Pine City MN orthodonist « The Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics Blog

Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics:
Keith Erickson, DDS & John Aamodt, DDS, MS
Aligning Smiles For A Bright Tomorrow

Posts Tagged ‘Pine City MN orthodonist’

October is National Orthodontic Health Month!

Monday, October 17th, 2011

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.

Drs. Keith Erickson and John Aamodt 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 Drs. Erickson and Aamodt and other dental professionals in Minnesota.

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 us a call, ask us on Facebook, or ask us at Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics during your visit this month!

Tags: Eagan MN orthodontist, Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics, National Orthodontic Health Month, Pine City MN orthodonist
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Why are retainers so important?

Monday, July 18th, 2011

If you recently completed treatment at Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics, we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Drs. Keith Erickson & John Aamodt will provide—or has provided you—with retainers. After braces are removed, teeth can shift out of position if they are not stabilized. Retainers provide that stabilization. They are designed to hold teeth in their corrected, ideal positions until the bones and gums adapt to the treatment changes. Wearing retainers exactly as instructed by Drs. Erickson and Aamodt is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime. Here are some things to remember when you receive your retainers:

* Wear your retainers full time, until the doctor instructs otherwise. Wearing your retainers at night ensures that your pearly whites won’t relapse.

* Take your retainers out when eating…and always put retainers in their case! (Most appliances are lost in school lunch rooms or restaurants.)

* Clean retainers thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush and only a small amount of toothpaste. Use warm but not hot water.

* When retainers are not in your mouth they should ALWAYS be in a retainer case.

* Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care. If retainers are lost or broken, give us a call immediately.

* Remove retainers when swimming or during any sporting activity in which the retainers could fall out and get broken or lost (cheerleading, basketball, etc.) or when you should be wearing a mouth guard (football, soccer, etc.).

We hope this helps! You can always contact our team if you have any questions!

Tags: Apple Valley MN orthodontist, Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics, Pine City MN orthodonist, retainers
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How to keep your breath fresh, from Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics

Monday, July 11th, 2011

Drs. Keith Erickson & John Aamodt, your White Bear Lake, Eagan, Apple Valley & Pine City orthodontists, recognize that many of our patients are concerned about bad breath, or halitosis. While some cases of bad breath are persistent (chronic bad breath), generally bad breath is transient, and can be prevented.

We recently came across this helpful video about bad breath and thought it was worth sharing with our patients. The video explains what might cause bad breath and some ways that it can be avoided. In most instances, bad breath can be prevented by practicing common oral hygiene techniques that you have probably heard us emphasize during a visit to Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics, such as brushing and flossing daily. We encourage you to watch this video for additional tips on how to keep bad breath at bay. Enjoy!

Tags: Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics, John Aamodt, Keith Erickson, Pine City MN orthodonist, White Bear Lake MN orthodontist
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Now that I have braces, what can I eat?

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

You just got braces at Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics and Drs. Erickson & Aamodt have informed you that over the next several months you will want to avoid eating anything sticky, hard, crunchy, or chewy. What does this leave for you to eat? Lettuce? Nothing?

Luckily, there was someone else wondering the same thing when she first got braces! Brenda Waterman, 13, decided she was going to find a way to have her cake and eat it too, so she created a variety of “braces-friendly” recipes that allow you to enjoy your favorite treats without interfering with your orthodontic care! Her cookbook, “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes you (and your Orthodontist) will Love,” gives patients a variety of delicious recipes, safe to eat with braces; plus additional tips and advice for packing lunches, what to eat at parties, and braces-friendly restaurant dishes! There’s even a section with tips for dealing with the soreness that can occur when your braces or appliance are adjusted. Enjoy the foods you love – even with braces!

Here is a delicious, sneak peek recipe from “The Braces Cookbook:”

Wonderful Waffles

Forget the recipe that came with your waffle iron – this recipe will redefine fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The secret to delicious waffles is letting the batter “sit” for five minutes before pouring into the waffle iron. Top cooked waffles with syrup, jam, fresh fruit or even whip cream. Makes about 5 servings!

Preheat your waffle iron according to the directions. You may want to lightly spray it with vegetable oil before heating.

• 3 cups flour
• 2 Tbl + 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbl sugar
• 4 cups milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl, whisk (or use electric mixer on low) together all ingredients. Let batter sit for about five minutes to activate the baking powder.

When waffle iron is ready, pour about 1/3 cup of batter onto each of the four squares (experiment with your iron – you don’t want the batter overflowing). Gently close the cover and set your timer as the manufacturer suggests. Do not lift the cover while they bake. When done, carefully lift one edge with a flat spatula and pull the waffle away from the iron. Keep waffles warm on a plate under a clean dishtowel while the others bake.

Enjoy!

-Your friends at Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics

Tags: Apple Valley MN orthodontist, Eagan MN orthodontist, Erickson-Aamodt Orthodontics, John Aamodt, Keith Erickson, Pine City MN orthodonist, White Bear Lake MN orthodontist
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