Pumpkin French Toast - NEW FALL RECIPE

Do you like pumpkin flavored everything? We do! We've done some searching for new innovative ways to add pumpkin to your favorite meals and found this delicious recipe for Pumpkin French Toast!  Who will be making these this weekend? 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 2 Tbsp packed light-brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 9 slices Texas toast (or other white bread such as Challah or French bread)
• Butter, for griddle

Directions

1. Preheat an electric griddle to 350 degrees (a non-stick skillet set over medium heat also works fine). In a mixing bowl whisk together milk, pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger until well combined. Pour into a shallow dish.
2. Butter griddle and dip bread into egg mixture (allowing a few seconds for it to absorb mixture. I also squeeze gently to soak the mixture to center), then rotate and coat opposite side. Transfer to griddle and cook until golden brown on bottom, then lift, butter griddle once more and flip french toast to opposite side and cook until golden brown. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Summer Tip #1: How to Pack With Braces

If you are wearing braces and are planning a vacation, our team at Poser Orthodontics would suggest that you be prepared. We put together a list of items that will be handy to have with you at all times while you are out of town.

They include:

• Toothpick, flosspick, or other interdental cleaners
• Travel toothbrush
• A water bottle or a mini bottle of mouth rinse
• Orthodontic wax to help with discomfort from protruding wires
• A small mirror for examining any possible issues in your mouth

Putting these items together in a “braces/oral hygiene kit” may be wise. You may even buy pre-made braces kits. Please ask us for more information.

What is the Damon 3 bracket?

Poser Orthodontics is pleased to offer our patients passive self-ligating Damon Smile braces. Damon braces use a slide mechanism to hold the archwire, reducing the amount of pressure exerted on the teeth and allowing the teeth to move more freely, quickly, and comfortably. Thanks to these innovative new braces, achieving your perfect smile can be faster and easier than you ever thought possible!

What is the Damon 3 bracket?

The Damon 3 bracket offers several benefits for patients. It is made from stainless steel for stability and a clear material for aesthetics. The rounded structure improves patient comfort while maintaining overall performance.

The Damon 3 System uses a self-ligation technique using lighter wires and lower friction brackets to move teeth, resulting in faster treatment times. Its slide mechanism, strong mechanical base, bonding and solid wall structure control tooth movement with speed and efficiency.

In addition to greater comfort, the Damon System makes it easier to maintain good oral hygiene because the brackets are easier to keep clean. This contributes to greater overall health, happiness and physical attractiveness for the duration of treatment at Poser Orthodontics.

Comfort Food

Do you have a hard time finding meals that are fit for your braces and your appetite? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. More than four million children and adults wear braces, and they also understand the difficulty of eating certain meals with braces. Because of this, we decided to find a few recipes that will give a new meaning to comfort food if you wear braces.

Click the picture of the meal to be linked to the ingredients list and recipe directions.

Basil & Mozzarella Grilled Cheese

Click here for the recipe. 

Buffalo Bacon Chicken Macaroni & Cheese

Click here for the recipe. 

Pizza Rigatoni

Click here for the recipe. 

These 3 meals aren’t just delicious, they’re braces friendly. Do you have any braces friendly recipes or dinner ideas to share with us? Leave a comment below or post one on our Facebook wall!

Patient Smile Spotlight

Our friendly staff at Poser Orthodontics develops a relationship with our patients on a more personal level. Our patients aren’t the only ones proud of their smiles, we are too.

Check out some of the latest pictures of our recent patient visits and see how their smiles are contagious!

Congratulations to all of you for achieving such great results! Great results don’t just come from our efforts, but they are achieved by a team effort of our patients and staff combined. Are you ready to get the smile of your dreams? Request an appointment for a complimentary initial evaluation now by contacting our office.

Visit www.poserortho.com for more information.

Holiday Hours

Please note our holiday hours are as follows:

December 24 & December 25

Closed

December 31

Closed at 1pm

January 1

Closed

Our regular office hours will resume on January 4, 2016.

Happy Holidays!

What You Need To Know About Elastics

Braces are often the main line of treatment for most orthodontic problems and nearly always need to be augmented by elastic bands to help achieve perfect results. Elastics helps move your teeth so as to minimize the teeth gaps and cure the 'over-biting' complain.

