A few Halloween safety tips

Trick-or-treat! In the spirit of October’s sweet and spooky holiday, Halloween, Roos Orthodontics would like to remind all of our patients to be safe while celebrating with friends and family. The American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO, has provided trick-or-treaters with some tips for a ghoulishly good time.

A few Halloween safety guidelines:
• Young children should always be accompanied by an adult
• Carry a flashlight
• Wear a light-colored or reflective costume
• Choose face paint over masks for young ghosts and goblins
• Have an adult inspect all treats before the children dig in

Many treats can cause havoc for trick-or-treaters who are going through orthodontic treatment. If you happen to damage your braces, please give our staff a call immediately. Typically, small problems can be solved over the phone.

We wish you all a happy, safe, and spooky Halloween!

A Great Braces Friendly Halloween Recipe

Our team know how tempting this time of the year can be on our sweet tooth. With all of the caramel, candy corn, and lollipops that are often passed around to trick-or-treaters, we realize that it can sometimes be hard to find hard, chewy, sticky, and crunchy candy alternatives.

However, there is good news! Today, we would like to share a great braces-friendly Halloween recipe with all of our patients, courtesy of the American Association of Orthodontics, or AAO, and “The Braces Cookbook” by Pamela Waterman. This Spider Bites recipe is delicious, and provided that you remember to brush and floss after indulging, this is a cookie that won’t bite back!

Spider Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cocoa
• 1 Tsp. salt
• ½ Tsp. baking powder
• 1 package black rope licorice, cut into 1-inch pieces**
• 1 small tube of white (or color of choice) frosting
• Toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine shortening, sugar, water, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add eggs into the mixture and blend. Slowly mix in flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder using low-medium speed. Drop tablespoon helpings of mixture onto ungreased cookie sheets and roll each helping into a ball.

Bake 9 minutes at 375 degrees. The batch should produce around three dozen cookies.

Let cookies cool for about 10 minutes. Then using a toothpick, create four small holes in either side of the cookie. Still using the toothpick, push one end of a piece of the cut licorice into each hole, creating the “legs” of the spider. Once all eight pieces are in place, create eyes or decorate at will using the white frosting. Then eat and enjoy!

**Licorice can sometimes stick to braces; parents should monitor

October is National Orthodontic Health Month

Can you believe October is already upon us? October happens to be National Orthodontic Health Month, and this month-long event organized by our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO.

Many treats can cause havoc for trick-or-treaters who are going through orthodontic treatment, and these treats may cause damage that could prolong your treatment time. The AAO recommends patients avoid the following Halloween treats, or recipes with these ingredients:

• Caramel
• Nuts
• Popcorn (including un-popped kernels)
• Taffy
• Jelly beans
• Hard pretzels
• Licorice
• Bubblegum
• Taco chips
• Ice

If you happen to damage your braces, please give Dr. Roos and our staff a call immediately. Typically, small problems can be solved over the phone. Loose brackets or wires can usually be made more comfortable by applying some wax until the you can come into our office.

The Roos Orthodontics Great Bike Giveaway!

We are excited to announce this year’s ROOS ORTHODONTICS GREAT BIKE GIVE AWAY!

You and a friend could win a brand new Mountain Bike from Roos Orthodontics and Gerks Ski & Cycle!


We've created an invitation to print out and hand to your friends (download here). You may print as many of these as you like! The invitations entitle your friends to a complementary orthodontic consultation with Dr Roos and an opportunity for one of them to win two bicycles - one for you and one for them!

All they have to do is get their parent/guardian to call us at Roos Orthodontics at 425-885-1642 to schedule their appointment, before the 15th December 2010.

On the day of the appointment they must bring their invitation with them and we will enter it into our draw.

On the Thursday 16th December 2010 we will draw ONE winning entry.

Your friend cannot be a current patient or family member.

Remember - the more friends you invite, the greater your chance of winning!

More invitations are available to download on our Website, or at our Practice – remember to pick some up at your next appointment! Thank you for your continued support of Roos Orthodontics.

With kind regards,

-Dr Roos and the Team