Pitner Orthodontics JUNE 2018

3AwesomeDads

FATHERSWHO PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE FOR THEIR KIDS

This Father’s Day,

eagerly donated part of his liver in March of 2015 to save his son’s life.

in Dagestan under the cover of night, flown toTurkey, and crossed into Syria to join ISIS. But

thousands of dads will receive a “No. 1 Dad” mug to sip coffee out of at the office. But the

Greg Alexander battled a bear for his son’s life. While camping in the backcountry of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Greg Alexander was startled awake at dawn by the screams of his 16-year-old son, Gabriel. He rushed out of his hammock to see a black bear dragging his son away by the head. Without hesitation, he kicked the beast in the side, and when that didn’t work, he leapt onto its back and started punching it in the face. When the bear finally released Gabriel, Greg threw rocks until it fled. His son was hurt but made a full recovery in the hospital over the coming weeks. Artur Magomedov saved his daughters from ISIS. Artur Magomedov was devastated to discover that his wife had taken his 3- and 10-year-old daughters from their home

he resolved to get his kids back. After a long, hazardous journey, he arrived inTabqa to embrace his two daughters. To leave the caliphate — under penalty of death — they hitched a ride to the border one night and crawled along a railway line until they were within 70 meters of the border. Then they ran under fire fromTurkish border guards until they could scramble into tall grasses. After some help from the Russian consulate in Istanbul, they made it back home, together again and safe.

following dads took that “No. 1” to a new level.

Brian Munn gave his son a liver

transplant. When doctors discovered that baby Caleb Munn had a rare disease called biliary atresia, they told his parents that he was unlikely to survive past age 2 without a liver

transplant. Luckily, his father was a perfect match, and he

FROM THE OFFICE OF BUSTER

Do Parents Make Brushing Harder for Kids? G’DAY, MATE! parents have been misled into assuming traditional braces are always the best option.

takes a little longer. Meanwhile, if a kid forgets to brush

Buster here, and I’m happy to report that I never forget to brush my teeth — although that might be because my mom, Dr. Leslie Pitner, doesn’t let me forget. Since she’s an orthodontist, she knows how important it is for everyone to clean their teeth regularly. And since I’m a labradoodle who doesn’t have opposable thumbs, my mom has to do all my brushing for me. Parents teach their kids how important it is to brush their teeth, but at the office, I’ve seen a lot of parents accidentally make brushing harder for their kids. I’m talking about braces. Don’t misunderstand — I’m not saying braces are a bad thing. Having crooked teeth can be devastating to a kid’s health and their self- confidence! But sometimes, even if a young patient can fix their teeth with Invisalign,

With traditional braces, kids have brackets and wires glued to their teeth, which can make brushing and flossing really difficult. For this reason, kids with braces tend to slack off about their oral hygiene. This is rarely a problem with Invisalign, which can be quickly removed, allowing young patients to brush and floss with ease.When it comes to keeping your teeth cleaned, Invisalign is a much better option, especially for kids. One big objection parents have to Invisalign is that they are worried their kid will forget to wear the plastic trays. It’s true that, in order for Invisalign to work, you need to wear the aligners for 20–22 hours a day. However, if a kid forgets to wear the aligners enough, your orthodontist can make new aligners and the treatment just

their teeth or doesn’t bother to brush and floss correctly because metal wires and

brackets make it too hard, they could end up with cavities and permanent scars that have a lasting impact on their oral health. If you want to make sure your kid is able to enjoy a beautiful smile and clean teeth, give my mom a call at 803-781-5225 and see if Invisalign is right for your family. And while you’re in the office, don’t forget to say hi. I love saying hi!

2

www.drpitner.com

Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker