Happy New Year, from Dr. Dumore

The year is almost over, so we wanted to ask what was memorable about 2011 for you, and what are you looking forward to in 2012? Do you have a new year's resolution, or any exciting plans for the coming year?

The end of the year always makes one think…It’s hard to believe, but we are now in our 12th year at our St. James practice! This past year the team continued to make me proud as group and individuals, and I often consider how lucky I am to work with such a dedicated group. For 2012, we will continue to strive to be the best orthodontic practice in the community!

Some highlights from 2011:

• Chantel gave birth to twins, Ruby and Jack. While we miss her every day, we share in the joy of her new and improved family. We also learned that Russel will be having a baby…due any day now!

• Leanne married Kevin in a beautiful wedding this summer, and Jen was engaged to Kyle. Meaghan was married last summer too, and Megan was married a few years ago… I’m guessing more babies are on the horizon. It will be wonderful to see the “practice family” grow over the coming years. Lindsay was hired to bridge the gap between Russel’s departure and Chantel’s return, but if more babies keep coming…

• Meaghan reached her 5 year mark with the team! Along with more holiday time, she also has her own Bobblehead to be proud of! Thanks for all you do for us, Meaghan.

• We have been using our iTero intraoral scanner for two years now, and this year acquired the ability to submit cases to Invisalign, saving patients from requiring PVS impressions. I can’t imagine another office in Canada who has done more scans than we have. We have consistently worked to position our practice at the forefront of technology, and next week, we will install a Vatech Conebeam x-ray (3D) machine. This technology allows Dr. Dumore as an orthodontist to diagnose patients more thoroughly in three dimensions, and advances have resulted in exceptionally low exposure levels. We are all very excited (especially Dr. Dumore)!

• Dr. Rody announced that he has been offered an exceptional offer at the University of Florida, and will be relocated there in February. We will miss his friendly presence in the office.

• In January, Dr. Dumore attended the Seattle Study Club Symposium in Florida, and then in May, he attended the American Association of Orthodontists meeting in Chicago. The Canadian Association of Orthodontists meeting was held in Halifax in September as well. Aside from those meetings, there has been study club meetings, webinars, lectures, and the like… We are big believers in continuing education, as we appreciate that this is the key that will keep us at the top of our game for years to come.

• Speaking of games, we are proud supporters of our new Winnipeg Jets! On game days, we all get decked out in Jets gear to show our pride.

• Dr. Dumore is in his 14th year as an instructor at the University of Manitoba, Division of Orthodontics. It is his pleasure to work with such bright and talent orthodontic residents on a monthly basis.

Have a safe and happy New Year, from Dr. Tim Dumore

Giving thanks this holiday season!

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season here, Dr. Tim Dumore and our entire staff at the office wanted to stop for a moment and extend our best wishes to you, our patients, referring doctors and families, this holiday season.

As always, if you know anyone we can help, just let us know. We promise to give them the same quality orthodontic care that we have given you.

We hope that this holiday season brings fond memories. Thank you for being part of our family.

Are you wearing a mouth guard?

With winter sports right around the corner, many patients here at Dr. Tim Dumore's office will once again pick up the ball, bring the cleats out of seasonal retirement and hit the fields and courts for the return of sports action! During this time, however, Dr. Dumore and our team urge our young athletes to play it safe when out on the field. Here are a few ways to ensure your mouth’s safety this fall and winter, courtesy of our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists:

1. Wear mouth guards for contact sports such as basketball, wrestling and hockey
2. Wear a helmet
3. Wear protective eyewear
4. Wear a face shield to avoid scratched or bruised skin
5. Be alert, even as a spectator

We hope that helps! Dr. Dumore and team will tell you protective gear is vital for anyone engaging in tooth or mouth-threatening activities. If you have any further questions about any of these tips, please contact our office or ask us on Facebook. Stay safe!

Make sure we have your current contact info!

Happy holidays from Dr. Tim Dumore and all of us! As you probably know, you can always connect with Dr. Tim Dumore and our team on our Facebook page, but we also encourage you to call us and let us know if you have any new phone numbers or if your contact information has changed!

Please contact our office with any updates to phone numbers and addresses, so that we may be able to reach you. Thank you!

- Dr. Tim Dumore and team

Where are your retainers?

If you recently completed treatment at Dr. Tim Dumore's office, we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Dr. Dumore will provide—or has provided you—with retainers. After braces are removed, teeth can shift out of position if they are not stabilized. Retainers provide that stabilization. They are designed to hold teeth in their corrected, ideal positions until the bones and gums adapt to the treatment changes. Wearing retainers exactly as instructed by Dr. Dumore is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime. Here are some things to remember when you receive your retainers:

* Wear your retainers full time, until the doctor instructs otherwise. Wearing your retainers at night ensures that your pearly whites won’t relapse.
* Take your retainers out when eating...and always put retainers in their case! (Most appliances are lost in school lunch rooms or restaurants.)
* Clean retainers thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush and only a small amount of toothpaste. Use warm but not hot water.
* When retainers are not in your mouth they should ALWAYS be in a retainer case.
* Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care. If retainers are lost or broken, give us a call immediately.
* Remove retainers when swimming or during any sporting activity in which the retainers could fall out and get broken or lost (cheerleading, basketball, etc.) or when you should be wearing a mouth guard (football, soccer, etc.).

We hope this helps! You can always contact our team if you have any questions!