Merry Christmas!

From all of us at Bluegrass Orthodontics, we'd like to wish our families, friends, neighbors, and co-workers a very Merry Christmas.  We'd also like to extend a special holiday message to our "ortho family" of patients, and colleagues because without you we would not be who we are today.  We are eternally grateful for all of your support through out this past year and we look forward to continue to provide your family with the best orthodontic care possible.  We are very blessed to have such wonderful and caring people in our lives, that words can not express the gratitude we feel towards you all.

May each and every one of you have a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year.

Orthodontic Emergencies

It is almost the bewitching hour!  Time to dress up, pretend we are someone or something else, eat all those special goodies and hopefully not break any orthodontic wires or brackets.  However, if in the instance you sneak one of those "no-no goodies", we have created some helpful hints to get you through the rest of the Halloween night. 


Broken Arch Wires:

• If an archwire is broken and it is NOT poking or causing discomfort, you can place a small piece of wax on the end and call our office in the morning to schedule an appointment.
• If an archwire is broken and it IS poking or causing discomfort, you can either put a piece of wax on it or you can clip it with a pair of nail clippers which have been disinfected with alcohol.  Again, please call our office in the morning to schedule an appointment.

Broken Brackets:

• If a bracket/brace has popped off your tooth and is still attached to the archwire, and it is NOT bothering you, please call our office in the morning and we will schedule an appointment to repair the broken bracket.
• If a bracket has popped off your tooth and is NOT attached to the archwire, please keep the bracket in a ziploc baggie and call our office in the morning to schedule a repair appointment.  If the archwire is poking, you may clip it with a pair of disinfected nail clippers or place a piece of wax over the pokey end.

Pokey Archwires:

• If an archwire is poking, you may either put a piece of wax over the end or clip it with a pair of disinfected nail clippers.  Please call our office the next morning to schedule a repair appointment.

Of course, these are just a couple of incidents that could occur. The best prevention of broken brackets or archwires is to follow our guidelines and stay away from the gooey, sticky, chewy or hard foods this Halloween.  However, with any emergency situation, if you can not temporarily fix the problem at home, or if you have any questions about a situation, please do not hesitate to call our office!

We hope you have a "SPOOKTACULAR" Halloween!

October is National Orthodontic Health Month

Halloween is fast approaching and soon we will be answering our doors to little ghosts and goblins asking us for "Tricks or Treats."  We know everyone loves the treats, but for an orthodontic office, those treats can cause havoc on your braces.  Sticky, crunchy, hard or gooey candy are big culprits in breaking brackets and arch wires.  To prevent this, we have compiled a list of some orthodontic friendly treats.

• Soft, melt in your mouth chocolate, such as Hershey Bars
• Peanut Butter Cups
• Jello
• Plain M&M's (no peanut M&M's)
• Mounds or Almond Joy candy bars
• 3 Musketeers candy bars

Think before you decide to put something in your mouth if you are wearing braces.  Definitely stay away from bubblegum, tootsie rolls, licorice, Snickers candy bars, etc.  If it is sticky, gooey or crunchy it is not your friend! This theory also applies with regular treats if you are attending any "spooktacular" Halloween parties!
Below you will find some "brace" friendly Halloween recipes.  We hope you have a "ghoulishly" great Halloween!

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Softies

Recipe idea adapted from “The Braces Cookbook” by Pamela Waterman    

Makes 36 – 40 cookies

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 15-ounce can plain pumpkin puree
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon milk
1 12-ounce bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. In large mixing bowl, with a mixer or whisk, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, oil, molasses and milk. Add flour mixture slowly into pumpkin mixture until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

The dough is very soft. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Store in a covered container between sheets of waxed paper.

Yummy Mummy Spinach Dip

What You Need:

1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen pizza dough, thawed

1 egg, beaten

2 sticks KRAFT POLLY-O STRING-UMS String Cheese

2 black olive slices

1 cup BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream

1/4 cup KRAFT Light Ranch Dressing

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 green onion, sliced

1/2 cup finely chopped red peppers

1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

WHEAT THINS Original Crackers

Make It:
PAT dough into 12x6-inch oval on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Indent dough, about 3 inches from one end of oval, for the mummy's head. Let rise in warm place 20 min. or until doubled in volume.

