What do you love about our community?

Our office here in Overland Park is situated around some pretty unique neighborhoods. Each is special with its own personality, created by the people and places (and our amazing young patients) living within.

Today, Dr. Matt and our team thought we’d ask: What are your favorite things about Overland Park or neighboring communities? Is there a local event you attend every year? Do you have a favorite eatery? Perhaps a favorite getaway in Kansas?

Please feel free to share some information about your favorite local hang-outs in our area, and everything you love best about “your neck of the woods.”

And, if you need to schedule your next appointment for your child, give us a call!

Have a great rest of the week!

Ask Dr. Matt: Can germs really live on my son’s toothbrush?

Thank you for the question, and yes, absolutely. Germs are known to linger on the bristles, and you risk prolonging your or your child’s sickness by continuing to use the same toothbrush. Be smart - keep a spare, just in case! To protect your toothbrush from bacteria all year long, consider the following tips:

• Wash your hands before and after brushing

• Allow the brush to air dry after each use, harmful bacteria dies after being exposed to oxygen

• Store the toothbrush in an upright position to allow water to drain and dry faster

• Replace your toothbrush every 3-4 months. Worn bristles are less effective in properly cleaning your teeth, and can actually be damaging to teeth if used too long!

We hope these tips help! Feel free to call us if you have any questions or ask Dr. Matt and team on Facebook.

Join the conversation.

Whether your child just began visiting our Overland Park office and have a follow-up question for Dr. Matt Hillman or our team, or if you’d simply like to drop us a quick line, we’d love to hear from you! We love connecting with our patients online, whether it’s by sharing news on our blog or communicating ideas on our interactive Facebook page.

Please visit Smiles Dentistry for Kids on the following networks:

Facebook: facebook.com/SmilesDentistry4Kids
Twitter: twitter.com/sd4k
YouTube: youtube.com/SmilesDentistry4Kids

See you online!

Does Dr. Matt have your current contact info?

We hope you’re having a great week and a great summer so far! If you are planning on traveling with family this summer or think you might not be able to make it to your child’s regularly scheduled appointment with Dr. Matt Hillman, please let us know ahead of time so that we may be able to accommodate you, as well as schedule another patient at that appointment time.

Also, we ask that you give us a call at our convenient Overland Park office and and let us know if you have any new phone numbers or if your contact information has changed! Please give us a call with any updates to phone numbers and addresses, so we may be able to reach you. Thank you!

Enjoy your weekend!

Patriotic fun facts with Dr. Matt!

On Monday, Dr. Matt and team at Smiles Dentistry for Kids will be busy celebrating America's 235th birthday. And because we know our patients love fun facts, we thought we'd provide you with some fun facts about Independence Day! Have a great Fourth of July weekend everyone, and we'll see you next week!!

- Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.

- An estimated 2.5 million people lived in America in July 1776. Today, an estimated 309 million people reside in the United States.

- The major objection to being ruled by Britain was taxation without representation, which meant that people didn't want to be taxed by a government that did not represent them.

- In 1941, Congress declared 4th of July a federal legal holiday. It is one of the few federal holidays that have not been moved to the nearest Friday or Monday.

- The stars on the original American flag were arranged in a circle to ensure that all colonies were equal.

- America's mascot, the bald eagle, can achieve speeds of up to 200 miles per hour when making a predatory dive. During a normal flight, bald eagles can travel up to 30 miles per hour.

- The American flag patch is backwards on U.S. Army uniforms. The reason? The blue field on the flag (the part with the stars) faces forward to symbolize carrying the American flag into battle.

- Someone who specializes in the history of flags is called a vexillologist.

- The word ‘patriotism’ comes from the Latin patria, which means ‘homeland’ or ‘fatherland.’

- According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans consume over 150 million hot dogs during their Independence Day festivities.

- Speaking of food, there's a 1-in-6 chance the beef on your backyard this Independence Day weekend grill came from Texas. The Lone Star State is America's leader in the production of cattle and calves.