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We would like to invite all kids ages 6-12 to participate in a free drawing class that will be held in our office on Saturday, May 6th. Thank you to Young Rembrandt's for sponsoring this event.

Please call to reserve your spot, space is limited . (832-663-9191)

We will be holding 2 sessions.

Our Family at Showtime Orthodontic Arts wishes you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope that this year is filled with lots of smiles and laughs and wonderful memories!

It has been a great year for Showtime Orthodontic Arts. We are proud of our very own Dr. Jeff Shao for winning two prestigious awards this year!
Incisal Edge Magazine named him a leading provider nationally by honoring him as one of their Top 40 Under 40. To make the Top 40 list, Incisal Edge solicited nominations from dozens of industry leaders across the country. Every 40 under 40 finalists had to pass an expert panel of judges and was evaluated based on their accomplishments, industry and community leadership, and innovative execution. As part of this honor Dr. Shao had a professional photo shoot in NY City being dressed by Top Stylist Joseph De Acetis who has dressed celebrities -Justin Bieber, Vin Diesel and Katy Perry and many others.

Our favorite award is being the winner of Living Best of the Woodlands Readers Choice 2016. It is such an honor that so many people voted for us. We also had professional photographer Gina Gallagher come out for this event and had some of our patients participate with the photo shoot. You can read about it in the August Living The Woodlands edition.

With school starting up in August and parent running around picking up equipment for their kids. Remember not to forget about your child’s mouth guard. You can stop by Showtime Orthodontic Arts and pick up your Shock Doctor Mouth guard for braces Thursday- Sunday.

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We recommend wearing a mouth guard for the following sports

-Football
-Basketball
-Soccer
-Volleyball
-Rugby
-Baseball/softball-
-Martial Arts
-Skateboarding
-Wrestling
-Weight lifting
-La Crosse
-Ice Hockey
-Equestrian events
-Boxing

How to care for your mouth guard

-Before and after using your mouth guard rinse with cold water
-Never boil your mouth guard
-Never use toothpaste or mouthwash on your mouth guard

Please call Showtime Orthodontic Arts at 832-663-9191
7901 Research Forest Dr. suite 1100
The Woodlands, TX 77382

This will be the first lighting of the doves for Showtime Orthodontic Arts of The Woodlands Texas

Many of our patients have recommended for us to attend Lighting of the Doves. We have looked into it and have decided that we are going to be there! If you have never been it is a great opening to the holidays in The Woodlands.

Here is a little information about the event

The 33rd Annual Lighting of the Doves (LOD) & 9th Annual International Winter On The Waterway (iWOW) Festival 2015 is a great way for the whole family to get in the Christmas spirit with an exciting day of festivities including live music and entertainment, vendor and exhibitor booths, children's games and activities, awesome giveaways, snow play areas, snow slide, delicious international foods, balloon artist, inflatables, mesmerizing fireworks show, strolling entertainers, Santa's special arrival in his decorated sleigh on The Woodlands Waterway, and so much more!
The 9th Annual International Winter On The Waterway (iWOW) Festival 2015 will celebrate the cultural diversity within The Woodlands community with festive and interactive booths, featuring the different holiday traditions throughout the world. Guests will enjoy authentic, international foods, arts and crafts, music, entertainment, and don't forget to visit the iWOW World of Holiday Trees.
Admission is free and open to the public. Stop by Town Green Park on Saturday, November 21 between 3:00 and 9:00 p.m. for the popular Lighting of the Doves and iWOW Festival to celebrate the holidays!
We hope to see you there!

We had so much fun, we decided to do it again! Last year we met so many great people in our community, that we decided to do it again!! If you are looking for something fun and free to do on Sunday, October 25th, come check out the Trick or Treat Trail produced by The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau at The Town Park along The Woodlands Waterway. Come on down, dress up and check out our super cool booth! This is a great way for kids to have fun and participate in safe Trick or Treating. Make sure you bring your camera because there are photo opportunities around every corner. Of course our Showtime Orthodontic Arts team will be in full costume. We can’t wait to see you!

Becoming a board certified Orthodontist is not mandatory, it is a decision that a orthodontist makes on a voluntary basis. Dr. Jeff Shao is fully committed to his patients and understands the importance of providing his patients with the highest level of care.

What it takes to become board certified orthodontist

A board certified orthodontist is an orthodontist who has voluntarily gone through hundreds of additional hours of preparation to demonstrate their judgment, skills and knowledge required for providing the highest level of patient care.   They have achieved board certification through the American Board of Orthodontics, the only orthodontic specialty board recognized by the American Dental Association and in affiliation with the American Association of Orthodontists.

What to Ask Before You Choose Your Orthodontist

Top Ten Questions:
Finding the right orthodontist is a big decision. Knowing the right questions to ask will help you make a well informed decision.

1.  From which accredited Dental School did you graduate and where did you complete your Orthodontic Residency Program?

2.  Do you only perform orthodontic treatment, or do you also offer general dentistry services such as root canals, cavity filings and extractions?

3.  Do you follow a specific Standard of Care as outlined in the American Association of Orthodontists Clinical Practice Guidelines when developing treatment plans/options? Please explain that process.

4.  What is the scope of the proposed treatment plan and possible consequences if we do not choose to move forward with one of these options now?

5.  Do you personally do all of the work on your patients (bend the wires, attach brackets, etc.) or will some of the work be completed by other associates? If so, what is their level of expertise?

6.  What are the practice office hours?

7.  How are treatment costs determined and what billing options will be made available to me? What insurance plans to you accept?

8.  What should be expected as far as post-treatment follow up?

9.  Do you provide patient references?

10.  Are you board certified by The American Board of Orthodontics?

Verify the Certification of a member of ABO at the address below

https://www.americanboardortho.com/portal/public/

We have come to realize that there are a lot of misunderstandings about the difference between a General Dentist and an Orthodontist. Unfortunately there are many general dentists out there that will say that they specialize in Orthodontics. To put it simply, it’s education and experience. All orthodontist complete the same education as a general dentist, attending a 3 to 4 year dental school.

After graduation the dentists may apply to an American Dental Association approved, university-affiliated program. Over 400 dentists apply and less then 7 will be accepted. In San Antonio Texas where Dr. Shao attended the program, only 4 will make it to the orthodontic residence program. In Houston, 6 will make it into the program. The orthodontic Residency program is 2-3 years of hands-on clinical experience. These residencies dedicate between 4,000 to 6,000 hours of working on patients that have various types of cases. When the residents graduates they have earned the well respected title of orthodontist.

Only 25% of Orthodontist decided to take the next rigorous step to be come a board certified orthodontist. This is this is the highest achievement possible.

When you have a choice, choose a board certified specialist!

If you would like to know more about what it means to be a board certified orthodontist and you are near The Woodlands Texas. Please stop in and Dr. Shao would be more than happy to talk with you. If you want to know if the orthodontist you are seeing is board certified check the link below! You deserve a beautiful smile!

https://www.americanboardortho.com/portal/public/

This weekend will be the 4^th Of July. There are so many fun events happening in The Woodlands. If you have nothing planned, here are some Free Family Ideas!

Splash Day! – Each of the community pools is offering free Admission from 10:00-8:00 to all families. Every pool in The Woodlands will have a different theme, refreshments, and activities. Our team members will be at random pools through out the day.

Independence Day Parade- on Market Street on 9:00 but activities will start at 8:00

Red Hot and Blue Festival & Fireworks Extravaganza- Starts at 6:00 (Look for Showtime Orthodontic Arts we will doing free face painting)

We really enjoy doing these events and meeting the great people who live on our Community.

We are very excited to announce that we will be having our Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on April 17th 2015. The event will be starting at 5:00 and ending at 9:00. There will be free food and drinks. We will also be playing the movie Big Hero 6. This is an event for the whole family to enjoy. We invite anyone who would like to come!

If you own a business in area please feel free to bring some of your business cards. If you are interested in donating a raffle prize to represent your company please call us at 832-663-9191 so that we can add you to our list! We live in such a wonderful community and we want to help support the small businesses that surround us, what better way then networking with our neighbors! We look forward to seeing you there!!
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Just wanted to write a quick blog, letting you know that we are actively on many social media sites.

Here is a quick list of the sites that we currently on.