HEAT oven to 375ºF. Brush dough with egg. Bake 18 to 20 min. or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped lightly. Pull apart string cheese to make about 16 strips; arrange on bread for the mummy's wrappings. Bake 1 to 2 min. or just until cheese is melted; cool slightly. Press olive slices into bread for the mummy's eyes; cool completely.

MEANWHILE, mix sour cream and dressing in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in next 5 ingredients. Refrigerate 30 min. or until ready to serve.

USE sharp knife to remove bread from top of mummy's body; scoop out bread from center, leaving thin shell on bottom and side. (Reserve bread top. Discard removed bread or reserve for another use.) Fill bread with spinach dip just before serving; cover with top of bread. Serve with crackers. (Nutrition information is for dip and crackers only.)

Scary Skillet Shepherd's Pie

What You Need:
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup beef gravy
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1 cup milk, divided
1 cup water
2 cups instant potato flakes
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It:

COOK vegetables as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in gravy; simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally.

MICROWAVE cream cheese and 1/4 cup milk in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec.; beat with whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in remaining milk and water. Microwave 2-1/2 min. or until hot, stirring after each minute. Stir in potato flakes and Parmesan until well blended. Spoon into resealable plastic bag; cut 1 corner from bottom of bag.

REMOVE 12 peas from mixed vegetables; stir remaining vegetables into meat mixture. Squeeze potato mixture into 6 mounds on meat mixture to resemble ghosts. Add 2 of the reserved peas to each for the eyes.


For more great orthodontic friendly recipes visit http://www.braces.org/NOHM/Orthodontic-Friendly-Recipes.cfm or http://www.braces.org/JustForKids/Recipes.cfm.

Bluegrass Orthodontics 1st Annual Food Drive

BLUEGRASS ORTHODONTICS

1ST  ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE

Help us give back to our community!

                              

             Earn 1 HORSEBUCK for every canned item brought in!

COLLECTION DATES: Sept. 1, 2011- Nov. 9, 2011

Boxes will be located in the reception rooms at every office.

Any un-opened canned or boxed items will be accepted.

Please no glass items.

Dr. Jennifer Sullivan

You may have noticed a new face around Bluegrass Orthodontics.  That new face belongs to Dr. Jennifer Sullivan DMD MS, who occasionally fills in for both Dr. Ferguson and Dr. Tipton when they are out of the office attending continuing education seminars. 

Dr. Sullivan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine  in 2003 where she received her  Doctorate of Dental Medicine. In 2004 she completed an Advanced Education program in General Dentistry, also from the University of Pennsylvania. From there she moved to Lexington and practiced general family/cosmetic dentistry from 2004-2007 and was also a faculty member of Clinical & Restorative Dentistry at the University of  Kentucky. Dr. Sullivan received her Master's Degree & Certificate of Orthodontics from the University of Kentucky Orthodontic Graduate Program in December 2010.

Dr. Sullivan is well active in the dental/orthodontic community and belongs to many of the same committees as Dr. Ferguson and Dr. Tipton. She is a member of the Bluegrass Dental Society, Kentucky Dental Association, and the Kentucky Association of Orthodontics.

When Dr. Sullivan is not practicing orthodontics, she and her husband enjoy spending time with their 5 year-old daughter Sofia. In her free time, Dr. Sullivan also enjoys, learning languages, taking care care animals, reading, cooking and exercising.

We are very fortunate to have the help of Dr. Sullivan as this allows us to continue seeing our patients on a regular schedule when Dr. Ferguson or Dr. Tipton need to be out of the office.  Therefore, if you are in the office and see Dr. Sullivan make sure to stop and say hi!

Flat Ferguson and Tiny Tipton's Adventures

Have you been following Flat Ferguson and Tiny Tipton on our Facebook page during their adventures this summer?  If not, what are you waiting for?  Click on this link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bluegrass-Orthodontics/122310402342 which will bring you to our facebook page, then click the "like" button and you too can watch where they will go next!

