Blog

At the office of Dr. Mark Hablinski, we know image is everything. Especially for today’s teenagers. At an age when image is so important, the thought of having braces may intensify the already-delicate confidence of today’s teens. Well, May is National Teen Self-Esteem Month, and during this time, parents are encouraged to act as positive role models, help stop negative self-images, and improve confidence and security among teenagers.
Dr. Hablinski and our team will tell you one of the great ways to improve your confidence is to improve your smile. And that begins with a visit to our convenient Houston office. After all, what better time to avoid having crooked teeth in your adulthood than coming in for a consultation with Dr. Hablinski?
We proudly provide traditional braces and Invisalign Teen for today’s image-conscious teens, and invite you to give us a call to schedule your consultation or ask us on Facebook!

Dr. Hablinski and our team are happy to announce our summer postcard event! We want to see where our patients are headed this summer! Whether they are on vacation or traveling around Texas, we invite our patients to send us their postcard or video or post it on our Facebook page to be entered entered in a drawing for a gift card!
Our patients will receive one entry for postcards and three entries for video entries.
Let us know if you have any questions! Let’s see those photos!

If you ever sustain damage to your braces and need to call Dr. Mark P. Hablinski Orthodontics, we can help you more effectively if you can tell us exactly which piece is in trouble! Here’s a handy diagram and corresponding list of all the parts that make up your braces.
Elastic Tie: Tiny rubber band that fits around the bracket to hold the archwire in place.
Archwire: The main wire that acts as a track to guide the teeth along. It’s changed periodically throughout treatment, as teeth move to their new positions.
Loop in Archwire: Frequently used for closing space left by an extraction. Many archwires don’t have a loop.
Bracket: Small attachment that holds the archwire in place. Most often, a bracket is cemented directly onto the tooth’s surface, eliminating the need for a band.
Headgear Tube: Round, hollow attachment on the back bands. The inner bow of the headgear fits into it.

Coil Spring: Fits between brackets and over archwire to open space between teeth.
Tie Wire: Fine wire that is twisted around the bracket to hold the archwire in place.
Band: A thin ring of metal fitted around a tooth and cemented in place. The band provides a way to attach the brackets to the tooth.
Hook: Welded or removable arm to which elastics (rubber bands) are attached.
Elastic (Rubber Band): Small rubber band that is hooked between different points on the appliance to provide pressure to move the teeth.
Hope this helps! Give us a call if you have any questions!

If you’ve recently completed orthodontic treatment at Dr. Hablinski’s office, we’d like to congratulate you – again! Now that your braces have been removed, Dr. Hablinski will provide you with retainers. After braces are removed the 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 is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime. Here are some things to remember when you receiver your retainers from Dr. Hablinski:
* Wear your retainers full time, until Dr. Hablinski instructs otherwise.
* 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.
* Initially, you may find it difficult to speak. Practicing speaking, reading, or singing aloud to get used to them quicker is a good idea.
* Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care. If retainers are lost or broken, give us a call immediately.
* Try to remember to bring your retainers to your appointments.
* Retainer replacement is expensive…with proper care they will last for years!
* 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.).
* Keep retainers away from hot water, pockets, the washing machine and napkins.
We hope this helps! You can always contact our team if you have any questions! Enjoy the rest of your Easter weekend!

If you are interested or have been looking into Invisalign treatment, May is the month to get all of the answers! During the month of May we are proud to offer a $250.00 discount on your Invisalign treatment plan. Not only that, but you will also be put in a drawing for a $200.00 gas gift card. Call for your complimentary Invisalign Exam at 713-521-2727. Appointments are limited, so call today! Happy Monday!

Thanks for the question, and absolutely not!
In fact, our team read a fascinating statistic recently: the number of adults getting braces has actually jumped 24 percent since 1996! It’s true that braces help make your pearly whites strong, healthy and perfectly-aligned, but perhaps another reason for the spike in adult braces is this: people want to look and feel great.
In an age—and society—where looks matter as much as anything, and at a time when evenly-aligned teeth might be the difference between getting a job or a promotion, adults are choosing—wisely—to invest in orthodontics. Treatment with Dr. Hablinski can be successful at any age, and we know that adults especially appreciate the benefits of a beautiful and healthy smile.
If you’ve been thinking about getting that perfect smile, Dr. Hablinski would love to have you visit for a consultation! Please give us a call to set one up!

Access to your account, 24/7. Sounds simple and convenient, doesn’t it?
Patients at orthodontic practice of Dr. Mark Hablinski enjoy access to their account 24 hours a day, seven days a week—all through our website. You can look up your appointments and all of your account details at your convenience, all from the comfort of your own home! You can even receive appointment reminders through email or text messages!
You, too, may sign up for this convenient service on our website by clicking on the “Patient Login” button on our homepage. Please give us a call if you have any questions about getting started!

Our patient, Madeleine Moorhead, is a volunteer with a Medical Mission Faith in Practice. Mrs. Moorhead asked if we could donate toothbrushes which we were happy to, but the real story or stories is found in the hearts of the volunteers who donated their time, skill, love and compassion for all these patients that would likely never have had the opportunity if for not the devoted Medical Mission Faith in Practice Team.
“I’m Pretty Now”
Aracely, a 16 year old Guatemalan girl who was born without an ear, was met by a Faith in Practice village team outside of Antigua last year. They told her that a surgeon from the U.S., who specialized in ear reconstruction, was coming to the hospital in Antigua. She told her family that she wanted to go and have a new ear made. In Guatemala, many people think that you go to the hospital to die. Her parents did not approve of her going to Antigua. Aracely, however, was determined to go and meet the doctor that was going to “change” her life.
She set out on her journey to the Obras, the hospital staffed by Faith in Practice volunteers. She traveled through some of the most dangerous parts of Guatemala alone. She walked, hitchhiked, and rode several buses. She arrived at the Obras and was seen by plastic surgeon Dr. Sean Boutros in 2010. The staff at the Obras said it was a miracle that she made it to Antigua without getting killed or kidnapped. He performed the first of two surgeries to make an ear. While touring Casa de Fe, the facility Faith in Practice built for the recovering patients to stay, we saw the young woman. She approached Dr. Boutros and told him how thankful she was for the surgery. She had always been told she was ugly and had always felt ugly but now, she said, “I am pretty.”
Madeleine Moorhead, who is about her age and serving as a translator, was touched by her bravery and resolve. “She really stood up for herself and did what she needed to do to help herself.” Aracely’s father accompanied her today in the clinic and had a smile a mile wide. She will have the 2nd part of her ear surgery on Wednesday.
“Two Ears”
We arrived at the Casa de Fe and jumped off the bus. Looking around, we saw all the people waiting to see our group in the clinic. A young mother and her son, Richard, were waiting close to the front door. Richard was born with bilateral microtia, meaning almost complete absence of the ears. Dr. Boutros constructed one of his ears last year by carving it out of cartilage from his ribs. His mother was so thankful for the surgery that when Dr. Boutros arrived at the Casa, she approached him and presented him with a bag that she had hand-woven with his name on it. Richard approached him and was softly crying tears of joy. He had his second surgery today and he now has two beautiful ears.
Check out more photos on Dr. Hablinski’s Facebook page!