Northern Smiles Patient Appreciation Party 2014

Northern Smiles Patient Appreciation Party 2014

What do you get when you fill a parking lot with a bouncy house, a two-story slide, a dunk tank, and a ton of burgers and hotdogs? You get Northern Smiles Orthodontics’ First Annual Patient Appreciation Party, of course!

For those of you who were there on July 12, you know there are really no words to describe the fun we had. After a Facebook survey asking patients who should be the first I the dunk tank, Emily, always the willing participant, was the winner. She bravely sported her bathing suit and took the plunge! Our skilled Anchorage orthodontist, Dr. Johnson, being the fearless leader that he is, also took the hot seat and let his wife, Jeanie, be the first to dunk him, thus kicking off a dunk-fest like no other. Even a few of our fearless patients took the plunge! Thankfully Mother Nature cooperated and gave us a warm day to help dry out the waterlogged casualties.

 
Kids young and old flocked to the bounce-house and the giant slide in droves. Everywhere we looked we saw beautifully painted faces, thanks to the face-painter-extraordinaire we hired, who also created the most amazing balloon animals. With over 300 people attending the party, she was busy from noon until the party ended at 4:00 PM. For those who wanted to preserve the fun on film, we had a photo booth with oodles of masks, hats, and costumes to try.

 

Folks might have shown up hungry, but we made it our mission that no one left with an empty stomach. Nearly 400 burgers and hotdogs were served, and Cy and Jodene were in charge of making popcorn and cotton candy, both of which were so popular that we ran out before the party was over.

We had drawings for door awesome prizes, which included movie tickets, tickets to H2Oasis, lots of gift cards, and the ultimate prize of an iPad. To ensure no one left empty-handed, every guest got an extremely cool Northern Smiles Orthodontics drink tumbler and a coupon for $350 off of any of our state-of-the-art treatments, including metal braces, clear braces, and Invisalign, for new patients. Not a bad way to end a fun day filled with great food, fun, and prizes, and the most awesome orthodontic patients in Anchorage and Abbott Loop, Alaska!

We got such positive feedback from those who attended that we have decided to make our Patient Appreciation Party an annual event! Keep your ears and eyes open for dates and times for next year’s party! We’ll see you there!

Northern Smiles Polar Spy Cubs!

This month we launch our new and improved Kids’ Club, Northern Smiles Polar Spy Cubs.  It is designed to be a fun group for all of our patients, aged 7 and up, who are not yet ready for treatment.  We like to monitor development with periodic examinations that allow us to pinpoint the best time for treatment.

Members of this new club will get a membership card that they need to bring with them to every appointment.  This card allows them to earn points which can be exchanged for gift cards when they log into their online rewards account.  They will have to watch out for coded messages, which if decoded correctly can earn them extra points at their appointments!

And at every appointment they will have the opportunity to win something cool by spinning our prize wheel!

Members will also get a passport that will allow them to get extra points if they have it signed at their dental and hygiene appointments!

And of course, we always have fun competitions at the office that they can enter, too

Invisalign Teen Is Perfect For Your Teen’s Lifestyle

Our Anchorage orthodontist, Dr. Johnson, and his friendly team strive to provide children, teens and adults with a variety of treatment options. We proudly offer everything from traditional metal braces to clear ceramic braces and even Invisalign.

Invisalign Teen is one of our most popular treatment options for teenagers. Using a series of transparent, removable and custom-made aligners, Invisalign Teen straightens your teen's teeth without the hassle, discomfort and embarrassment of regular braces. Invisalign clear aligners help our younger patients achieve straight, beautiful smiles without anyone knowing! Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of Invisalign for your teen!

A Clear Advantage

Most teens aren’t too wild about having to wear metal braces due to the indiscretion of wires and brackets that may also poke and irritate the inside of their mouths. With Invisalign Teen, your teen will not have to deal with any pain and hassle of wires and brackets. The aligners are made of a smooth, clear plastic material, making this solution very comfortable. Because the aligners can be taken out when eating, your teen can enjoy any favorite food, including popcorn, pizza crust, bagels and corn on the cob. With regular braces, eating these foods is not possible because the hardness, stickiness, crunchiness and gooeyness of the foods can easily damage and break the wires and brackets.

Invisalign Teen Makes Maintaining Oral Hygiene Easier Than Ever

Maintaining good oral hygiene is never an issue with Invisalign Teen because the aligners can be easily taken out when it is time for brushing and flossing. Teens no longer have to deal with the wires and food stuck in brackets, and parents no longer have to worry about their teen not keeping up with an oral hygiene regimen anymore. It’s a win-win situation!

Customized And Personalized To Fit Your Teen’s Life

Another feature we love about Invisalign Teen is the fact that the aligners come with small, blue dot wear indicators. These discreet dots fade from blue to clear as the aligners are worn, ensuring that the aligners are being worn as often as directed. Moreover, the blue dot helps your busy teen remember how long each aligner has been worn!

Easy Replacements for Lost or Broken Aligners

Everyone knows that teenagers lead very active lifestyles and that sometimes they misplace things, including their retainers or aligners. But with Invisalign Teen, if your teen happens to lose or even break an aligner, it's not a problem at all! Each Invisalign Teen system comes with six extra aligners in the case of an accident.

