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TRICK-OR-TREATING is said to have originated from the medieval practice of “mumming,” a Northern European practice of masked persons parading the streets and visiting neighboring houses on feast days. In North America, “guising” was first reported in 1911 in Kingston, Ontario where disguised children visited house-to-house around the neighborhood. The term “trick-or-treat” first appears in 1927 in the Blackie Herald newspaper of Alberta, Canada. The treat soon became known to be an oral health nightmare, candy.

Trick-Or-Treating Provides A Variety Of Treats

Trick-or-treating is a fun activity. Children, with and without braces, will recieve a myriad of Halloween treats. An apple may be given. Some homes may give a fruit or granola bar. Generous relatives may even distribute a coin. Dentists may give a toothbrush. But most homes will be giving out candy.

The question arises “What should I eat on Halloween if I have braces?”

Be Mindful Of Halloween Snacks If You Have Braces

Although apples are a healthy treat, care must be given to cut the apples into small bite size pieces in order to not break off the orthodontic brackets.

Chewy, sticky, hard candy is to be avoided. This includes Starbursts, jawbreakers, Twizzlers, skittles, and gum. Chewy sticky hard candy will not only break your orthodontic brackets but also loosen your orthodontic bands.

Nuts in general are to be avoided. These can be found in not only granola bars that are hard with big nuts but also in some candies such as Almond Joys.

What Treats Can Someone In Braces Eat On Halloween?

Orthodontist, Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca of Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California weighs in on her favorite Halloween treats: "I recommend Mounds candy as a choice for kids in braces. These are soft bars of mostly coconut with a soft chocolate covering. Mounds are very unlikely to break orthodontic brackets or loosen bands. My second favorite candy choice for kids in braces is Junior Mints. This candy is soft, small, and easy to eat with braces.

We at Gorczyca Orthodontics give out Halloween toothbrushes to trick-or-treaters. They are orange with black bristles. Now, that's scary!

Soft candies are fine to eat with braces as long as you remember to floss and brush your teeth afterwards. To maintain excellent oral hygiene and remain cavity free, be sure to brush and floss your teeth twice a day, not only on Halloween but every day of the year."

Happy Halloween from all of us at Gorczyca Orthodontics!

www.clubbraces.com

I FIRST OBSERVED HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (HRM) FROM MY MOTHER, an elementary school principal for over 32 years. I remember her daily, weekly, and annual preparation of HRM tasks. She meticulously reviewed performance and praised achievements, as well as set goals and areas of improvement for her teachers. She held team meetings at our home, and her school was recognized as a national school of excellence. Regarding one teacher whose performance was substandard, there was a well-planned legal termination. This wasn't easy—but it was necessary. Such may be the case for you, in your dental practice.

Human Resource Management Is Very Important In The Healthcare Industry

When I meet fellow dentists and ask “How are you?” we frequently discuss practice personnel issues. There is no aspect of dental practice management as difficult and daunting as human resource management (HRM). Challenging and emotionally charged, HRM may be something dentists wish to avoid, but cannot.

HRM is critical to the effective running of a dental practice, management of the team, and effective leadership capability of the doctor.

When I was a student at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, I had the opportunity to study at the Harvard School of Public Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management. There, I attended my first management lectures and started to understand the unique psychological and legal aspects of HRM. After 25 years of my own Office Manual updates and close work with HR and legal professionals, I've learned recruitment, integration, scheduling, reviews, termination, and distribution of employee resources.

HRM takes courage, communication, and candor. It requires an understanding of good work behaviors versus dysfunctional behaviors. HRM is the ability to direct performance towards the vision and goals of the dental office. This perspective is valuable to all dental professionals, in the management of their business, the dental practice.

I Hope My Book Makes A Difference

My new book, Beyond the Morning Huddle: HR Management for a Successful Dental Practice, is a collection of HR policy and procedure tips, employment law review, and case study solutions which have been critical to the running of my practice during the past twenty-five years. I hope that these insights will be helpful to readers, especially those dentists just starting out who need understanding of employment law, encouragement, a useful HR reference, or just an "It's O.K. to be the boss" cheer to make them feel empowered to persevere. I hope this book is also useful to those who have been in practice for several years; those looking to update HR regulations, effectively coach a high performance team, or sharpen their leadership saw.