Elastic wears are fitted by your orthodontist and may leave your teeth and gums slightly sore after the fitting. Do not worry though, this goes away in a few days. These elastic bands need to be worn 24 hours a day, for as long as your orthodontist advises. You may, however, remove them during meal times and when brushing your teeth only to wear them again as soon as possible. Also, don’t forget to  wear new fresh bands after removing the previous ones.

At Poser Orthodontics we advise wearing the elastic bands in the following way:

From upper right canine to lower right first molar and from upper left canine to first lower left molar. You might face problems in placing these correctly initially, but don’t worry we will teach and help you accordingly.

You can follow this guide unless you are personally instructed  to do yours a little differently.

Elastic bands might get broken at one point, it is advisable to replace both jaws' elastic bands. This is because with time the bands' elasticity decreases, so when one jaw's band is changed, it will have a stronger elasticity than the old one. Also, replace your elastic bands routinely to make sure the traction they apply on their teeth remains of a good strength as elasticity is lost through wear and tear.

Depending on the quality of elastics you use, you may be instructed when you should change the elastic bands, but mostly we advise changing them twice a day; once in the morning and once before bedtime. Keep extra bands with you at all times as they might break unexpectedly. You may pick up as many elastic bands as you want from your our office, it would only make us happier as it means you would be using them regularly.

The most important thing you need to take care of when wearing elastics is the regularity. Do not wear them for a part of the day and then not for some other times of the day as it will greatly affect your results. This irregular use of elastic bands will it move your teeth adequately, resulting in persistence of your problem. Furthermore, your teeth and gums will remain tender and sore as they will not grow accustomed to the force of elastic bands, and it might actually move your progress a bit backwards each time you take the elastic bands off for a long duration.

So when you visit our office for the setting of your elastic bands, make sure you asks any questions that come to mind, and pick up a few extra bands to play it safe.

Shopping Secrets You Need To Know For Black Friday

Everyone knows the biggest day for the best shopping deals is the day after Thanksgiving! Black Friday has become an unofficial holiday for smart shoppers looking to save on holiday gifts.  If you’re one of those smart shoppers, you’re in luck because we have a few secrets to help you in your hunt for the best deals this year.

Be Prepared

Many stores give early bird Black Friday ads to customers on their email list. Check out your favorite stores online and subscribe to their e-mail list so you can start finding the deals before the stores open!

Get Bonus Discounts

If you get a thrill from shopping at the crack of dawn, you will love the rewards that may come with it. Many stores do giveaways to those who are in line to shop on Black Friday. Last year, Sports Authority gave the first 80 customers to walk in gift cards worth up to $500.

Split Up

It’s fun to shop with family and friends, but with so many deals and so little time you can play it smart by dividing up the shopping. Compare your lists with your closest pals, and split up the stores and items!

Stay Within Your Budget

Make a list of what you need and a set budget on what you have to spend.   Make sure you stay strict to the list and don’t purchase items you don’t need.  Sometimes it’s the things that aren’t on the list that blow your budget. 

Thanksgiving Tips For Your Teeth

Thanksgiving is a time to gather with friends and family to show our appreciation of all things we are thankful for. It's a day we focus on the importance of those we care about most, and let's admit it, we're there for the food too!  With only a few days left before we feast, Poser Orthodontics wants to give you some Turkey Day teeth tips!

Tip #1

Avoid teeth staining foods - Did you know that cranberries and certain types of pies can stain your teeth? Try to limit yourself when eating foods with strong coloring to them.  These same colors will eventually end up on your teeth, so brushing after your meal is important to help avoid unwanted stains on your teeth. 

Tip #2

Drink plenty of water - Nibbling on food all day is a given when you celebrate Thanksgiving. This year, make sure you drink plenty of water between meals to help flush out bacteria that can come when constantly snacking.  Water can help flush out food particles that would otherwise lay stagnant on your teeth. 

Tip #3 

Just say NO to soda - With all the desserts and side dishes you will have to choose from, adding more sugar to the mix with soda is not a good idea.  Soda has sugars that are unkind to your teeth, and for those with braces those sugars can cause decay around your brackets.  We suggest drinking water and milk instead to spare your teeth stains and decay.

Try to keep these steps in mind before you feast this Turkey Day, and you can give thanks for more years of healthy teeth.  

DIY Easter Fun!

With the spring colors arising you may have seen bunnies and eggs popping up everywhere, well that’s because Easter Day is coming. Easter is this Sunday, April 5th and with the beautiful weather that spring has brought on it is a perfect time to get outside with your family and get involved in Easter themed activities.

