Drs. Alexander and team, wishing you a relaxing and memorable Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day weekend is a time when Americans everywhere stop and remember all those men and women who bravely gave their lives for our country.

Memorial Day also marks the unofficial start of summer 2011, and for many folks in Coppell and Dallas, getting out of town for three days after being cooped up in the office or in the classroom means sweet, sweet relief. At Alexander and Alexander Orthodontics, we also know Memorial Day weekend is ripe for travel. After all, it’s a season of vacations, adventures and great memories. Whether you are headed to a barbecue, a camping trip, hitting the great open roads or hanging out in your backyard this weekend, we want to know about it!

Have a nice and relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

Alexander & Alexander Orthodontics at the 2011 AAO Annual Session

Drs. Cliff and Moody Alexander's passion for creating happy, healthy smiles is evident in their continued interest in attending continuing education courses, seminars and orthodontic conventions whenever possible. As a part of Drs. Cliff and Moody Alexander's unrelenting desire to stay up-to-date with all of the latest advances in orthodontic technology, our team attended the 2011 AAO Annual Session.

The AAO Annual Session is one of the largest orthodontic conventions in the world, and this year’s theme was “Changes, Challenges, Choices.” Dr. Cliff Alexander enjoyed working at the Incognito Hidden Braces booth to share his expertise with other orthodontists. We encourage everyone to check out the Incognito Hidden Braces photo album on Facebook!

What’s on your reading list?

With the school year close to winding down for a lot of our patients at Alexander and Alexander Orthodontics, we wanted to remind all our patients about the importance of reading. Sure it’s easy to keep putting off reading this time of year, but reading is a vital step in brain development and literacy. And if you needed any more reason to read, May marks “Get Caught Reading Month.”

Today, we thought we’d ask: What's on YOUR reading list? What are some of your all-time favorites? Out of ideas for great reads? Ask us for suggestions, and our team would be happy to provide a few. You may also ask a local librarian for some ideas on what to read next!

Happy reading! Be sure to share with us your book picks or your all-time favorite novels or literature on our Facebook page!

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month!

Did you know the month of May is designated National Physical Fitness and Sports Month? In 1983, President Ronald Reagan encouraged Americans to incorporate more physical activity into their lives, and the reminder is even more significant in this day and age, as kids everywhere are distracted more and more by television, social networking and video games. Kids living an active lifestyle can improve their health, productivity and overall well-being, and best of all? It doesn’t have to take a lot of time!

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has provided these public health guidelines for your convenience. The guidelines call for children and teens to exercise for at least one hour each day of moderate intensity physical activity (such as playing sports or brisk walking) or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity (jogging, dancing and jumping rope).

At Alexander & Alexander Orthodontics, we always encourage our patients to stay fit by exercising or participating in sports. However, we want to remind you to always wear a mouth guard or other forms of facial protection when playing sports. To learn more about how often your child should exercise, we recommend you check out this series of helpful articles about kids and exercise, courtesy of our friends at KidsHealth.org.