You Will Feel Great!

My mother was one of the best HR managers I have ever known. Once you spend less time putting out HRM fires and more time focused on HRM excellence, you will have moved closer to your own personal happiness. What great HR managers know is that people don't change that much. Once you eliminate undesirable behaviors, you will be peaceful, fulfilled, and looking forward to another great day at the dental office. You will feel great!

Ultimately, all business owners take the HR lead. For me personally, this book will not only be the story of HR management at Gorczyca Orthodontics and within my dental community but a personal journey towards creating my own workplace paradise.

To my mother, Stasia. She understood people and how to bring out the best in them.

About the Author

Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca speaks on practice management topics including marketing, teamwork, treatment coordination, customer service, management systems and human resource management. She was a speaker at the 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Annual Sessions and will speak again in 2016. She has received teaching awards from UCSF and University of the Pacific Dental Schools. She is author of the book, "It All Starts with Marketing-201 Marketing Tips for Growing a Dental Practice." She is an orthodontist at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, CA. This is her second book.

AS YOU KNOW, HERE at Gorczyca Orthodontics, we’re honored to have you as our valued patient! Our goal is ALWAYS remarkable, one-to-one patient care... Thanks to our amazing team members!

Gorczyca Orthodontics Is Growing!

We are thrilled to welcome our new Patient Coordinator, Pam, to our front desk! Welcome, Pam! We're glad you're here to welcome all of our wonderful patients at Gorczyca Orthodontics.

A Little About Pam

Pam is originally from San Francisco, California. She has worked in dentistry for three years, is married, and the mother of five children. She not only works at Gorczyca Orhtodontics but she is also currently an orthodontic patient herself!

We recently put Pam in the hot seat and asked her some questions so you can get to know her better...

When you’re not here working, what are your favorite things to do?

Pam loves to spend time with her children. They go to the park, play football, go shopping, and love all waterfront activities.

When you first started working here, what were your first impressions of the office and the team? Have those impressions changed?

When Pam first started working here she found Gorczyca Orthodontics to be such a bright, positive, and energy filled environment. She loves it here! Everyday is a new adventure at Gorczyca Orthodontics. We love our patients and it shows.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

Pam loves greeting the patients, serving them coffee, getting to know them and their families, and helping them with their orthodontic treatment and in anyway that she can.

Pam herself is presently an orthodontic patient at Gorczyca Orthodontics. She has a very complex orthodontic case and she is very happy that Dr. Gorczyca is Board Certified and vastly experienced in interdisciplinary dental treatment with combines all of the the dental procedures with the specialists that Pam needs to give her an amazing new smile.

We’re So Happy To Have Pam As A Member Of Our Team!

At Gorczyca Orthodontics we have three goals:

• Clinical excellence,
• Outstanding customer service,
• and a Great patient experience.

Thank you Pam for being part of our Gorczyca Orthodontics team!

As one of our valued patients, if you have your own question for Pam, please ask in the comments section below! Also, you can always send us a message on Facebook anytime.

We look forward to seeing you at your next visit! Thanks for the trust you place in our practice.

FOR A BEAUTIFUL SMILE, tooth shape matters. When too short, too square, too thin, or too triangular in shape, even perfectly straight teeth may need cosmetic help.

Transform Your Smile With A Tooth Shape Makeover

In addition to orthodontic treatment, your orthodontist may also recommend that you receive a tooth shape makeover with a cosmetic dentist. Cosmetic dentists specialize in crowns, veneers, and other cosmetic dental procedures that can help make your teeth dazzling.

Orthodontists specialize in ideal tooth positioning, tooth function, and your bite. Your orthodontist will place your teeth in an ideal position so that you can get the best full smile makeover possible.

These smiles were prepared for full smile makeover by orthdontist Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca, Antioch, CA. Find us at www.clubbraces.com or call us at (925) 757-9000.

There's no need to be spooked by the shape of your teeth. Consider a full smile makeover today. You'll wish you had done it sooner.

Top image by Flickr user William Warby used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.