Easter Day activities are fun for kids, but can bring joy to the family as a whole. And the great part about these activities is that you can pick up supplies at your local store for a round of DIY fun!

Here are 3 EGG-cellent Do It Yourself activities:

Dying Eggs
Traditionally eggs are off-white, but with beautiful colors blossoming from nature why not add a little life and color to our eggs on this holiday. The main things you need are eggs are food coloring. For detailed instructions on dying eggs click here.

Easter Egg Hunting
The day of Easter is the perfect time to invite family and friends over so kids can enjoy a fun-filled Easter egg hunt. What you’ll need is plastic eggs and mini treats. You’ll need to put the treats inside the plastic eggs, after you fill the eggs it is time to strategically hide the eggs in your yard. Let the kids run wild and find the hidden eggs. To make the hunt more fun you can pick a grand prize for the child who finds the most eggs!

Bunny Crafts
Since Easter is synonymous with bunnies having your kids create bunny crafts can be fun! Here are some ideas for bunny crafts.

Paper Plate Bunny

Click here for more fun ideas

Share your Easter day fun with us on Social Media:

Post pictures on our Facebook wall 
Tag us on Instagram @Poser_Orthodontics
or Tweets Us @PoserOrtho

Keep Teeth Healthy While On The Road

It's Spring Break season so this means vacation traveling. Even when you are not in the comfort of your own home don’t let your healthy teeth habits fall to the wayside. Having a clean mouth is important. It gives you fresh breath and a nicer-looking smile. Brushing and flossing removes a thin sticky film of bacteria that grows on your teeth. This sticky film, called plaque, is the main cause of tooth decay and gum disease.

The best way to keep your teeth healthy while on the road you must keep a kit with you to make sure everything you need is on hand while under Orthodontic treatment.

Here are some of the items that need to be in your kit:

• Travel Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Mouthwash
• Threader floss
• Rubber bands
• Mini Mirror

& in case of a dental emergency

• Dental wax
• Cold pack
• Over the counter pain killers

Putting together a mini dental travel kit is the easiest way to support your healthy habits while on the road. Get a small bag that can easily fit in your carrier and fill it with all the items you need. Also, make sure you keep a contact card with Dr. Poser's information inside your kit just in case you have an emergency and need to contact our office.

What Kind of Toothpaste is Right for You?

Toothpaste serves as a vital component to oral hygiene. It is recommended that you brush your teeth four times a day and what do you need to brush your teeth? (other than a toothbrush and floss) TOOTHPASTE!

While shopping we're sure you have noticed that there are different types of toothpaste available from different brands all promising different results. So how do you pick toothpaste? …well it all depends on what your teeth need.

Types of toothpaste:

Anti-decay toothpaste
This toothpaste contains Fluoride Compounds such as Sodium Fluoride , Stannous Fluoride, or Monofluorophosphate.  If the fluoride content is 1,000 ppm (parts per million) or above. they are all effective in preventing tooth decay.  Children toothpaste contains 500ppm fluoride and is usually flavored, e.g. fruit flavor, candy flavor, which is more appealing to children.

Anti-plaque toothpaste
This kind of toothpaste inhibits plaque accumulation, reduces the toxic effects of the bacterial toxin on the tooth surrounding tissues, and thereby reduces the chances of getting gum disease. In the market, different anti-plaque toothpastes contain different active ingredients. For example, Triclosan or Zinc Citrate.

Desensitizing toothpaste
The active ingredients provide relief from dentine hypersensitivity symptoms in 2 ways.  First, they interrupt the neurone response to pain stimuli; second, they occlude the dentinal tubules of dentine. There are many different types of desensitizing toothpastes marketed by different brand names. Their
various functions on different active ingredients they contain. Therefore, you are advised to consult the dentist and undergo a thorough check-up to explore the cause of tooth sensitivity before using desensitizing toothpaste

Whitening toothpaste
This kind of toothpaste contains relatively coarse abrasives which function by abrading the stains on the tooth surface, giving a whitening effect.

Natural toothpaste
Natural toothpaste is that it does not contain artificial flavors, sweeteners or colors. Instead, it uses natural ingredients such as xylitol and stevia for sweetness, herbs, fruits and spices for flavor and naturally occurring titanium dioxide for a white color. They may or may not contain fluorides and some of the surfactants found in conventional toothpastes.

If you need help choosing which toothpaste is best for you please consult with us or your dentist during your next visit to find out which areas your teeth can improve in.