Here at Lakeville Orthodontics we want to get to know our patients and have you get to know us too!  Check back each week for a new Employee Spotlight!

Beth – Dental Assistant

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a small town in Northwest Iowa – Cherokee.

What other jobs did you have prior to this one? (Jobs that are not in the dental field) 

In high school, I worked at the local grocery store and pizza place.

What is your favorite movie?  All time favorite movie is Dirty Dancing.

Favorite book?  Maya Angelou – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Favorite Musician/band? Sugarland and Pistol Annies

Favorite restaurant? I would have to say “The Melting Pot” or “Big Bowl” 

What do you enjoy doing with your free time?

When I have “spare time” I enjoy riding my road bike long distances.  I also enjoy reading.  Oh, I can’t forget shopping!   One more thing, I love to travel.

Tell us about your life now:

I have been married for nearly eighteen years to my husband, Todd.  I have two children.  Ray is 13 and Abby is 10 years old.  I also have a yellow lab named “Bud”.  I work as a dental assistant part-time and spend a majority of my time being a “taxi” to my children!  They are both very active. Love my kiddos!

Be sure to come say hi to Beth the next time you are in Lakeville Orthodontics!

Here at Lakeville Orthodontics we want to get to know our patients and have you get to know us too!  Check back each week for a new Employee Spotlight!

Becky H – Treatment Coordinator

Where did you grow up?

Grew up in Bloomington- I have lived in Bloomington for MOST of my life- I went to Assumption grade school where I was famous for losing a basketball game because I made a basket for the WRONG team-yep, that’s me. I then became a “CoStar” at Holy Angels where they even let me continue my basketball career (for a few years anyways). Did I mention I am 5’2?

What other jobs did you have prior to this one? (Jobs that are not in the dental field)

My 1^st job was working at Country Club grocery store as a cashier. I also was a server at Arnold’s hamburger joint, hostess at an Olive Garden (I think I lasted 2 weeks), was the friendly face when you dropped off your dry cleaning at Clean-n-Press, and a Nanny, all before becoming a Dental Assistant at 22.

What is your favorite movie?  She’s Having a Baby (old 80’s movie with Kevin Bacon)

Favorite book?  Lord of the Flies

Favorite Musician/band?  Red Wanting Blue

Favorite restaurant?  Buster’s on 28^th (in Minneapolis) 

What do you enjoy doing with your free time?

My most favorite place is sitting on the dock at our cabin watching the kids swim in the summer. Spending my winter’s in local hockey rinks cheering my kids on and spending time with good friends.

Tell us about your life now: 

I live in Bloomington (shocker) and I’m happily married to this great guy named Todd. We have 2 kids- Riley is 11 ½ and Roman is 9 ½. They both play hockey and lacrosse for Bloomington.  I’ve been lucky enough to find a great place to work for over 12 years. Life for me may be boring and uncomplicated to some, but for me, that is the way I like it

Be sure to come say hi to Becky the next time you are in Lakeville Orthodontics!

Lakeville Orthodontics for the next few weeks will be sharing a little bit about each of our staff members.  Why? This will help you get to know us better!  So, first up is Amy K.

Amy 

Dental Assistant

Where did you grow up?

On a farm between Austin and Albert Lea, MN

What other jobs did you have prior to this one? 

I had many jobs, some I still do today.

-Volunteer Firefighter

-EMT-I

-Server

-House Cleaner

-Sales associate at Yonker’s

What is your favorite movie?

Sleeping Beauty

Favorite Musician/band?

Firehouse

Favorite restaurant?

Babe’s

What do you enjoy doing with your free time?

Spending time with my family and friends

Tell us about your life now:

I have been married for 7 years and have 3 kids. We live in Lakeville

Details on our Reward Program is below.

 We are an orthodontist near Farmington, Burnsville, Credit River Township and other surrounding areas because we are conveniently located right off 35W.  Give us a call for a free consultation!

Are you curious if your child is ready to see an orthodontist? Feel free to give us a call to set up a consultation!

Back when I was 13 years old I had braces, headgear, rubber bands, the whole works.  All of this was done in 4 ½ years.  It made a huge difference and I loved my teeth.  Fast forward, 30+ years later, I had stopped wearing my retainer completely and if I tried it would not even fit.  My bottom teeth became very over-crowded and because of this I had huge spaces between my back teeth where food would get caught all the time.

I decided to have my teeth looked at by Dr. Robert Miller and I was amazed at how much damage my crooked teeth were actually causing me.  It was actually more of a health issue that would affect me long-term if I did not do something.  I was not thrilled about the idea of braces, so Dr. Miller said I actually qualified to use invisalign.  I was happy about this, but still nervous about how I would look and speak.

The process of getting invisalign was easy!  I was amazed!  I had to go in and get a mold taken of my teeth.  Then they created the invisalign trays.  I came back a couple weeks later to get my first ones fit.  They were not even bulky like my retainers had been.  They were comfortable and it was easy to speak.  I was told to change out my trays every 2 weeks, so I did very consistently.  Then, every couple months I went back into Dr. Miller’s office to get my next few.  It was such a smooth system!

