So, if you want to buy the Kindle version of The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You (and Your Orthodontist) Will Love, just go directly to the Metal Mouth Media purchase page and scroll down. The Nook version is also there, as well as on the Barnes and Noble website – your preference. I’d appreciate it you all help spread the word – the Kindle version is still available direct from me!

The WORST five:

1 – St. Louis MO – F

2 – Philadelphia PA – F

3 – Newark NJ – F

4 – Baltimore MD – F

5 – New Orleans LA – F

The five BEST:

96 – Sioux Falls SD – A

97 – Lincoln NE – A

98 – Boise ID – A

99 – Fargo ND – A+

100 – San Jose CA – A+

I know the recently formed American Academy for Oral Systemic Health would like to see these numbers/grades improve, for the sake of overall health, too.

She is so easy-going to talk to! I met her at the Damon Forum, a yearly gathering of orthodontists and staff sponsored by Ormco, the producers of the Damon System of orthodontic treatment plus thousands of other products relevant to this field. Bethany is now their spokesperson, as she had her smile enhanced with the Damon System whose constant, low-force design allowed her to spread appointments to every three months. The latter was a great benefit since she lives in Hawaii and her orthodontist lives in California!

Bethany is so laid back and positive about life. When asked how she feels about having had braces, she said, “I was always a pretty smiley girl, but after I got braces it definitely improved my confidence. I feel more beautiful, having a good smile.”

She added, “A lot of kids aren’t blessed with getting braces. I’m thankful to have had that opportunity.” Her advice to teens getting braces is to not be nervous about their looks, be diligent (with cleaning), and listen to your doctor (!). She says, “Before you know, you’ll be done.”

Her favorite thing to eat while in braces:  smoothies – all types of fruit smoothies but especially ones made with mangoes. Her cute confession: “I was naughty and sometimes ate an apple!”

Here’s a fast way to prepare a very tender salmon dish:

1) In a gallon zip-plastic bag, combine:

• 1/4 cup sherry
• 1/4 soy sauce
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 Tablespoons honey

2) Add 1 to 1.5 pounds of salmon fillets, cut in three or four chunks. Seal and let sit to marinate about 1 hour.

3) Broil the salmon pieces for about 5 minutes on one side. Turn them over, and broil them for another 4 minutes or until very fork tender.

Brenda, not one to take a No lightly, went off and soon returned with a plate full of beautifully peeled, cored, sliced apples along with a little cup of caramel topping for ice cream. She dipped the slices, munched them easily and said, “These are just like caramel apples but they won’t hurt my braces.”

I said, “What a great idea” and she replied, “There should be a whole cookbook of ideas like this.” We searched the web and bookstores, found nothing except some out-of-print booklets from the 80s, and set to work developing our 50 favorite braces-friendly recipes. We tested them on kids, teens and adults, got the thumbs-up from our own orthodontist, Dr. Thomas Tipton (Tempe AZ) and voila – The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You (and Your Orthodontist) Will Love (BC1).

Now, six years and another book (The Braces Cookbook 2: Comfort Food with a Gourmet Touch (BC2), aimed at adults and co-authored with Chef Amee Hoge) later, we’re still looking to improve the lives of braces-wearers. Work is underway to publish a revised and fully illustrated edition of the BC1 (the photography is complete, writing is in process and cover design is underway!) We’re also about to announce a new Braces-Friendly effort that we think will also help improve day-to-day life in braces of all types.

Stay tuned! And if you have any suggestions for adding content to the revised BC1, let us know.

SolidScape 3D Printed Dental Waxups

Did you know that Star Trek-like technology has been part of professional dentistry for years? Various forms of 3D printing, an analogy to 2D copy-machine printing, have been developed to quickly and accurately produce either molds for casting or actual metal forms that serve as the base (coping) of a dental crown.

Both versions start with a dental lab taking a digital scan of a patient’s plaster model (though even that is changing as some dentists/orthodontists do direct oral scanning). This information is translated into a 3D computer model of the tooth or teeth in question. The models are useful themselves as replacements for heavy plaster versions; even more interesting, the data in each model can be used to guide the motions of equipment that “builds” a part layer by layer, either out of wax for casting or out of the final metal, usually a chrome-cobalt alloy. (More about these technologies in upcoming blog posts.)

Companies such as 3D Systems, Solidscape (a division of Stratasys), EOS and EnvisionTEC are heavily involved in this exciting industry. Check them out!

#3 – Wrap individual left-over waffles, pancakes and French Toast in a dampened paper towel. Reheat in the microwave on a 50% power setting for 30 – 45 seconds. The moisture in the towel “steams” the food making it soft and tender.