How did you celebrate your 4th of July?

In Honor of America's birthday, we'd like to hear about how you spent The 4th of July. We'd love to see your fun photos and how you spent the day. Our team thought it would be fun to share some facts about the history of our Independence Day.
Fun Facts: • Betsy Ross, according to legend, sewed the first American flag in May or June 1776, as commissioned by the Congressional Committee. • The major objection to being ruled by Britain was taxation without representation. The colonists had no say in the decisions of English Parliament. • The word ‘patriotism’ comes from the Latin patria, which means ‘homeland’ or ‘fatherland.’ • The first public Fourth of July event at the White House occurred in 1804.

Do we have your current contact info?

There is nasty weather ahead this fall and winter here in Colorado! Please help us get prepared by calling us and letting us know if you have any new phone numbers or if your contact information has changed!

At times of power outages and bad weather, we need to be able to get a hold of you. Please contact us at (303) 841-5500 with any updates to phone numbers and addresses, so we may be able to reach you. Thank you and Happy Holidays from Dr. Collins and our entire team at Parker Orthodontics!

"Hey Dr. Collins! What's the deal with retainers?"

If you recently completed treatment at Parker Orthodontics, we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Dr. Jeff Collins will provide—or has provided you at this point—with your own set of retainers.

After braces are removed, your teeth may shift out of position if they are not stabilized. Our team at Parker Orthodontics, however, will always tell you that retainers help provide that stabilization. They are designed to hold teeth in their corrected, ideal positions until the bones and gums adapt to the treatment changes.

Wearing retainers exactly as instructed by Dr. Collins is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime. To learn more about the advantages of wearing retainers after your orthodontic treatment with Dr. Collins, please read this helpful article about retainers from KidsHealth. You may also give us a call!

Year-end insurance reminder from Dr. Collins

Now that holiday season is almost upon us, we wanted to send you a friendly reminder to take full advantage of any flex spend, health savings or insurance benefits that you may have before the end of the year. Our team at Parker Orthodontics realize enrollment deadlines are sometimes a concern. If so, please call our office.

And don't forget ... October marks National Orthodontic Health Month! Straight teeth are important because they are functional, letting you chew and digest food that your body can use. Straight teeth are easier to clean and floss, preventing bacteria from collecting in your mouth. Straight teeth look great in addition to these other positive qualities.

We recommend an initial evaluation of patients at age 7. Dr. Collins can evaluate your child's dental growth and follow their development.

Dr. Jeffrey Collins, Practicing Orthodontics For 25 Years!

This last Wednesday, July 6th, the Parker Orthodontics team celebrated Dr. Jeffrey Collins being in practice for 25 YEARS!!!

Our team would like to tell Dr. Collins: YOU'RE THE BEST!!

If you'd like to congratulate Dr. Collins or share a great moment that you have had with Dr. Collins and our team, please post your comments on our Facebook page.

Dr. Collins and Team attend the 2011 American Association of Orthodontists Annual Session in Chicago

To better serve our patients at Parker Orthodontics with the highest quality orthodontic care available, our entire team is committed to continuing education into the exciting world of orthodontics.

One of the ways we improve our service is by attending conferences, meetings and seminars. Dr. Jeff Collins and staff attended the 2011 American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Annual Session in Chicago that took place May 13th-17th. The AAO Annual Session is an educational event that is one of the largest orthodontic conventions in the world – and one that allows us to consult with orthodontists and current partners from around the country and stay up-to-date on all the latest technologies and orthodontic treatment options available. This, in turn, allows us to give you the best treatment experience possible.

If you’ve got an appointment scheduled with us soon, we invite you to ask Dr. Collins about his Chicago trip, including what we learned and how continuing education and acquisition of new technology helps us treat you more effectively.

Visit our Facebook Page to check out our photos from the event.

Braces-Friendly Recipe: Watermelon Sorbet

With the weather starting to heat up, what would be better than a cold (braces-friendly) treat? You're in luck! Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) have just the thing for you. Below you'll find the complete recipe for Watermelon Sorbet. Enjoy!

Watermelon Sorbet

Ingredients

¾ cup water
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 to 3 cups watermelon, diced, no seeds or rind

Directions
In a small saucepan, heat the water, sugar, and lime juice on medium high for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Chill this “syrup” at least 20 minutes. In the meantime, place the watermelon chunks in a food processor or blender and liquefy them. Add the chilled syrup to the watermelon puree and blend. Freeze sorbet in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve immediately.

-Dr. Jeff Collins and team

Vote for Parker Orthodontics in the 2011 Best of Parker

The team at Parker Orthodontics is committed to providing you with an outstanding orthodontic experience. With state-of-the-art technology in a comfortable, friendly environment, we look forward to helping you achieve the beautiful, confident smile you have always wanted.

Votes are now being accepted for the 2011 Best of Parker and we would like to ask you for your support. To vote, CLICK HERE and enter "Dr. Jeffrey Collins" in the box labeled Orthodontist in the Medical, Health & Wellness section.

Thank you so much for you continued confidence in Parker Orthodontics. We hope you visit our office soon!

Visualize your new smile with the Brace Painter!

Braces at Parker Orthodontics are more fun than ever! With the Brace Painter, parents and children are able to “paint their braces,” and visualize how teeth will look with different colors of bands.

The Brace Painter allows for you to select different colors, and then assign those colors of bands to certain teeth. Now, you can visualize your braces before you even come in for your appointment!

As always, please let Dr. Jeff Collins know if you have any questions about the Brace Painter, or your orthodontic treatment at Parker Orthodontics. Have a great week!

What’s on your reading list?

With the school year close to winding down for a lot of our patients at Parker Orthodontics, we wanted to remind all our patients about the importance of reading. Sure it’s easy to keep putting off reading this time of year, but reading is a vital step in brain development and literacy. And if you needed any more reason to read, May marks “Get Caught Reading Month.”

Today, we thought we’d ask: What's on YOUR reading list? What are some of your all-time favorites? Out of ideas for great reads? Ask us for suggestions, and Dr. Jeffrey Collins and our team would be happy to provide a few. You may also ask a local librarian for some ideas on what to read next!

Happy reading! Be sure to share with us your book picks or your all-time favorite novels or literature on our Facebook page!

Parker Orthodontics, Taking Steps to Reduce Our Environmental Impact

We are living in an age with a renewed commitment to conservation, and are frequently reminded to recycle, reduce and reuse. Today is Earth Day, and we thought this would a great time to discuss the things that Parker Orthodontics does to conserve our natural resources and the environment.

Did you know that we offer patients account access 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Our office has convenient and secure online services with Sesame 24-7™. Patients can also receive appointment reminders through email or text messages. Since this information is submitted electronically, we eliminate the use of large amounts of paper and printing materials.

Dr. Jeff Collins and our team would love to hear how you minimize your impact on the environment. Leave us a comment below or you can also visit our Facebook page and post something on our wall.

Happy Earth Day!