Christmas Trivia

With Christmas approaching, we thought it would be fun to post some Christmas trivia.  Hope you enjoy!

Did you know if you were to buy every item on the "12 Days of Christmas" song it would cost you $96,824.00? 

Also, if you counted all the gifts that were given in the song "12 Days of Christmas" you would realize that the number of gifts being presented were 364 total, which means a gift for every day in the year!





Warning: Christmas shopping may be hazardous to your health.  Statistics have shown that avid Christmas shoppers will be elbowed at least 3 times while shopping! OUCH!!

On the average, Americans send out 28 Christmas cards to friends and family every year.

The traditional Christmas dinner in England used to be a pig head prepared with a mustard sauce. 

Most of the popular Christmas carols that we sing today were written in the 19th century.

The song "Jingle Bells" was first written for Thanksgiving and then became one of the most popular Christmas songs. 

It was once believed that any woman who was not kissed while standing under the mistleoe, will not marry the coming year.

Christmas trees take an average of 7-10 years to mature.

Did you know that Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states, even including Hawaii and Alaska?

31.3 million real Christmas trees were purchased in 2007!  That's a lot of Christmas trees!

Partners In Education Update

As of November 4, 2010 we have donated a total of $4,900.00 to area schools through our Partners In Education program!  Thank you so much for your support!  Please continue to spread the word so we may reach our goal of $25,000.00 by August 31, 2011.  Look at the Pie Charts below to see what schools we have donated to.

WIN AN IPAD!!

Want to win the hottest electronic this year, an iPad?  All you have to do is make a comment on our Facebook page, our YouTube channel, or comment on our blog about how much you enjoy being one of our patients.  After you make your post, email us at kyortho@qx.net with your name, telephone number, which social media site you posted on and we will enter your name in a drawing to win an iPad!

The more comments you post the more times your name will be entered, which means the more chances you have to win!

One lucky winner will be drawn on March 1, 2011. 

Have fun and don't forget to send us an email!  We can't wait to read what all of our awesome patients have to say about us!

   

October is National Orthodontic Health Month

Everyone loves this time of year.  We get to dress up, pretend we are someone we are not such as superheros, princesses, or even monsters.  We think the best part of Halloween is that it is a free time to eat those devilish goodies.  However, those goodies can do a lot of damage to our orthodontic patients.  Remember to stay away from chewy, sticky, gooey candy when trick or treating.  Those special treats can cause wires and brackets to break resulting in some not so happy little ghouls or goblins.  Here are some examples of "brace friendly" candy, 3 Musketeers Bars, Hershey Chocolate Bars, Candy Corn or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

If you are hosting a party we have some "spooktacular" brace friendly recipes listed below.  You may also visit http://www.braces.org/NOHM/ for more information about National Orthodontic Health Month.  Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

FRIGHTFULLY FABULOUS CUPCAKE SANDWICHES
(American Association of Orthodontists/MCT)


INGREDIENTS

12 cupcake liners
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup warm (not hot) water
3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
2 cups cake flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 12-ounce can of chocolate frosting
1 16-ounce container of whipped topping
Assorted braces-friendly candy pieces, such as chopped peanut-butter cups, chocolate bars and melt-in-your-mouth candies


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners and set aside.


2. Combine cocoa powder, water, and mix until smooth. Fold in mayonnaise. (Make sure cocoa mixture is not hot to prevent breaking of mayonnaise).


3. Add vanilla and whisk until smooth.

4. In mixing bowl, combine sugar, cake flour, baking soda and salt and mix slowly until well incorporated. Add wet cocoa mixture, mix on medium-high until well blended. Scrape down the sides and blend for another 30 seconds.
 
5. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full of batter. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack. Slice each cupcake in half horizontally, and serve the halves with chocolate mousse or frosting, whipped topping, and assorted candy pieces. Kids can build the sandwiches by spreading one-half of a cupcake with mousse/frosting or whipped topping, sprinkling on candy pieces and placing the other half of the cupcake on top.


Serves 12. Recipe provided by Michael Chiarello for http://www.braces.org/.


MUMMY DOGS

INGREDIENTS

32 Hillshire Farm Lit'l Smokies
1 (8 oz.) can refrigerated crescent dough rolls
Mustard or Ketchup, if desired

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Unroll dough, separate at perforations, creating 4 rectangles.  Press perforations to seal.
3. With a knife or a pizza cutter cut each rectangle lengthwise into 8 strips making a total of 32 strips.  Wrap one strip of dough around each Lit'l Smokies, stretching dough slightly to look like bandages, leaving part of tip exposed to create face.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 12-14 mins. or until golden brown.  Draw features on tip of Lit'l Smokies with mustard to create a face.  Serve with mustard or ketchup, if desired.

Partners In Education School Chart

Partners In Education School Dispersment

August - September 2010 = $2,800.00



Partners In Education Update

Our Partners In Education program is moving right along.  As of October 1, 2010 we have donated $2,800.00 to area schools!



