feel free to share ideas of simple acts of kindness you are going do to help carry on the spirit throughout the coming year. Wouldn't it be great to have 365 ideas...one for each day next year? We can't wait to start compiling the list.