Facebook
google +
instagram
pintrest
twitter
youtube
yelp

With everything we do here at Showtime Orthodontic Arts we try to be out of the box! Our Facebook and google+ pages are updated daily, this is a great way for you to know exactly what is happening at Showtime! From events we a sponsoring to music parodies. If the patient want their picture taken Dr. Shao he is more then happy to do that. We love what we do and have fun doing it. We strive to go above and beyond for every patient that walks through the door! Please like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter and instagram and google +, pin it on Pintrest ,yelp us on Yelp . Here are the links below

https://www.facebook.com/ShowtimeOrtho

http://instagram.com/showtimeortho/

https://twitter.com/ShowtimeOrtho

https://plus.google.com/+ShowtimeOrthodonticArtsPLLCTheWoodlands/about

http://www.yelp.com/biz/showtime-orthodontic-arts-the-woodlands

http://www.pinterest.com/showtimeortho/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN8ymXlR9NyCi9e_gzKOjQw/videos

As the year is quickly coming to an end, it seems like between now and January the kids are in and out of school. This is the perfect time for kids to get their braces on! We would like to take this time to let you know our holiday schedule.

Our office hours are not your traditional orthodontic office hours. We know how much you value your child's education, so Showtime Orthodontic Arts offer hours that fit all families’ busy schedules with our early mornings, late nights and also being opened on Saturdays and Sundays! You never have to miss work and the the kids never have to miss school!

Normal office hours year round

Thursdays- 8am- 7pm
Fridays - 7am- 6pm
Saturdays - 8am- 7pm
Sundays -12pm-5pm

Our Holiday schedule

We will closed

Thanksgiving November 27th 2014
Christmas December 25th 2014

If you have never been to our office, we welcome you to stop in. We would be delighted to give you and your family a tour of our new beautiful high tech office. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call. A Showtime Orthodontic Arts team member is always available to take your call! We wish you and your family the happiest of holidays and a wonderful new year!

Showtime Orthodontic Arts of The Woodlands has so much to be thankful for this year. This being our first year here, we are truly thankful to The Woodlands Community for embracing us so warmly. There are so many wonderful people we have had the pleasure of meeting here. We are thankful for the support of our patients, who we consider part of our family. Every time our patients walk through the door we are excited to hear about their volleyball games, tennis tournaments, community activities or anything happening in there lives. We are very blessed to meet each and everyone of you!

As we all know Halloween is just around the corner.  So what does this mean for for you and your braces? Dr. Jeff Shao of Showtime Orthodontic Arts has some helpful suggestion to get you through this spooky day without broken brackets.

Helpful Tips:

1. Make sure that you find a safe place to go trick or treating. If you live in The Woodlands or in the surrounding area On Sunday October 25th The Woodlands Township puts on the most amazing event called “Trick or Treat Trail” It’s location will be at Town Green Park 2099 Lake Robbins Drive The Woodlands, Texas . The event will start at 3 pm and will go until 6 pm.  We will be there so stop in and say hi. Dr. Shao will also be giving away some really cool stuff too.

2. Go through and separate your Candy when you are done trick or treating. Of course throw      away anything that is partially opened unwrapped or looks suspicious. Here is a list of bracket breaking candies Caramel candy, Gummy candies, Jelly Beans, anything with nuts, licorice, Taffy, Tootsie Rolls, Starburst and Jolly Ranchers. Being in the dental profession, we don’t recommended you eating candy. However, If you can’t resist, then make sure you brush and floss as soon as you finish your treat.

3. If you break a bracket, give us a call and we can help you out. Don’t forget, we are open every weekend.

Have a fun and safe Halloween. We hope to see you at the Trick or Treat Trail.

1. A lot of our patients will be in rubber bands at some time in their treatment. The best way is to get through is to wear your bands as recommended by your Orthodontist. What these rubber bands are doing is moving your jaw into the correct position. If you don’t wear your bands as recommended your jaw will not move. This will increase your treatment time. Just like your dentist knows if you have been flossing,Your orthodontist knows if you have been wearing your rubber bands.

2. A broken bracket or wire pretty much happens to everyone at one point or another. It is important that you call your Orthodontist to schedule an appointment to get this taken care of as soon as possible. A broken wire or bracket will slow down your treatment.

3. If you are experiencing discomfort from your braces, Tylenol (acetaminophen) is the best medicine. All the other common medications (ie. Advil, aspirin, etc.) SLOW DOWN TOOTH MOVEMENT.

4. Stay away from foods that can damage your braces. If you need a list of these foods please call our office at 832-663-9191 or we could also email you the list. We recommend you staying away from these foods because they could damage or loosen your braces.

5. Please do not chew on ice cubes. Not is only is it really bad for your braces, but it is also a really bad idea for the general health of your teeth.

6. Take care of your teeth. We recommend you seeing your family dentist at least every 6 months (sometimes every 3 or 4 months) for cleanings and cavity checks during the entire orthodontic treatment.

