What's your New Year's resolution?

2010 has come and gone, so Dr. Ehrmantrout and our team thought we’d ask: what was memorable about 2010 for you, and what are you most looking forward to in 2011? Do you have a new year's resolution, or any exciting plans for the coming year?

Have a safe and happy New Year, to all our patients, friends, family, and all our dental and medical colleagues in Lacey, Olympia, University Place and surrounding communities.

Also, for those patients who have appointments we will be open in the Hawks Prairie office today (Monday) and Tuesday, the 27th and 28th of December from 8:30 am- 4 pm. The West Olympia Office will be CLOSED until Monday January 10th. If you have any questions please feel free to call us at (360) 491-4884.

Otherwise, see you in 2011!

Ask Dr. Ehrmantrout: What's the deal with Halloween candy?

To follow-up on our last post about October being National Orthodontic Health Month, we thought we'd discuss the negative effects Halloween candy (and candy in general) has on your teeth, especially while you're undergoing orthodontic treatment.

Even soft candy is bad when it comes to braces! Not only do the chewy, crunchy and messy candy's create issues but all candy. Sugar sits in your teeth and above, in between and under brackets and wires. The best thing is sugar free candies, but make sure they are not chewy. If they are hard, suck on them - don't chew whatever you do do not chew! But all in all we know there is no such thing as sugar free candy on Halloween, so best advice "Just be careful, and have fun!" :)

PS instead of all that candy Halloween, we encourage you to check out these braces-friendly Halloween recipes, provided by our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists.

Dr. Ehrmantrout and staff, supporting National Orthodontic Health Month

October is National Orthodontic Health Month, and we always appreciate it when it comes around! This year we have created Pumpkin carving kits with our Ortho health month in mind for all of our patients. Also, our office has a Halloween Dress up week!

Lastly, our staff is using the month of October to encourage more adults who want a perfect smile to consider orthodontic treatment with Dr. Zach Ehrmantrout at our convenient offices in Lacey or Olympia.

What's going on at Dr. Ehrmantrout's office lately?

We are newly located in West Olympia, conveniently by Starbucks, a popular hangout, as well as Westfield Mall! There are some really good restaurants around, like Red Robin. Our Hawks Prairie Location is also by some good food, like the Sushi Go Round and The Ram. Walgreens is right next door as well, which is a huge convenience. There are some cool events that go on this time of the year - a favorite spot of our patients is the Rutledge Corn Maze, which we are also incorporating into our current office contest!

Lastly, our entire staff will be attending the next Damon Forum in Florida this upcoming January! The whole staff will be attending various continuing education classes, including how to make the most out of your visits to our convenient offices in Lacey and Olympia.

Love your smile? Then we invite you to review us on Google!

Happy Friday! Whether you've visited Dr. Zach Ehrmantrout for a week, months or even years, we'd love to hear your feedback about how our Olympia or Lacey office has fared during your orthodontic treatment. There are lots of places on the Web where you may share your reviews, but we'd like to direct you to our Google Local Page to write a review of us - it only takes a moment!

You may write your review here.

Thanks in advance and have a joyous and relaxing weekend!

Ask Dr. Ehrmantrout: Why start orthodontic treatment before school begins in September?

With the dog days of summer close to wrapping up, most kids are getting ready – albeit reluctantly – to head back to class for another school year. For many kids and teens, starting orthodontic treatment before school commences in September can give teens (and their parents) a peace of mind.

Starting treatment during the summer or right before school is convenient, and allows patients to come at times of the day where school would interfere. Dr. Zach Ehrmantrout and our team do all of our long bonding appointments in the morning time, so doing so during summer is great for our patients! Also, it allows kids and adults to get used to having appliances in their mouths, therefore dealing with it at school is less of a problem. Summer is a great time to start treatment!

Have you been thinking about straightening your pearly whites? We encourage you to give us a call at 360-491-4884 for a complimentary consultation! Happy Friday!

Play the Trout Dollar Game at our office!

This is exciting.

If you refer five people who start treatment (braces or Invisalign) with Dr. Ehrmantrout, you could win an iPad! There are prizes for each referral who starts along the way! All you have to do is tell your friends to tell us YOU referred them and you could be the lucky owner of an iPad, iPod, a $100 Visa gift card and more!

Make sure you let us know when you refer a friend! Have a great friend!

Quarterly contest winners at Hawks Prairie Orthodontics!

Congratulations to Jeremy and Angela, our quarterly contest winners! They received four movie passes and dinner at The Rock. For those of our wonderful patients interested in our quarterly contest, here are the following four rules:

1. You must not have anything broken or loose.
2. You must have exceptional oral health (brushing & flossing)
3. You must be on time for your appointments
4. You must wear your elastics as directed

Our next quarterly contest is starting soon! Give us a call for more info or ask us at your next appointment!

Ask Dr. Ehrmantrout: How do my gums affect my heart?

Believe it or not, an estimated 80 percent of American adults currently have some form of gum disease. Periodontal diseases range from simple gum inflammation to serious disease that result in major damage to the soft tissue and bone that support the teeth. In gingivitis, the milder form of gum disease, infection leads to chronic inflammation—gums are swollen, red, and sometimes bleeding. In the worst cases, teeth are lost.

We know that gum disease is a threat to your oral health, but research is also pointing to health effects of periodontal diseases that go well beyond your mouth. Recently, our staff at Hawks Prairie Orthodontics read an article that reported a study that indicated an association between gum disease and heart disease.

In a recent report published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, researchers found that the more severe the gum disease, the thicker and harder the walls of your arteries. We encourage you to check out the article for tips on how to improve your overall oral health. If you have any questions, please give us a call and we'll answer any concerns you may have!

Talking retainers with Dr. Ehrmantrout

If you recently completed treatment at Hawks Prairie Orthodontics, our entire staff would like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Dr. Ehrmantrout 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 Dr. Ehrmantrout is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime.

To learn more about the advantages of wearing retainers after your orthodontic treatment with Dr. Ehrmantrout, please read this helpful article about retainers from KidsHealth or give us a call!

Your turn! From Hawks Prairie Orthodontics

You know the drill: Week after week, Dr. Zach Ehrmantrout and our staff blog about important topics pertinent to orthodontic care and your well-being, including innovative orthodontic techniques offered at Hawks Prairie Orthodontics.

This week, we thought we’d step back and ask you, our wonderful patients: what’s on your mind? What would you like to know about the always-changing field of orthodontics? What would you like us to focus on our blog? Perhaps there’s something you’ve been wanting to ask us for a while now? Let us know by posting here or on our interactive Facebook fan page!

So… give us your best shot and we’ll try to answer any questions you may have!

Getting social with Dr. Ehrmantrout

At Hawks Prairie Orthodontics, we love and embrace technology, whether it’s through the innovative orthodontic treatments we offer, our high-tech and patient-friendly web site or our Facebook fan page. Dr. Zach Ehrmantrout and team love connecting with our patients online, whether it’s by sharing news on our blog or communicating ideas on our fan page.

For social media to work, Dr. Ehrmantrout understands that conversation is vital, and that’s why we invite you to join in and tell us what’s on your mind. Although social networks are hugely popular these days, we know they’re unpredictable and ever-changing.

While Dr. Ehrmantrout and our staff take a little time to research how to best use social media, we thought we’d ask you, our loyal patients: How would you like us to use our social networks? What would you like us to share on our blog? Please post your thoughts or give us a call!