Age 7 is the magic number for an orthodontic check-up

Many parents assume they must wait until their child has all of his or her permanent teeth to see Kirkpatrick & Lai Orthodontics for a consultation, only to discover treatment would have been much easier if started earlier. Did you know the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child have an orthodontic check-up no later than age seven?

That’s right—seven.

Ok, so what’s so great about age seven, you ask? Enough permanent teeth have arrived for Drs. Thomas and Douglas Kirkpatrick and Joseph Lai to make a determination about whether any problems are present. The first molars have come in, providing an opportunity to check for malocclusion, or “bad bite.” Also, the incisors have begun to come in, and problems such as crowding, deep bites and open bites can be detected.

Orthodontic evaluation at an early age provides one of two positive outcomes: For some, early identification or problems will lead to easier or shorter orthodontic treatment in the future. For others, a healthy prognosis will provide immediate peace of mind.

Early evaluation, of course, may signal a need for early treatment. For some children, early treatment can prevent physical and emotional trauma. Aside from spurring on years of harmful teasing, misaligned teeth are also prone to injury and are detrimental to good oral hygiene. So, if your child is nearing his or her seventh birthday, give us a call at Kirkpatrick & Lai Orthodontics to schedule an appointment.

With Kirkpatrick & Lai Orthodontics, 24/7 access to your account

Access to your account, 24/7. Sounds simple and convenient, doesn’t it?

Patients at our offices enjoy access to their account 24 hours a day, seven days a week—all through our website. You can look up your appointments and all of your account details at your convenience, all from the comfort of your own home! You can even receive appointment reminders through email or text messages! Take a look at a few patient reviews about this service:

"Knowing we will be reminded of appointments is a BIG relief! We have missed many of our scheduled appointments in the past at K&L. Now, we have no excuse to miss anymore. THANK YOU!!" ~Doris

"I am constantly losing my appointment forms and it is so much easier to get on this site then to call the orthodontist." ~Kevin

"I am a very busy working mom. I am a highly organized person, but my calendar gets to full and the school rearranges it so often that it sometimes gets difficult to keep up with everything during certain times. I love knowing that I can find out everything I need to know about my account and my appointments online, from my home computer or any other, in a matter of seconds, whenever I need to do so." ~Christophe

You, too, may sign up for this convenient service on our website by clicking on the "Patient Login" button on our homepage. Please give us a call if you have any questions about getting started!

What do you love about Kirkpatrick & Lai Orthodontics?

From your very first visit to Kirkpatrick & Lai Orthodontics our doctors and team strive to provide superior treatment in a pleasant, friendly atmosphere. We thought we’d ask you, our wonderful patients: Have you been especially impressed by work? Did our team go out of their way to make your day? Are you in love with your new smile?

Whether you’ve just come in for a consultation or your family has been visiting our office for years, we’d love to hear your feedback. You may write a review here, here, here, here or here.Or, you can tell us by posting on our Facebook page or by giving us a call!

Drs. Kirkpatrick and Lai present: The perfect braces-friendly summer wrap!

Summer is finally here in Tulsa, Tahlequah, Miami, Pryor, and Okmulgee, and Drs. Kirkpatrick and Lai would like to share a great summer recipe with you! Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) made an appetizing (and braces-friendly!) summer dish that is sure to delight. Remember, a healthy diet provides essential nutrients and helps you achieve the best possible result from your orthodontic treatment.

Soy Simmered Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 large onions, chunked
• Small flour tortillas (pkg. of ten) wheat or white
• (optional: 10-16 oz. of cooked chopped broccoli)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 2 Tablespoons peach or apricot jam
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

In a slow cooker, or a large pan on the stove, layer the onions and the chicken breast. Allow at least three hours in the slow cooker on medium, or at least one hour on the stove—the longer the better, but you don’t have to do anything to it while it cooks. Spoon out the chicken onto a cutting board, and with a knife and fork, shred the chicken as finely as you’d like. In a small saucepan, stir all sauce ingredients together over medium heat until the mixture starts bubbling, then let it simmer for five minutes on low heat to thicken. In a serving bowl, stir sauce and onion into chicken; if you’d like, add cooked chopped broccoli. Makes about six to eight servings.

Enjoy this great spring dish and have a great week!

-Drs. Thomas and Douglas Kirkpatrick and Joseph Lai