Self-Esteem and Confidence

For many teens, looking and feeling their best is very important. And we agree! At an age where image is important, the thought of sharing the spotlight with brackets and wires can shake the confidence of anyone. With Invisalign Teen, there is no need to feel self-conscious, as the clear aligners are nearly invisible, providing teens with self-esteem from the beginning of their treatment to the day when their aligners are no longer needed!  

Contact Our Anchorage Office To Set Up An Appointment For Your Teen Today!

Invisalign Teen straightens teeth without interrupting your teen's day-to-day activities, including socializing, playing sports and going to prom. If you would like to schedule a free consultation for your teen to find out if he or she is a candidate for Invisalign Teen, contact our Anchorage office at 907-561-1902.

We're Having a Party!

COME ONE! COME ALL!

Clear your calendars for JULY 12 from NOON – 4:00!

Grab all your friends and head over

to our parking lot for our first annual

Patient Appreciation Party!

You won’t want to miss it!

There will be a tent, bouncy houses, face painting,

a dunk tank, and even a photo booth! 

We’ll be serving up hamburgers, hotdogs, and cotton candy…and

Dr. Johnson will even give those of you with braces a one-day pass to

munch on a little popcorn at the party! 

Be sure to wear your Northern Smiles t-shirt

and bring all your friends!

There will be a raffle for door prizes galore,

but you can’t win if you don’t come! 

This is our way of saying THANK YOU to all of our awesome patients and their families.  We can’t wait to you at the party, and we hope you share your love of Northern Smiles Orthodontics

with all of your friends by bringing them, too!

 

Braces-Friendly Spring Recipes

Spring Recipes From Your Local Anchorage Orthodontist

Dr. Johnson and the team at Northern Smiles Orthodontics would like to wish everyone a happy spring! Now that winter is behind us, we can look forward to warmer weather that brings with it many opportunities to get out and enjoy the sun!

Many of the patients we see here at our Anchorage, AK orthodontist office wonder what foods they can eat that won't do harm to their braces. When you had your braces put on, we talked about how important it is to avoid certain foods that can damage or break your braces like hard, crunchy and sticky foods.

In celebration of this wonderful time of the year, we'd like to share a few braces-friendly springtime recipes with you here. These are dishes that are sure to keep your braces intact while providing you with loads of great taste and nutrition. 

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

Ingredients (Makes 8 spring rolls):

2 ounces rice vermicelli  
                                        

¼ cup water

8 rice wrappers (8.5” diameter)                               

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

8 large cooked shrimp (peeled and sliced in half)        

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/3 tablespoons fresh basil                                  

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves                  

½ teaspoons garlic chili sauce

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro                        

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 lettuce leaves, chopped                                         

1 teaspoon finely chopped peanuts

4 tablespoons fish sauce

Directions:

Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Cook rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes or until al dente and drain.

Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper in the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a small handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward and then tightly roll the wrapper starting at the end with lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce.

In another small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and peanuts.

Serve the rolled spring rolls with the fish sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures. Enjoy!

Note: you can find the rice vermicelli, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, hoisin sauce and rice wrappers at Asian food markets.

Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Soft Tacos

You can top these tasty chicken soft tacos with diced lettuce, tomatoes, grated cheese and sour cream.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1/2 tablespoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons oil

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin

8 soft flour tortillas 

Directions:

In small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, red pepper, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Stir in oil. Mixture will be moist but crumbly.

Rub all sides of chicken with the chili mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to one day.

Preheat broiler to high or gas grill to medium. Set rack about 6 inches from source of heat. Grill chicken pieces until firm or for about 5 minutes per side. Let cool and then cut into small pieces. Warm tortillas according to package directions, Fill with chicken and serve. Enjoy!

Lemon Parsley Shrimp Pasta

This recipe uses two fast-cooking foods, shrimp and pasta to make a quick easy dinner in about 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 lb linguine

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 ½ pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined and patted dry

1 cup dry white wine

4 tablespoons or ½ stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Lemon zest from 1 lemon

1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves

finely grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Directions:

Put pasta in boiling salt water and stir. After about 4 minutes of adding the pasta to the water, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat until simmering. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, just until fragrant – about 20 seconds. Add the shrimp and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until they start to turn pink – about 1 minute.

Turn heat up to high and add wine to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally until smell of alcohol burns off. Cook for about 4 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, make sure the pasta is cooked al dente, then drain, reeserving ½ cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and set the reserved water aside.

Remove frying pan from heat, add the butter and lemon zest and stir until butter melts. Transfer the shrimp and sauce to the pot with the pasta.

Add the parsley and just enough of the pasta cooking water to make a creamy mixture. Toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt or add additional pasta cooking water as needed. Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and top with grated Parmesan. Serve immediately. 

Schedule An Appointment

Spring is also a great time to come into the office for a free consultation! Give us a call at (907) 561-1902 and a member of our awesome team will be more than happy to help you schedule an appointment. Happy eating!