Both Flat Ferguson and Tiny Tipton have been very busy this summer.  They have traveled to Florida, New Mexico, Alabama, California, New York, South Carolina and even China! However, in between all this traveling to different states, they have decided to visit some local areas also, such as Centre College and a Wigwam Village in Kentucky.

If you can not get onto our Facebook page, we have uploaded some of their voyages below.  We hope you enjoy the pictures.  Remember, it is still not too late to pick up your Flat Ferguson and Tiny Tipton.  They are at every office just waiting to go on an adventure with you this summer!

Flat Ferguson at the top of the Empire State Building in New York.

Flat Ferguson hanging out at the beach in South Carolina.

Flat Ferguson visiting the Wigwam Village in Kentucky.

Tiny Tipton taking a ride in Florida.

Flat Ferguson visiting in California.

Flat Ferguson in Utah!

Here is Flat Ferguson riding a horse in Alabama!

At a rodeo in New Mexico.  Go Flat Ferguson!

Both Flat Ferguson & Tiny Tipton went to a swim camp at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.

Here they are in China!

Flat Ferguson wore glasses while he visited the Great Wall of China!

Partners in Education Update

WE ARE ALMOST THERE!!!!

 We started this program August 1, 2010 with a goal of donating $25,000.00 by August 1, 2011.  We are proud to announce that as of today, July 7, 2011 we have donated a total of $24,300.00 to local area schools through our Partners in Education program. We can see our goal in the near future and we'd like to say thank you for all that have made this possible. We can't wait to spread the good news once we have obtained our goal!

Flat Ferguson and Tiny Tipton Are On The Move!

Summer has begun and so have Flat Ferguson and Tiny Tipton's travels.  Together, they have traveled to Owensboro, Kentucky to enjoy the music of the Legendary Live Festival.  Flat Ferguson has ventured out of his comfort zone and decided to go horseback riding in Athens, Alabama.  Meanwhile, Tiny Tipton has been in a peacock nest, took a ride on a motorcycle, and even visited some polar bears in Florida.  Visit our facebook page to see the pictures.


Where do you think they will go next?  If you haven't already picked up your Flat Ferguson or Tiny Tipton, what are you waiting for?  Stop by any of the four offices and get yours today!  If you don't have an appointment coming up you can always print them from this blog post.  Remember, after taking their picture to email it at kyortho@qx.net or upload them on our facebook page!  You could win a $25.00 WalMart gift card.

HAPPY TRAVELS!!!

Partners In Education

As the school year ends, we'd like to thank all of our family and friends that have made it possible for the great success of our Partners in Education program.  We started this program August 1, 2010 and to date we have raised $20,700.00!! Eventhough, the school year has almost ended, we wanted to let you know that our Partners in Education program has not.  We are continuing it through the summer and are hoping to reach our goal of $25,000.00 by August 31, 2011!

We have had such a great response from the community including a number of thank you letters from schools, superintendants, principals, teachers and the PTA's that have benefited from this program. 
These wonderful letters have been compiled and  made into a book which is located in our reception room at the Alumni drive office.  We encourage you next time you are in the office to read some of the heart warming letters and see the good use your donation was put towards.  The $100.00 donations were applied to a variety of different uses including classroom supplies to helping make food backpacks for a school in Rowan County.

We are truly humbled by what this effect has had on our community/surrounding communities.  Therefore, from all of us at Bluegrass Orthodontics we would like to say "Thank You" because without your support we would not be so close to obtaining our goal.

Thank you again and have a wonderful and safe summer!

Summer 2011 Contest!

Flat Ferguson and Tiny Tipton have arrived! 

Summer is almost upon us and that means vacations, summer camps and day trips.  However, not all of us get to enjoy going away for the summer because for an orthodontist that is our busiest time!  Therefore, we have created Flat Ferguson and Tiny Tipton!  Help Dr. Ferguson and Dr. Tipton go on a vacation by taking one of them with you this summer. 