What I liked most?

• Barely hurt at all (just a little when I put on a new tray)
• Easy to speak
• Most people never even knew I had invisalign…they were not noticeable
• Lost weight (yes, it can be a weight loss system;)…ate less because I did not want to remove them)

What I liked least?

• Having to remove them to eat (this is a benefit and a negative, as stated above)
• Keeping track of them when eating.  This is perfect for adults or responsible teenagers, but it is a responsibility!  I know my kids would have lost them all the time.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend invisalign and Dr. Robert Miller for any of your teeth straightening needs.  If you are an adult and unsure about the process, just contact Lakeville Orthodontics for a consultation!

Author:  Janet Johnson

What’s Your Type of Braces?

Braces are not the only option to straighten your teeth.  There are actually many choices, more than just the normal braces.  A good orthodontic office will give you choices.  There are different types of braces that you may be recommended to wear, depending on treatment needs and your preferences.  Not all patients would fall on the similar category of having the need to straighten their teeth.  It is a case-to-case scenario.  Orthodontists are coming up with better ways of straightening teeth with braces every year!

1. Traditional metal braces.  The commonly used braces involving brackets glued to each tooth.  This system can be provided by any orthodontist.
2. Ceramic braces.  These are not as visible compared to the metal braces.  A bit more expensive, these type of braces is not as durable as the metal braces however it would look great.
3. Lingual braces.  These are attached behind the teeth and not at all visible when you smile.  More expensive than traditional metal braces but it does the job without others knowing you’re wearing one.
4. Invisalign.  These are virtually invisible.  Alignment trays are created from molds and it do the job of straightening the teeth.  It can be removed for brushing and flossing.   These are the Cadillac of braces.

Contact us today for a free consultation to see what type of braces is right for you!  Be sure to head over and like us on Facebook too!

Below is a video that shared before and after of a few of our patients.  Enjoy!

Wearing braces will get us straighter teeth, a lovely smile and improved oral health.  The length of time you have to wear you braces would depend on the extent of repair to be done to your teeth.  You can still eat the majority of foods you love, but keep in mind to consume the right kind of foods and drinks help to avoid damage to your braces.  You will want to avoid foods that may loosen or break your braces.

Here are a few foods to steer clear of:

• Hard rolls and bagels
• Beef jerky
• Raw or hard vegetables and fruits like carrots and wedges of apples
• Corn on the cob
• Soft drinks
• Hard treats such as candies, popcorn and even gum
• Nuts

Ideal foods to eat when one is wearing braces are soft foods that are easy to chew.  These prevent hard impact on the braces and help prevent breaking or damaging the dental appliance.  When your braces have just been adjusted, there is a tendency of soreness in the mouth.  Soft foods will provide your nutrition.

Below are few examples of the types of foods you can eat when wearing braces:

• Cottage cheese, yogurt, pudding and custard
• Pancakes
• Muffins without nuts or chunky parts
• Pasta
• Most seafood
• Steamed vegetables
• Smoothies
• Ice cream malts

Here is an additional list of STICKY FOODS and CANDIES that you should AVOID:

• Marshmallow products
• Gum
• Taffy
• Caramel Pieces
• Dots
• Caramel Corn
• Jelly Beans
• Milk Duds
• Gummy Bears
• Bit-O-Honey
• Fruit Roll-ups
• Raisins
• Licorice
• Jujubes
• Tootsie Rolls
• Slo Pokes
• Sugar Daddies
• Sugar Babies

HARD FOODS OR SUBSTANCES you should AVOID:

• Chewing on Pencils, Pens, Open Hair Pins, or Barrettes
• Corn Nuts
• Hard Nuts
• Beef Jerky
• Hard Candy
• Peanut M&M’s
• Jaw Breakers
• SweeTarts
• Peanut Brittle

Here is a list of foods to MODIFY:

• Apples – Cut into slices
• Corn on the Cob – Cut off the cob
• Ice – Don’t chew on it
• Raw Carrots – Thin or Small Pieces
• Hard Crusty Pizza, Chips, etc – Break or cut into small pieces
• French Bread, Tacos, Bagels, etc – Break or Cut into small pieces

The bottom line is to just be careful when choosing the foods to have while you have braces.  Just remember that your braces are temporary and you will be able to eat your favorite foods again!

As we continue our interview with Dr. Bowlby of Lakeville Orthodontics he talks about how our business is all about relationships.  We’re in the community with sports activities, the plays all the things you know. We could go advertise in magazines and do all these things that are just great for certain businesses but for our business, they’re not.  Our business is about the community and the community is typically about kids and the things that are going on so they want to see that we’re active there so we’d like to put up the teams we sponsor, programs that we’ve been involve in and we take pride in that.  It’s a give-take; you know it works both ways.  We love to help them but then they also support us I think and they have trust in us that we’re, we know what we’re doing there.  So the relationship building is huge.

Lakeville Orthodontics loves building relationships in the local community and strive to do that!