2014 Giving Tree Contest Results

We had a very successful Giving Tree Contest this year. (Rules can be found here.) Thanks to all the businesses that hosted trees and to the charities that helped them get votes.  Here are the results:
 
Dr. DaBell's tree came in first place with 390 votes.  A donation of $250 was issued to Heath's Haven.

Legacy Animal Medical Center's tree came in second with 345 votes. A donation of $250 was issued to Blessings Under the Bridge.

Damon Orthodontics/Valley's tree came in third place with 267 votes and earned The Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery $250.

Tanya at Tanya Design + Photo earned fourth place with 256 votes.  A donation of $250 was delivered to Inland Northwest Baby.

Other charities that were recipients of donations include: The Make-A-Wish Foundation (trees hosted by Providence Family Physicians and RE/MAX  Inland Empire), Idaho Youth Ranch (tree hosted by Riverstone Orthodontics), Backpacks for Kids (tree hosted by Lakeside Pediatrics), Inland Northwest SIDS Foundation (tree hosted by Tessendorf Family Chiropractic), and Teen Closet (tree hosted by Ellingsen Paxton Orthodontics).

Check out all of the trees on our Facebook page!

2014 Elf on the Shelf Photo Contest Details

Show us your Family's Elf on the Shelf! 

Email us a picture of your elf caught in their most mischievous act!  Winning entry gets a Kindle Fire HD6.  Voting begins Dec 20th.  Contest ends on Dec 31st.

Facebook in no way endorses or promotes this contest. It is solely promoted by KiDDS Dental.

The Rules:


KiDDS Dental's Elf on a Shelf photo contest begins Dec 20, 2014 and ends Dec 31, 2014.  By submitting a photo, each entrant agrees to the rules and states that they are 18 years or older.

Who may enter: Adults 18 years or older are eligible to submit a photo.  KiDDS Dental will determine the eligibility of each photo submitted at its sole discretion.

What to enter: A picture of an Elf on a Shelf shot by the entrant.  If a child is in the picture, only a parent or guardian of the child may submit the picture. 
Photos that violate or infringe upon another person's rights, including to but not limited to copyright, are not eligible.
By entering the contest, entrants grant KiDDS Dental license to display, distribute, reproduce photographs.

How to enter: Photo must be emailed to elf@growupsmiling.com to be considered. All entries will be included in a Facebook album on the KiDDS Dental Facebook page starting December 20, 2014. Voting will take place in that album only.

Entry Deadline:  Photos must be emailed by Dec 27th at midnight.

Judging:  Winner will be chosen by a popular vote.  Each "like" constitutes one vote. Voting begins on Dec 20, 2014 and closes on Dec 31, 2014 at midnight.  Winner will be notified on or before Jan 8, 2015.

Prize:  The entrant with the most votes wins a Kindle Fire HD6.  Winner must be available to pick up prize at KiDDS Dental by Jan 24 or prize will be forfeit.
Winners must sign a media release and will be responsible for paying any taxes they may owe on a prize.

5 Tips to Banish Your Child's Bad Breath

Bad breath, also known as halitosis, might seem like a benign irritant, but it can actually be a sign of something much more severe. In most cases, halitosis is simply a result of poor oral hygiene. If you want to describe it as vividly as possible for purposes of motivating your children to take better care of their mouths, say that bad breath comes from all the decomposing food left in their mouth that they didn’t brush and floss away, as well as the bacteria that came into their mouths to eat all that food debris. In addition to being a good motivator, that explanation has the advantage of being true—in most cases.

Here are some oral care tips that will help to reduce the risk of halitosis:

• Schedule brushing time after meals.
• Brush the tongue with a soft-bristled brush.
• Drink more water.
• Suck on sugar-free candies.
• End each meal with a crunchy fruit such as an apple to help expel bad food particles and freshen the breath.

If your child improves his or her oral hygiene and the bad breath persists, there’s a very real chance that the bad breath is a leading indicator of something far more serious. In some cases, depending on the smell of the child’s breath, he or she may benefit from seeing a doctor. If your child’s breath smells fruity, it’s a possible sign of diabetes or a number of critical conditions that might require urgent care.

While in most cases better dental hygiene is enough to fight halitosis, Dr. Jared can help determine if the cause is something more serious. As with any issue related to oral care, make sure to raise the issue of halitosis with us during your next visit to KiDDS Dental.

Congratulations to Kaiden!

He's the latest KiDDS No Cavity Club winner!

Kaiden chose a Toys R Us gift card as his prize for winning our drawing.
He was also treated to a photo shoot with Tanya at Tanya Design + Photo. 

