This Year, Make a New Year’s Resolution to Smile About!

Let’s face it- when was the last time you managed to keep a New Year’s resolution? We at Papandreas Orthodontics believe the key to sticking to a goal is picking one that is both reasonable and attainable. If you haven’t yet picked a New Year’s resolution, consider setting one that will improve your oral health!

For example, resolve to brush twice and floss once a day. Good oral hygiene only takes a few minutes a day, and can make a big difference in your oral health and overall health too! For more oral health-themed resolutions for you and your family, check out this article.

We would love to see what you come up with, share with us by commenting on this post or on our Facebook page. Whatever your New Year’s Resolution, we wish you the very best for 2011!

-Happy New Year, from your friends at Papandreas Orthodontics

Dr. Papandreas asks: What is your favorite holiday song?

In this season given to tidings of comfort and joy, and as the team at Papandreas Orthodontics reflects on the year that was, we’d like to ask you, our wonderful patients: What do you love about the holidays this year? Being with your loved ones? Caroling with friends or family? An event in our North Royalton community? Also, what is your favorite holiday song?

Here are a few of our favorite holiday songs:

1. White Christmas
2. The Chipmunk Song
3. Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer
4. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
5. Jingle Bell Rock
6. The Christmas Song
7. Snoopy's Christmas
8. Here Comes Santa Claus
9. Little Drummer Boy
10. O Holy Night

We’d love if you shared with us all the things you love about the holidays on our Facebook page. Stay warm, and don’t forget to stay away from those sweets!

Wrapping the “Perfect Present”

1. Measure the wrapping paper, before cutting it. I know its Christmas and you're in a hurry, but you need to take time to measure your wrapping paper before cutting it. If you don't, you may end up with the paper being too short or way too long. To easily measure your wrapping paper, sit the Christmas present on the wrapping paper you've rolled out. Pull the wrapping around the present and then cut the paper. This ensures that your paper is the proper length and will look perfect on the Christmas gift.

2. Use a pop-up tape strip dispenser. This item makes wrapping your Christmas presents much easier. You will be able to hold the paper in place with one hand while taping the present with the other because the tape dispenser goes on your wrist.

3. Be sure to use sharp scissors. Nothing is more frustrating than wrapping Christmas presents and having your paper tear when you try to cut it. If you aren't using sharp enough scissors, you will not get a clean edge when you cut your wrapping paper. Instead you may get tore edges, because the scissors got caught and ripped the wrapping paper.

4. Place the gift upside down when wrapping it. I know this may sound silly, but in order for the Christmas present to be opened properly, you need to place the gift upside on the wrapping paper. This will ensure that when the gift recipient opens their gift, it will be right side up.

5. Use sticky gift labels. Sticky to and from labels make wrapping your Christmas gift much easier. Throughout the day, your home can change temperatures and the tape on your labels, may loose their stickiness, which can cause the label to fall off. To prevent this, use the to and from labels that are like stickers. These labels will easily stay on your wrapping paper and save you the trouble of fussing with all that tape.

How to Disguise a Gift as a Candy Cane

This week, our team at Papandreas Orthodontics would like to share a fun way to wrap holiday presents. Package small everyday presents with a twist by wrapping them to look like candy canes.

First, roll the gift (a tie, for example) into a paper towel tube, with tissue stuffed at the ends. Then, roll the cylinder in white tissue paper, leaving enough material at one end to curve over like the top of a lowercase "r." Finally, wrap red ribbon diagonally around the tube and cover the entire thing with Saran Wrap. You'll end up with a sweet-looking surprise!

Marvelous Molasses Cookies, a braces-friendly holiday recipe!

This is was the very first soft-cookie recipe that I collected back in the mid-60s. They smell wonderful even before baking, melt in your mouth, and never harden. Yum - the best of gingerbread and ginger snaps in one!

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp salt
½ cup molasses
½ cup warm water
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
2 ½ cups flour



Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Baking time 11 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine shortening, brown sugar, egg, salt and molasses, using an electric mixer and beating until fluffy. Add cinnamon and ginger. In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir the baking soda into the warm water; add water mixture to the molasses mixture alternately with the flour until well blended.

Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 11 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes about 4 dozen. Store in a covered container.

Help spread the holiday spirit at Papandreas Orthodontics!

Our team at Papandreas Orthodontics invites our patients to join us in decorating our North Royalton office! Please bring in a picture or a piece of art that you have created, so we can decorate our office for the holiday season. We can't wait to "deck the halls" with your pictures and handmade holiday creations!

Thank you,

-Dr. Papandreas and team

Patient Question: Why are straight teeth so important?

Some people wonder why North Royalton orthodontist Dr. Papandreas and our team work tirelessly to give our patients straight teeth. Of course it’s nice to have a smile full of evenly-aligned teeth, but did you know that straightening your teeth at Papandreas Orthodontics can keep them healthier? Straight teeth lead to better oral hygiene, increasing your chances of keeping your own natural teeth for a lifetime!

Straight teeth are less prone to decay, because they collect less plaque—the sticky colorless substance that forms on our teeth and leads to tooth decay; and they are easier to keep clean!

If you’re wondering whether your teeth might cause problems because they are out of alignment, please give us a call to set up a consultation. Dr. Papandreas can help you decide whether or not you will benefit from orthodontic treatment.