Just a reminder what the Partners In Education program is all about.  We will donate $100 for every child or adult that starts full braces with us to a school of their choice.  These funds will be dispersed every two months and will include the name of the patient(s) who selected that school to receive the donation in their honor.  These donations are earmarked for teachers' use in their classrooms for supplies.

Click on  the pie charts above to see which schools are leading the pack.  It looks like Edythe J. Hayes Middle School in Lexington has the highest amount at $500.00 and Henry Clay High School is next at $200.00.  We have a lot of other area schools that will be benefiting from $100.00 donations.

We are heading in the right direction to reach our goal of $25,000.00 by August 31, 2011!  We'd like to thank all of our patient's for helping us in spreading the word about this program.  We wouldn't be able to reach our goal with out your help!



Join Our E-mail List!

Did you know that you can receive e-mail confirmation notices for your upcoming appointments?  Not only will you receive e-mail confirmations for your appointments, but you can also sign up to receive text messages, check your appointments online, look at your photos and x-rays along with the capability to view your account history and make a payment online.  It's a simple process.  At your next appointment give the front desk your e-mail address and with in the next day you will receive an e-mail from us giving you a user name and a password.  Simply follow the e-mail instructions in the letter and you will be activated. 

Once you are activated, visit our website at www.kyorthodocs.com and go to the upper right corner on our home page and click on "Your Account & Appointments".  This will take you to the log in page where you enter your Last name, User Id and Password.  From there, you will be on your way to accessing important information, plus you will also receive our online newsletter and e-mails about upcoming events within our practice.

So, what are you waiting for?  Sign up today!

YouTube Winning Video!

Congratulations to David, Katie, and MaryBeth for being the winners of our summer YouTube video contest!  We all loved watching it and thanks for the wonderful comments.  You all really ROCK!!!

Partners In Education

Our practice is pleased to announce a new cooperative program we have established called "Partners In Education".  We all value and understand the importance of education for the future success of children in our community.  Our mission is to provide monetary funding directly to local schools that is earmarked for teachers' use in their classrooms for supplies.

We will donate $100 for every child or adult that starts full orthodontic treatment in our office to the school of their choice.  The funds will be dispersed to local schools every two months and will include the name of the patient(s) who selected that school to receive the donation in their honor.  We have set a goal of $25,000 to be donated between September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011 to area schools. 

All of us here at Bluegrass Orthodontics are excited to begin this new effort and hope our surrounding communities will be also.  We feel that every child deserves a great education and this is a way to give back to the community which has been so good to us.

If you have any questions, in regards to the "Partners In Education" program, please feel free to contact Liz Maskos at 859-268-1190 or via e-mail at kyortho@qx.net.

2010 Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to Trent Rankin and Elijah Drug for winning a $500.00 scholarship from
Bluegrass Orthodontics.  We are glad to be a part of helping you further your education.  Good luck in college!

Trent Rankin and Dr. Ferguson

Elijah Drug and Dr. Tipton

Bluegrass Orthodontic's Pony Club

WELCOME TO THE PONY CLUB!

Lexington's premier orthodontic practice is pleased to welcome you to the Pony Club, a fun and exciting club designed especially for patients in the observation stage of treatment.

The observation phase is an essential part of your orthodontic treatment.  It allows Dr. Ferguson or Dr. Tipton monitor your growth and development at regular intervals to determine when the need for orthodontics will be anticipated. Timing for orthodontic treatment is critical, and regular visits to our office during this phase ensures the proper start to your treatment.

During this phase you will visit our office every 4-6 months and be a member of the Pony Club.  This special club offers you exclusive benefits such as:

**Pony Club membership card  

**Pony Club stuffed animal 

**Office backpack or office t-shirt 

**Ability to collect Horsebucks (see website, http://www.kyorthodocs.com/, for guidelines on Horsebucks)         

Not only will you receive your Horsebucks at your regular visits, but you will also receive other Pony Club special rewards.  We look forward to having a big corral full of little ponies for our Pony Club! 

SILLY BANDZ!!

We now have Silly Bandz for sale!  For only 25 Horsebucks you can purchase one package of Silly Bandz.

We have many styles to choose from including, dinosaurs, sea life, vehicle,  pop star, and animals.  What a great way to congratulate yourself for being such an awesome patient! 

Stop by and pick up your package of Silly Bandz!

Bluegrass Orthodontics YouTube Video Contest

VIDEO CONTEST

Are you interested in winning $250.00 from our office?  Enter in our next contest!  We want all of our upcoming actors and actresses to grab your video cameras and make a video about your favorite orthodontist, us, Bluegrass Orthodontics!  You can do a cheer, make a skit, sing a song, or just act crazy, but we do ask that you keep it fun and respectful.  The best part is all videos entered will be able to be viewed on our YouTube channel.  To access our YouTube channel, go to http://www.kyorthodocs.com/ and click on the YouTube icon locted on the home page of our website. 

 OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES:

1.  Make a video 2 minutes or less in length about Bluegrass Orthodontics.

2.  Keep all videos clean, fun and respectful.

3. Submit videos and the signed release in either a CD or DVD by September 1, 2010 to

Bluegrass Orthodontics

Attn: Liz Maskos

620 Perimeter Dr., Ste. 207

Lexington, KY. 40517

4. All participants in the videos must have a signed Permission/Consent Form.  These forms are available at all 4 office locations.

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN!!!

Congratulations!

All of us at Bluegrass Orthodontics would like to give a big CONGRATULATIONS to Jack Rockaway one of our former patients.  Jack is a senior at Trinity Christian Academy in Lexington, Kentucky, who has been accepted to Harvard, Yale and Princeton next year!  Jack has made his decision and in the fall he will be attending Yale.  What a great accomplishment, Jack, we know you will continue to succeed throughout your life! Congratulations, again!

Moms For Mouth Guards - How far would you go to protect your child durin...

April is National Facial Protection Month

The sun is shining, it is a warm spring day.  Your child has their first sporting event today.  You get everything packed- chairs, sunscreen, hats, water bottles, snacks, etc.  You've been watching the game and you are so excited because your child is doing so well.  All of a sudden a ball comes and hits your child in the mouth.  A time out is called and you run down to the  field and notice that your child's mouth is bleeding.  As you have your child open their mouth to get a better look at the accident you notice that part of your child's braces are broke and your child has some cuts in their mouth.  You call your orthodontist and they meet you at the office for an emergency visit.  As your orthodontist is looking and repairing your child, he/she asks if your child was wearing their mouth guard?  Whoops, the one thing you forgot to pack!  

If that story sounds familiar to you, you are not alone.  Did you know that 67% of parents say their child does not wear a mouth guard - yet, 70% say their biggest fear when their child plays sports is that they will get hurt?*  According to the American Association of Orthodontists, one out of every 4 parents say their child has sustained an injury during an organized sport resulting in a trip to the emergency room.  Of the parents whose children do not wear a mouth guard, 84% say it's because the league or coach does not require it.*   Cheerleading is also considered one of the most dangerous sports, accounting for 65% of all injuries in high school girls' athletics according to MSNBC.com.  Therefore, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) and football great Emmitt Smith are teaming up together to help spread the word about the importance of mouth guard awareness during the month of April.

The main purpose of a mouth guard is to cover and protect the teeth and braces while playing a sport, which can help prevent jaw, mouth and teeth injuries caused by a collision or a fall. Mouth guards can come in a variety of colors, sizes, shapes and also vary in price. While the color of a mouth guard does not make that big of a difference (some sporting leagues may require you to have a certain color), the type of mouth guard does.  When in orthodontic treatment, make sure that you do not get a mouth guard that needs to be boiled.  The boiled mouth guards are form fitting to your teeth and due to your mouth consistantly changing while wearing braces, the boiled mouth guards may not fit through out your child's sport season. We recommend you get a mouth guard that you can adapt to fit your child's mouth by trimming it with scissors.  Dick's Sporting Goods or Wal Mart seem to have the best selection and carry orthodontic mouth guards such as The Shock Doctor Youth Gel mouth guard that sells for around $15-$16 each.  If you are unsure which mouth guard will work best for your child and their sporting event talk with your orthodontist. 

So, remember as you start to pack up for the next big game don't forget to grab your child's mouth guard.  A trip to the emergency room is definately not as much fun as being there to watch your child and their team win the big game! 

You may also want to visit Mom's For Mouthguards website and make a pledge stating that you will have your child/children wear a mouth guard, to help protect their winning smile and prevent facial injuries while participating in sports activities.  For each pledge made, the AAO will donate mouth guards to the National Alliance for Youth Sports.

*American Association of Orthodontists

Bluegrass Orthodontics Talks With Area Schools about Dental Health

During the month of February, Dr. Ferguson and Liz Maskos visited with some area elementary schools in Lexington, Kentucky to educate children about the importance of dental health.  Dr. Ferguson spoke with a class of kindergartners at Trinity Christian Academy while Liz spoke with nine K/1 classes one 2nd/3rd grade class at Veteran's Park Elementary.

Both Dr. Ferguson and Liz spent about 30-40 minutes with each class teaching them how many baby and permanent teeth they have along with the proper brushing and flossing techniques.  They even used a couple of experiments to show the importance of flossing and why fluoride is so important. 

Below are some photos of their fun educational experience with the kids.

February is National Children's Dental Health Month

National Children's Dental Health Month began as a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio on Feb. 3, 1941. The American Dental Association held the first national observance of Children’s Dental Health Day on Feb. 8, 1949. This single day observance became a week-long event in 1955, and in 1981 the program was extended to a month-long celebration known today as National Children’s Dental Health Month.

We believe at Bluegrass Orthodontics that children's teeth are meant to last a lifetime and a healthy smile is very important to a child's self esteem.  With proper brushing and flossing along with eating a balanced diet and visiting the dentist two times a year children can achieve this goal!  Therefore, during the month of February, Dr. Ferguson and Liz Maskos will be visiting some area schools in Lexington, Kentucky to help educate children about the importance of dental health. 

                                         

Please visit back soon to hear how their visits went!