7. Keep your scheduled appointments with your Orthodontist. If you miss appointments then you are increasing the time that you will be in braces.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call our Woodlands Office. We are open on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays every week.

So I just wanted to write a quick blog about what is happening at Showtime Orthodontic Arts in The Woodlands. We launched our first parody video this past weekend and want to thank everyone who liked it on our Facebook, Google + and Youtube. It was a lot of fun to create and we look forward to doing another one soon. If you haven’t seen it yet, go ahead a check it out! Here is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzq7axW_tOY . Let us know what you think!
If you have a suggestion of a song you would like us to do a parody on, let us know and maybe, just maybe we will pick your song for our next video!

If you are a patient of Showtime Orthodontic Arts, you could give us call and we will get you right in. Remember, we are open on Saturdays and Sundays.

Now, if you are not a patient of ours, there is something that you can do temporarily until your Orthodontist can get you in.

You can cut the wire closest to the nearest bracket that is attached.  You can use a sterile fingernail clipper its best to use and brand new one,or you can use a fairly new one and place it in boiling water for 5 minutes to sterilize  it( just make sure it is not rusty)  also remember, to wipe the cutter with alcohol before using it.  As you are cutting the wire, place your finger on the wire and hold onto the end to be cut securely, so when you are cutting it off, it doesn’t fly off towards the back of the mouth. Also, make sure you wear eye protection as well. If you don’t feel comfortable cutting the wire, just don’t do it.

For those that don’t feel comfortable cutting the wire, just use a lot of wax and if a sore develops, place Ora-gel on the area. It is important that you notify your Orthodontist as soon as possible. If you are on vacation, you should be able to call any Orthodontist close to where you are and tell them your situation. They should be able to help you out.

You are never too old for braces! I had a conversation with one of my patient’s mom about how she is so happy that her daughter is in braces. She told me that she never had braces and it was something she real wished she had as a child. I asked her if she had ever thought about getting braces as an adult. She kinda just chuckled and said ” I am way too old for braces!”
As parents, we do everything for our children. We will bend over backward to give them a great quality of life. We often never take a time for ourselves, especially as parents. Don’t you think it is time for us to do something for ourselves?

Many adults don’t realize how many different types of braces they have to choose from. Recent advances in the field of orthodontics allows you to wear braces that no one can see! Here are a few options that Dr. Jeff Shao of Showtime Orthodontic Arts in The Woodlands offer.

The #1 choice is Lingual Braces

Why is this our # 1 choice is because you can’t see it (well, unless you are walking on your hands with your mouth open but come on, who really does that). Lingual braces are placed behind your teeth facing your tongue.
The definition of lingual is, relating to, near, or on the side toward the tongue.

Here are a few celebrities who’ve had lingual braces:
Catherine Duchess of Cambridge
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
Miley Cyrus
Chances are you have had a conversation with someone with lingual braces and didn’t even know it!

Our #2 choice is Invisalign:

Invisalign is a series of clear trays that you use to straighten your teeth. The key to invisalign is compliance (you have to wear your trays in order for it to work).

Celebrities who have been treated with invisalign:
Khole Kardashian
Eva Longoria
Zac Efron
Serena Williams
and yup even Oprah

The 3rd is ceramic braces:

These are the braces that are the same color as your teeth!

Celebrities who have had Ceramic Braces:

Faith Hill
Tom Cruise
Niall Horan (of One Direction) you can insert teenage girl scream here_____!

If you are interested in esthetic options, please call us for a complimentary consultation for more in depth information. We have very convenient hours to fit your busy schedule.

Thursday- 8am- 7pm
Friday- 7am- 6pm
We are open on weekends too!
Saturday- 8am- 7pm
Sunday- 12pm- 5pm

Monday-Wednesday Our receptionist will be available by phone to schedule your appointment or answer question you might have.

We feel very privileged and honored to have Mario on our team. As far as assistants go, he is the best. Not only is Mario a very skilled and efficient Assistant, he is an awesome guy. Having a male orthodontic assistant might be rare, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

So I sat down with Mario and asked him, “What do you want our patients to know about you?”

