Is your child afraid of the dentist?

We hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Both Dr. Patricia Gilleran and Dr. Amy Van Fossen know some children fear going to the dentist, and this morning, we found a helpful article on how to help your child overcome fears of visiting our office, courtesy of our friends at WebMD.

It is our goal to make your child’s dental experience a positive one. Whether it’s a simple checkup or restorative care, Drs. Gilleran and Van Fossen & our experienced team provide comprehensive gentle dental care in a comfortable and welcoming environment. In fact, most of our patients look forward to their next visit! Schedule an appointment at our convenient office in Chicago's Loop by calling 312-368-8771, and we’ll see you soon!

Are you wearing your mouth guard this spring?

Spring is upon us, and for Drs. Gilleran and Van Fossen, that only means one thing: it’s once again time to remind our dear patients to protect their faces and pearly whites. After all, children, high-school athletes and adults will have more than 5,000,000 teeth knocked out in sporting events this year. Here are five tips from Drs. Gilleran and Van Fossen to save face while having fun this spring. We hope you remember them when you’re out on the ball field:

1. Wear mouth guards for contact sports such as baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse.
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. 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 Gilleran and Van Fossen Cosmetic Dentistry by calling 312-368-8771. Stay safe!

Access to your account any day, any time!

Access to your account any time, any day. Sounds convenient, doesn’t it? At Gilleran and Van Fossen, we embrace new technology, whether it's through the innovative treatments we offer, our high-tech web site and social networks, or our modern office conveniently located in Chicago's Loop.

Patients at Gilleran and Van Fossen Cosmetic Dentistry enjoy access to their account 24 hours a day, seven days a week—on our web site. You may 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, text messages and more!

You, too, may sign up for this convenient service on our web site by clicking the "Patient Login" button at the top of our homepage. Please give us a call if you have any questions!

Enjoy your weekend!

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month!

The month of May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, and our team at Gilleran and Van Fossen Cosmetic and General Dentistry will always tell you living an active lifestyle can and does improve physical and mental health, productivity and overall well-being. The best part? It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or effort.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has provided these public health guidelines for your reference. The guidelines call for people to exercise one hour every day of moderate intensity physical activity (such as playing sports or brisk walking) or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity (jogging, jumping rope or dancing).

At our convenient office in Chicago's Loop, we always encourage our patients to exercise or participate in sports. However, we want to remind you to always wear a mouth guard or other forms of mouth or facial protection when doing so. To learn more about how often you should exercise, we recommend you check out these helpful tips, courtesy of our friends at the American Heart Association.

Finally, we hope you all have a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend!