Halloween TIPS from the American Association of Orthodontists

It’s almost that spooky time of year again and Gresham and Sandy orthodontist, Dr. Tod Hardin, and our team thought we’d share some Halloween tips from our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists.

Trick-or-treating 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

To protect your braces, steer clear of the following Halloween treats, or recipes with these ingredients:

• All hard candies
• All chewy candies
• Caramel
• Nuts
• Licorice
• Taffy
• Jelly beans
• Hard pretzels
• Bubblegum
• Popcorn (including unpopped kernels)
• Ice

Of course, Halloween does not have to be completely treat-less. Braces-friendly Halloween treats can help you enjoy the “spook-ta-cular” holiday. For example, plain chocolate candy is okay, provided you remember to brush and floss afterwards. Bobbing for apples as well as caramel apples are not recommended. However, you can enjoy thinly sliced apples, dipped in yogurt or creamy chocolate sauce.

Dr. Hardin suggests looking for foods that are soft, such as soft chocolate that can melt in one’s mouth or peanut butter cups. Overall, candies that aren’t sticky, chewy, hard or crunchy are generally acceptable.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from the entire team at Hardin Orthodontics!

A Halloween Treat at Hardin Orthodontics!

This Halloween, October 31st, the Hardin Orthodontics’ team will be decorating our Sandy office to look like the Emerald City and Dr. Tod Hardin and the entire team will be dressed up like characters from Wizard of Oz. We would also like to invite all of you to come by for a Halloween treat between the hours of 8am-1pm and 2pm-4:30pm.

We have a history of going all out when Halloween falls on a work day! If you want proof, here are a couple photos of Halloween a few years ago where we decided on a jungle theme. Can you spot Dr. Hardin?

Do you want to WIN an iPad2?

Awaken those craft skills and creativity with our new t-shirt contest. All you have to do is decorate a white Hardin Ortho t-shirt as creatively as you can, and then post a photo of your shirt to our facebook page.

Here’s how you can win: after you post a photo of your shirt, you need to get your friends and family to go onto our facebook page and click the “like” button by your photo. The person with the most “likes” by midnight December 19th wins an iPad2!

So stop by the office to pick up a shirt and recruit your friends to vote for you!

At Hardin Orthodontics, October means National Orthodontic Health Month!

Happy October! For those who don't know, it’s National Orthodontic Health Month. This month-long event is organized by our pals at the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO.

Dr. Tod Hardin and our team realize that this is a great opportunity for us to raise awareness about the importance of oral hygiene. National Orthodontic Health Month also aims to recognize the dedicated work of orthodontists like Dr. Hardin and other dental professionals in Gresham, Sandy, Troutdale, and other East County Oregon areas.

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
• Ice

If you have any questions, please feel free to give our Gresham or Sandy office a call, ask us on Facebook, or ask Dr. Hardin during your visit this month!

A great braces-friendly fall recipe!

Fall is here, and sometimes we here at Hardin Orthodontics just feel like a hot delicious meal is in order. Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) made an appetizing (and braces-friendly!) fall dish that is sure to delight. Dr. Tod Hardin would like to remind you that a healthy diet provides essential nutrients and helps you achieve the best possible result from your orthodontic treatment.

Pasta Pomodorini

Ingredients:

• ¾ pound spaghetti or spaghetti
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• ¼ cup sliced garlic
• ½ teaspoon finely minced Calabrian chilies, or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pint small cherry tomatoes, stems removed, crushed between your thumb and forefinger
• Sea salt, preferably gray salt
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves, each torn into 2 or 3 pieces
• Wedge of Parmesan cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta. While the pasta cooks, heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the garlic and cook until the slivers are golden brown and crisp, then add the chilies and cook for about 30 seconds. Raise the heat to high and add the tomatoes. Simmer briskly to soften the tomatoes and thicken the juices, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. When the pasta is al dente, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the warm pot off the heat. Add the sauce and the basil and mix well. Add some of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and grate Parmesan over the top to taste. Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy this great fall dish and have a great week!

A few helpful webisodes about orthodontics

Dr. Tod Hardin and his team at Hardin Orthodontics would like to point you to a few interesting webisodes about orthodontics, located on the YouTube page of the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO.

There, they tend to post some very pertinent videos about orthodontic treatment, as well as state-of-the-art technology in orthodontia. These include "Orthodontic Treatment Basics," "Common Bite Problems Seen in Children" and "Does My Child Need Braces?"

We think you may find these webisodes interesting, as well as enlightening. If you have any questions about the videos, or your treatment here at Hardin Orthodontics, please give us a call.

What was your favorite part of Summer 2011?What was your favorite part of Summer 2011?

The end of Summer and then subsequently the beginning of Fall are just around the corner. Soon the temperatures will cool down, the leaves will start to change, and we’re sure that you’ll be thinking about Halloween costumes and Thanksgiving plans.

But wait! First, we want to know: What were your favorite parts of the Summer of 2011? Did you go on a wonderful family trip? Did you pick up a new hobby? Did you try to spend as much time outside and in the sun as possible?

Share your favorite memories, stories, or photos with us by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook page.

-Dr. Tod Hardin and team