Mario: The first thing I would like everybody to know is that I really enjoy my job. I work for the best Orthodontist in The Woodlands. Dr. Jeff Shao is so funny, we are always laughing! It is so refreshing to wake up and go into work with people I enjoy being with. We are not just a team, we are a family.  It is so awesome interacting with our patients. I have meet some of the coolest kids who are really involved in our Community.  I love all Sports. I have been the biggest fan of the Texas Longhorns ever since my Grandfather took me to my first game when I was 12 years old. The second I stepped into the stadium and looked down on the field, it truly took my breath away.  At that moment, I knew I was a fan for life. Growing up in San Antonio, one of favorite things to do was go to the San Antonio Spurs games. I have been watching the Spurs ever since Tim Duncan was drafted in 1998.

My family is everything to me. I have two older sisters and a brother who is a senior in high school. I also have a little nephew who is 2 years old that I am very close with.

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I am very excited to be living in The Woodlands, for may reasons. First, the people here are so kind and welcoming. There are so many things to do here! I have already been to a few Houston Astros games and hope to see a Houston Texans game in the near future.  I have already attended my first concert at the Cynthia Mitchell Woods pavilion and it definitely won’t be the last.

It is that time of year again: back to school!

Here are some tips to help you out:

1. Keep your retainers in your retainer case during lunch. If you have a locker, that would be a safe place for you to keep it or you can zip it up in your book bag. As Dr. Jeff Shao would say, ”Face or Case!”

2. Brush and floss your teeth after lunch. You wouldn’t want to walk around with peas stuck in your teeth!

3. Don’t forget about scheduling your orthodontic appointments in advance. Keep in mind that we are open early mornings, late afternoons and on Saturdays and Sundays.

4. Wear your elastics (it will make a difference in your treatment time).

5. We hope everyone has a great year at school! A special request to all parents of kids returning to school: Please encourage your child to say ‘hi’ or smile if they see another child struggling to make friends or being bullied. A little kindness goes a long way.

Remember to keep us updated on your great achievements this year whether it is sports related, academic achievements, or if you have done something great within our community.
We truly believe that we have the best patients ever and know each and everyone of you are going to have a wonderful year!

Fred Couples Pro golfer once said “ When you’re prepared you’re more confident. When you have a strategy you’re more comfortable.” This is a great philosophy to go by for getting your braces.

A couple days before the big day..

Get it out of your system
One of my patients mothers had a great idea. She planned a family movie night at their house where she order pizza, had a veggie tray with carrots and celery, and then served popcorn, and a little bowl of gummy bears. As you can tell these are a lot of the foods on the “avoid with braces list”.

Things to add to grocery list

Braces can cause some discomfort. Soft foods will be ideal for a couple days afterwards.
Below I listed some items that you might want to pick up.

soup
applesauce
mashed potatoes
lots of liquids
sugar free pudding
eggs
pancakes
rice
Tylenol - not Advil- (Aspirin, Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and Naproxen Sodium (Aleve, Anaprox) actually slow the tooth movement, so it is not advisable to use them frequently while wearing braces.)
yogurt
salt (for warm saltwater rinse) Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously.
ora-gel
and my favorite: SMOOTHIES!!!!

Here is a great recipe to get you started:

Superstar Banana Smoothie

1 banana
1 cup of milk you can use skim ok soy if you choose
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 or 5 ice cubes

Now you just blend it up in a blender and enjoy!!!

tip -the riper the banana the sweeter it will be

Keep up the brushing and flossing

This no time to relax on brushing and flossing. It is VERY important to brush and floss everyday, especially now that you are getting braces. If you have never been a strong flosser, you might want to invest into a type of water flosser (i.e. Waterpic). This will definitely help you get the job done.

The day you get your braces

-Wake up with a positive attitude because today is going to be a great day!

-Have a good breakfast

-Take the recommended dosage of Tylenol an hour before your appointment

-After your braces are placed, we will give you a patient kit with a toothbrush, floss , floss threader and some Ortho wax. Our assistant will teach you the proper way to use all these items.

The night after you get your braces

So by this point the discomfort has set in, but have no fear, here are some more tips on how to get through the night:

-Continue taking your tylenol as recommended, this will help a lot.

-Try out that smoothie recipe! The cold will feel good.

-A salt and water rinse will help ease the discomfort. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously.

-Get some sleep, you’ve had a busy day!

Just remember the discomfort that you are feeling is your teeth moving!!!! You are on your way to beautiful smile!!!

Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. Please check back often for weekly updates on fun and exciting events happening at our office, important and interesting information about orthodontics, and the latest news about our practice. Feel free to leave a comment or question for our doctor and staff – we hope this will be a valuable resource for our patients, their families, and friends!