Are your kids cavity free?
Call us at 509-891-7070 to schedule an appointment with our staff of caring professionals to find out!

Congratulations to Peter!

He's the latest KiDDS No Cavity Club winner!  

Peter chose a $25 gift card to Toys R Us as his prize for winning our drawing.

He was also treated to a photo shoot with Tanya at Tanya Design + Photo.

Are your kids cavity free?  Call us at 509-891-7070 to schedule an appointment with our staff of caring professionals to find out!

2014 Giving Tree Photo Contest Rules

The Rules:

Facebook in no way endorses or promotes this contest. It is solely promoted by KiDDS Dental.

KiDDS Dental's "Giving Tree" photo contest begins December 1, 2014 and ends December 18th, 2014.  By submitting a photo, each entrant agrees to the rules and states that they are 18 years or older.

Who may enter: A member of the staff for invited organizations may enter on behalf of their organization.  KiDDS Dental will determine the eligibility of each photo submitted at its sole discretion.

What to enter: A picture of the provided tree that is decorated.  In the description of the picture, please include the name of the participating office and the name of the eligible charity.
Photos that violate or infringe upon another person's rights, including to but not limited to copyright, are not eligible.
By entering the contest, entrants grant KiDDS Dental license to display, distribute, reproduce photographs.

Entry Deadline:  Photos must be entered by the December 18th, 2014.

Judging:  Voting begins on December 1st, 2014 and closes on December 18th, 2014.  Charities will be notified of their prizes by January 8th.

Prize:  The chosen charity for each picture will be given $1 per vote, up to $250 per picture/charity. Additional prizes may be distributed to the office submitting the picture of the tree with the most votes.

"Like" our Giving Trees to earn dollars for charities by clicking here.

7th Annual Great Candy Buy Back

The planning for our 7th Annual Great Candy Buy Back underwritten by Banner Bank is well underway.  As a reminder, here are the details:

Monday, Nov 3rd

4pm - 8pm

Children will get a dollar for each pound of candy they bring in.  
We'll also be handing out goody bags with fun stuff!

Parents will be able to enter to win prizes.

Candy will be shipped to troops overseas through Operation Gratitude

Dr. Jared got a question via e-mail once about our buy back that he'd like us to share with everyone:

I have a really good question. Why do you want the troops overseas to eat the candy the kids get at Halloween? Adults get cavities too and are prone to obesity and hyperactivity if they eat too much candy. This doesn't make any sense to me.

Here is our response:

You do, indeed, ask a very good question.  I want to reassure you that we do care about the oral health of not only the children in our area, but the adults who are courageously serving the US in hostile countries. 

We have chosen Operation Gratitude as the organization that we go through to recognize our appreciation for our country's soldiers. The care packages that Operation Gratitude assembles fit into a 12" x 12" x 5" box. This box could probably hold 3-5 lbs of candy.  The packages, however, are not made entirely of candy.  The care packages include other things such as DVDs, stuffed animals, stacks of greeting cards, socks, scarves, CDs, and more.  I would estimate that none of the packages contain more than 2 lbs of candy.  Some of the kids that bring in candy bring in less than 2 lbs.  Most, however, bring in plenty more.  In most cases, we're distributing the candy from one child to multiple service members. 

Although there is no way to track what the one service member does with the one package they receive, I am told that the items in these care packages are often shared with the other members of their team.  There are also reports of troops using the candy to befriend the children in the areas in which they serve, making their territory just a bit less hostile.  So, of the up to 2 lbs of candy that is delivered to one member of the military, it is likely that it is not all eaten by that one individual.  

Another way that we mitigate the effects of the candy on the recipient is by sending toothbrushes and toothpaste to Operation Gratitude.  In the last few years, we've shipped almost 300 toothbrushes and tubes of  toothpaste to be included in the holiday care packages.

The price of the candy and shipping charges are well worth it to us.  Check out these videos that show how amazing this cause is:

http://youtu.be/zOnwb1w8QEk

http://youtu.be/ZUGemsZUpBo

In conclusion,  Dr. Evans believes that candy should be enjoyed by children who have trick-or-treated to earn it, but it is not healthy for anybody to enjoy it in excess.  His suggestion:  Eat a little, save a little to enjoy for the few days following Halloween and then get rid of the rest before having candy daily becomes a habit that is hard to change.  Why not turn that excess candy into a good deed for another?  We're happy to buy that candy from children to give it to others who will be uplifted by the gesture and who should enjoy it, as well. 

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us again!

What do you think?  Should we reconsider our efforts to buy back candy and send to troops?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.