Stay cool with a braces-friendly summer treat!

Summer is here! Kids and adults alike will now be spending more time outside being active and enjoying the hotter temperatures. What’s better on a hot summer day than a delicious treat that will cool you down after doing something active in the summer sun? Luckily, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) have just the thing, Watermelon Sorbet! You can find the complete recipe below:

Watermelon Sorbet

Ingredients
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 to 3 cups watermelon, diced, no seeds or rind

Directions
In a small saucepan, heat the water, sugar, and lime juice on medium high for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Chill this “syrup” at least 20 minutes. In the meantime, place the watermelon chunks in a food processor or blender and liquefy them. Add the chilled syrup to the watermelon puree and blend. Freeze sorbet in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve immediately.

Happy Summer!

-Dr. Ferry and team

Share your Summer Photos, Win an iPad!

Would you like to win an iPad? If so, you'll want to participate in Dr. Ferry's Summertime Photo Scavenger Hunt! Simply take a photo of you doing as many of the listed activities as possible. Each activity has been assigned points, and you can even check off multiple activities with one photo. We will provide blank cd's for each participant to load their photos onto, and then you can return the cd along with the checklist to Ferry Orthodontics. Our contest ends this Labor Day, so don't delay!

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

Most Points- iPad
Most Creative- $150 gift card to Best Buy
Most Humorous- $150 gift card to Best Buy

*In the event of a tie the winner will be drawn at random

Select the image below to enlarge and print our Summertime Photo Scavenger Hunt checklist. Please feel free to comment here if you have any questions about the rules and regulations of our contest.

Smile! June is National Smile Month!

According to the American Dental Association, a person's smile outranked eyes, hair and body as the most important physical feature, which is why it's important for our team at Ferry Orthodontics to support National Smile Month this June.

Here are a few simple steps you can take to improve your oral health so that you may celebrate National Smile Month for many, many years to come:

* Brush at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Here's a helpful video showing you how to brush with your braces on.
* Floss every day to clean between your teeth.
* Reduce your intake of sugary foods and drinks during your orthodontic treatment with Dr. Ferry.
* Visit your dentist regularly (usually every six months apart).

If you have questions about any of these tips, we encourage you to give us a call.

Flossing with Dr. Ferry

Dr. Ferry will tell you that keeping your teeth clean is more important than ever when you have braces. Food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and could possibly reduce your treatment time.

Here is a very concise video explaining the proper way to floss your teeth with braces. Give Ferry Orthodontics a call if you have more questions about flossing. Enjoy!