One winner from each category will be chosen and will win a $25.00 Wal Mart Gift Card.  The categories are:

• Furthest Traveled
• Most Places Traveled
• Most Unusual Place Traveled

All you have to do to enter is send us a photo of either Flat Ferguson or Tiny Tipton traveling with you this summer.  You can upload pictures via Facebook and tag them, send them as an email to kyortho@qx.net , bring the picture with you to your next appointment or put the picture in the mail to:

Bluegrass Orthodontics

Attn: Liz Maskos

620 Perimeter Dr., Ste. 207

Lexington, KY. 40517

Stop by one of the offices and pick up your Flat Ferguson or Tiny Tipton today to get the adventure going!  You can also click on one of the pictures below and print it out from your home computer!  Hurry because the contest ends August 11th!

Sport Safety

Facts About Kids and Sports Safety



•Injuries can happen at any age or skill level – More than half of the seven million sports- and recreation-related injuries that occur each year are sustained by youth between ages 5 and 24.*

•Collision and contact sports have higher injury rates. Baseball, soccer, basketball and football account for about 80 percent of all sports-related emergency room visits for children between 5 and 14 years of age.*

•Mouth guard use is very low – Seventy six percent of parents say the thing that concerns them most about their child participating in sports is that he⁄she will get hurt, yet only 33 percent reported that their children wear mouth guards during organized sports.**

•Most coaches and leagues are not advising the use of mouth guards – Of the parents whose children do not wear a mouth guard, 59 percent say it's because their child doesn�t need that level of protection. Forty percent say it�s because their child�s coach doesn�t require it.**

•Hard hits occur no matter what the sport – The average high school baseball pitcher can throw a fast ball between 75–85 miles per hour. This compares to being hit in the mouth by a speeding car.***

•Cheerleading is one of the most dangerous sports, accounting for 65% of all injuries in high school girls' athletics.****

•Some parents surprised that mouth guards protect more than just teeth – Ninety-five percent of parents surveyed reported that they believe a mouth guard could help prevent damage to teeth.**

•Thirty-four percent did not know that a mouth guard could help prevent against jaw injury.**

•Children with braces need to wear mouth guards – One out of every three (31%) parents say their child has orthodontic treatment or braces while playing an organized sport.*

•Lacerations can occur if an orthodontic patient´s mouth is not properly protected.

Visit http://www.braces.org/miahamm/index.html for more information.

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

** American Association of Orthodontists

*** eFastball.com

**** MSNBC.com

Partners in Education Update

Spring has finally sprung here in Kentucky and with spring comes spring break!  We hope everyone had a fun and safe week off from school!

With that in mind, we are so excited to update our Partners in Education program because we are well over halfway through our goal of $25,000.00 which is donated to area schools.  Since we began this project in August of 2010 we have donated a total of $17,700.00!!! 

We are very happy to be able to help out our communities, which have been so supportive of us!  Without you, we would not be able to reach our goal.  Therefore, we'd like to thank all of our patients, neighbors, friends, and co-workers for your enormous support!

Look at the graphs to see if your school has benefited from one of our donations!

Contests

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR LATEST WINNERS!!

For our next contest, we need all of our budding artists!  We have 3 spring shapes, a sun, a butterfly or a flower at all 4 office locations.  We need you to take one home, decorate it and bring it

back to one of the offices.  We will put them up in our offices to help

decorate for spring.  Don't forget to put your name and phone

number on the back.  We will choose one winner

from each office.

GOOD LUCK AND THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!



We Are It!!

We are the only office located in Lexington, Nicholasville and Paris Kentucky that is a Damon Braces Premier Provider!  A Damon Premier Provider is a key Damon doctor with an outstanding level of Damon System experience.  Don't know what the Damon System is?  Click on the link to learn more about the Damon System and what it can do for you! 

http://damonbraces.com/

Partners In Education Update

First, we hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that 2011 is treating everyone kindly so far!

We'd like to thank all of our wonderful family, friends and patients who have referred someone to our office.  Without your kind referrals we would not be able to accomplish our goal for the Partners in Education program.  We are pleased to announce as of January 2011 we have donated $8,700.00 to local schools!  We still have a ways to go to reach our goal of $25,000.00 by August 2011.  However, with your continued support, we believe we will reach our goal.  The greatest compliment a patient can give us is the referral of your friends, neighbors, co-workers and family members. 

Please look at the charts below to see which schools have benefited from our Partners in Education program.