From the Desk of...

A lot happening at HDA!

February is
National Children's Dental Health Month

Good oral hygiene and regular dental examinations are essential to your child's oral health. Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. Our hygienists, Judee and Lisa, have been busy visiting local pre-schools, daycares, and schools to educate children on the importance of good oral hygiene. To print some fun activities for your child to do during this month, visit our Goddesses of Gums tab.

Dr. Cheryl, Immediate Past President of the Chicago AGD and Secretary-Elect of the Illinois AGD, took part in the UIC Dental School Lunch and Learn hosted by the Illinois Academy of General Dentistry. The IL AGD distributed scrubs with the IL AGD logo for all this year's first year dental students and hosted a lecture on Forensic Dentistry given by Dr. Howard Cooper. Kate Limardi, Judee's daughter who is a D-3 and the IL AGD student membership chair, helped host the event. Dr. Mike, Judee, and Yasmin Farid, a first year dental student and a patient of Dr. Cheryl's, also attended the L&L. The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is a professional association of more than 37,000 general dentists from the United States and Canada. Founded in 1952, the AGD has grown to become the world's second largest dental association! Members are dedicated to continuing education to help them stay up-to-date on the latest procedures to provide you and your family with quality treatment. Members never stop learning since the AGD requires its members to participate in 75-hours of voluntary continuing education every three years. Dr. Cheryl and Mike average more than 100 hours of continuing education a year.

HDA was invited again this year to participate in the annual health fair at The Park @ Vernon Hills. Dr.'s Cheryl & Michael Mora & staff were on hand to answer any dental questions, give oral hygiene instructions, & pass out tooth brushes, toothpaste, & floss.
It was a pleasure to see all of our patients and make new friends.

Congratulations Lisa on Your Engagement!
Ben proposed to Lisa on a horse drawn carriage on Lake
Shore Drive in Chicago. They will be married on
November 4, 2010.

Congratulations Sylvi on your daughter's marriage!
A fabulous time was had by the staff as we helped
Jennifer & Mike celebrate their wedding day.

More Hawthorn Dental Associates Happenings

The doctors and staff of HDA took a “field trip” to North American Dental Lab. Our lab has maintained their excellent standard of product by keeping current with state of the art technology, coupled with their deep commitment to continually raising the quality of their product. The staff learned how to improve their quality of taking impressions and the many steps involved to making the product. The staff learned a lot and had a great time!

Congratulations Maureen on 20 years at HDA! Dr.'s Michael and Cheryl Mora and staff went out for lunch to help Maureen celebrate her 20 year anniversary. Maureen was presented with a new Nikon D90 camera & a telephoto lens in honor of her 20 years of service. Maureen's hobby is photography. Congratulations Maureen!

A good time was had by all at Dr. Cheryl's birthday party at Mambo Italiano. As a birthday surprise, Dr. Mike and the staff of HDA planned an evening of entertainment featuring Robbie Gold's singing. Happy Birthday Dr. Cheryl!!!!

A Great Dentist Goes to Washington-Government Relations Conference

Drs. Michael and Cheryl Mora along with approximately 60 other dentist volunteers from the Academy of General Dentistry traveled to Washington, D.C. for a day long session of advocacy training followed by visits to our congressmen and senators on Capital Hill in March. Together the interests of general dentists and their patients were communicated to more than 100 legislators and their staff. The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is a professional organization of more than 35,000 general dentists dedicated to staying up-to-date in the profession through continuing education. The mission of the AGD is to serve the needs and represent the interests of general dentists, to promote the oral health of the public, and to foster continued proficiency of general dentists through quality continuing dental educations in order to better serve the public. Dr. Cheryl Mora is currently President of the Chicago Component of the Illinois AGD and a Board Member of the Illinois AGD.

On March 6th, Dr. Cheryl and Kate Limardi helped host an Academy of General Dentistry Lunch & Learn for the dental students at the University of Illinois at Chicago Dental School. The students heard from the AGD Student Membership Administrator, and two other speakers who discussed the DDS program-Donated Dental Services and Loan Repayment programs for new dental graduates while enjoying pizza. Kate is Judee Mclean's daughter and she is a second year dental student at UIC. Kate now serves on the board on the Illinois Academy of General Dentistry with Dr. Cheryl and is the Student Membership Chair. The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is a professional organization of more than 35,000 general dentists dedicated to staying up-to-date in the profession through continuing education. Way to go Kate!

Boy Scouts

February is Children's Dental Health Month

During this month our hygienists, Judee & Lisa, are very busy making visits to the day care centers, pre-schools, and elementary schools. This week a Boy Scout troop came to our office to learn about dentistry for a merit badge. Besides helping them to earn their badge, we feel that a better understanding of dental treatment leads to easing the apprehension some patients (especially children) feel when they come to the dentist. Who knows - maybe this will spark an interest in one or more of these fine young boy scouts to pursue a career in the field of dentistry.

Please go to the Goddesses of Gums section to download the
2009 NATIONAL CHILDREN'S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH COLORING SHEET CONTEST

Dr. Cheryl (AGD President), Dr. Michael, and Judee attended an Illinois Academy of General Dentistry seminar in December on the topic of "Updates in Pediatric Dentistry." Judee's daughter Katie (second year dental student) also participated in the lunch and learns with the students on the topic of "Ethics in Dentistry." The main focus of their topic was on the prevention of early childhood caries.

As some of you may already know, a new early detection screening for oral cancer called ViziLite is now available. We are recommending this test once a year for anyone over the age of 18. The exam allows us to see beyond what we can see with the naked eye. By the time a cancerous lesion is visible, it can be a stage 3 or 4. The survival rate for oral cancer has not improved compared to the other cancers that have early detection to exams available. The exam itself takes just a few minutes. After rinsing with a solution for one minute, a special light (ViziLite) is used to examine the patient's oral cavity and surrounding tissues. With the end of the year approaching, it may be a good time to have this exam done while you still have the flex spending available. The procedure itself is $65 and we feel that this is a small price to pay for the peace of mind of a healthy mouth.

The staff of H.D.A. renewed their CPR certificates for healthcare providers in September. CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) is the heart/lung revival. CPR is a process whereby a person who has a cardiac event is provided with external muscular support. CPR has contributed to an increase in save rates from sudden cardiac death across the United States. H.D.A. is proud to announce that they have an AED (automated external defibrillator) in their office. The AED is a portable automatic device used to restore normal heart rhythm to patients in cardiac arrest.

This summer H.D.A. invited patients to a complimentary screening of Indiana Jones at Showplace 8 Theater in Vernon Hills, IL.

This patient appreciation event was the first of many to come. It was great to spend time with our patients outside of the office.

Check back soon for another "From the desk of..." article.

Keep flossing!