Did you know that if you don’t use all of your dental insurance benefits this year, you lose them forever? That’s right – no dental benefit plan we know of allows you to carry unused benefits over to the following year. If you don’t use them, you lose them!

You may have benefits remaining this year. Waiting until next year means that not only will you lose any unused benefits for this year, but also that you’ll have to first satisfy a new year’s deductible before any benefits will be paid.

If you have been postponing dental treatment, call our office to see if you have benefits remaining this year. We also have various financing options to help with any portion not covered by dental insurance. If you have no dental needs at this time, good for you! Please just accept this as a reminder that we are concerned with keeping your out-of-pocket dental costs to a minimum.

Many times parents ask us when their child should be getting certain teeth, or when they should expect loose teeth. The answer to this is not black and white. In fact, it is the most variable thing in development and often greatly varies from child to child. Here is a chart with general guidelines for you to follow. If your child does not follow these age guidelines, don’t worry! They may just be a bit ahead or a bit behind schedule. Your dentist and hygienist can monitor this through routine digital x-rays.

On the first Monday in September, we celebrate Labor Day. This long weekend free from work is in honor of the American Labor Movement. Years ago, there was no standard 40 hour work week. Workers across the country often put in more than what we consider standard “full time” hours with no regulations and often no weekends. Union workers worked to put laws and regulations in to place that standardized a 40 hour work week and allowed workers to have weekends off from typical work. Since the holiday became federally recognized in 1894, many of us have been enjoying a day off of work to spend with families and grilling out. Our office will be closed to day in observance of the holiday. Here are a few recipes we think you might enjoy at your gatherings today. Enjoy!

Grilled Backyard Beer Burgers: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/grilled-backyard-beer-burgers/11f3bf47-37ec-49c4-a669-6c3f6641a918

Awesome Pasta Salad: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/52734/awesome-pasta-salad/

Grilled Peaches and Cream: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/86362/grilled-peaches-and-cream/?internalSource=hn_carousel%2003_Grilled%20Peaches%20and%20Cream&referringId=2575&referringContentType=recipe%20hub&referringPosition=carousel%2003

Perhaps you have heard the buzz already, but for those of you who haven’t heard, Elmbrook Family Dental was voted the best dentist in the Greater Milwaukee area by our own patients. You, as readers of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel voted and helped us take first place! Words cannot describe how honored we are that people took the time to vote and spread the word about our office. We have been so blessed to grow our patient base over the years. Dr Brunner, Dr Taibl, Dr Tack and Dr McGinn take pride in caring for all of our patients dental needs. Some of you who have been a part of our practice for over 20 years! You continue to trust us and refer your family and friends to our office. We are so thankful for all of you and the confidence you have in us.

Dr Tack turned 35 on July 15th. She had a weekend full of celebrations with those she loves the most. Friday morning, her good friends Cynthia and Kristin through a surprise party for her at 5:30am. They enjoyed fruit, coffee, breakfast sandwiches and this fantastic doughnut cake. Family flew in from out of town as a surprise to celebrate with her as well.

Friday and Saturday night she had some great dinners out at Bacchus and Rare. Sunday she finished the weekend off with even MORE great food at Pizza Man with her brother and his family.

Happy Birthday Dr Tack!

We are so blessed to have such a growing practice. A large part of our growth is because we have dedicated patients like you who commit to regular dental visits and to referring your friends and family to do the same. We are so thankful for each one of you and are glad to provide service to the Brookfield and surrounding communities. We have recently remodeled our office, added a few more staff members and extended our business hours in order to make it easier for you to schedule appointments with us.

Although some of you love coming to the dentist, we are well aware that there are many of you who have some anxieties about dental work. Our top priority is to provide quality care to all of our patients so they can have a healthy, long lasting smile. Second to quality care, we want you to have a comfortable, anxiety free visits with us.

We have many ways to take your mind off of the worries of your visit and make the time fly by fast! In our reception area, we have a beverage station with water and coffee and tea for you to enjoy. Be sure you enter our drawing for free custom whitening trays when you check in! Once you get to your treatment room, you can watch a TV right above your head during your appointment. If you’ve had a longer procedure, we might even treat you to a smoothie or frozen custard shake to help with inflammation and calm a grumbling tummy. And recently, we have even caught a few Pokemon characters hiding around the office! What better ways to make for a more fun visit?

Thank you for being such wonderful patients and allowing us to be your dental team.

If flossing hasn’t been a regular part of your oral care routine, half the battle is just remembering to do it. So, here are our favorite ways to help you remember:

Set an alarm on your smart phone or tablet. Set it for the same time every day and make it a time that is convenient to you.

Write a post it note and stick it on your bathroom mirror or next to your bed.

Keep plastic flosser’s in your car and floss in your driveway before you leave or in the parking lot at work. Just be sure to throw them away in the garbage when you’re done. We hate littering!

If you have been to see us recently, you’ve noticed some big changes (and maybe a little dust). Our office is expanding! We are adding patient treatment rooms in order to make more appointment times available to our patients. Our reception area will be larger as well to accommodate our growing patient base. We will be adding some awesome things to the office to make your time there more enjoyable. We know many of our patients dread their dental visits, so it is our priority to provide quality dental work while making you comfortable and at ease. We will be posting photos of our progress along the way, and of course the final product! Be sure to follow us on facebook to see all of the latest updates and exciting  announcements too. We are scheduled to finish the remodel project in mid to late summer. We are still seeing patients during this transition.

Link to our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/elmbrookfamilydental/

A few times during the year, the doctors plan an event where the staff can get together and forget about work for a while. On Friday, May 6th we worked hard all day at the office moving the front desk to it’s new temporary location. The assistants and hygienists moved some of the treatment rooms around in the back, getting a few steps closer to the end of the remodeling project. After a day of hard work, the staff headed to the Ronald McDonald house to make and serve snacks to the families staying there. The temporary residence enjoyed walking tacos, antipasti kabobs, strawberry shortcake pops and veggie tarts.

The Ronald McDonald house is a temporary housing facility for families to stay in when they have loved ones receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital as well as surrounding hospitals. The newly expanded facility can house up to 70 families per night and runs on donations provided by McDonald’s, the community  and the families who stay there. If a family is unable to pay, they will never be turned away. In addition to housing, they also provide therapy services which include an adorable pup named McNugget who brings smiles and cuddles to those staying in the Ronald McDonald house. We were truly thankful to be able to tour this facility and provide some yummy snacks to those staying there.

To find out how you can donate or volunteer, visit the following link: http://rmhcmilwaukee.org/how-to-help/

We LOVE a good recipe, and around here we are all a sucker for good Mexican food. For this Cinco De Mayo, we thought we would share a few yummy and easy recipes with you! Enjoy 🙂

Easy Tortilla Soup recipe: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-tortilla-soup/5073c9a2-0219-40ea-a516-808dc3318d3f

Guacamole: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/14231/guacamole/

Shredded Chicken Tacos: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/215224/shredded-chicken-tacos/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringId=17752&referringContentType=recipe%20hub