MR Ortho

New Blog!

2011-05-02T15:47:00.000-06:00

Check out our fancy new blog and enter to win an iPad 2!

Click here!

Race for the Cure

2011-03-07T09:01:00.004-07:00

It's that time of year again where wearing PINK is a must! We are excited to announce our involvement in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. This is the fourth year our office has done this as a team and we are hoping to make it our biggest year yet!

We would love to have you as part of our team! To sign up click here.

Also, as part of the excitement we are incorporating our contest into this years fun! We need ideas for our costumes for the Race. Take a picture in your craziest pink outfit and post it to our Facebook wall or tag us in the photo.

You can dress yourself up...

You can dress your dog up:

You can dress your dad up:

Just send us your ideas! The winner receives a $35 dollar gift certificate to Dick's Sporting Goods!!!

*If you don't have a facebook just bring your picture into the office and we'll put it up for you.

2011-01-06T10:54:00.002-07:00

Can you name this famous cartoon couple? If so you're on your way to winning this month's contest! Check out the contest board at your next appointment and match up the famous cartoon couples. Winners will recieve a $15.00 gift certificate to the movies! Contest ends February 28th.

Staff Christmas Pictures!

2010-12-15T08:37:00.002-07:00

You're a mean one... Mr. Grinch!

We thought we'd share our fun pictures from our staff Christmas Delivery Day! Isn't Dr. Richard's costume amazing?! What do you think about Buddy the Elf next year? :)

Happy Holidays everyone!

What a bunch of goofballs. :)

Happy Holidays

2010-12-06T09:07:00.004-07:00

All of us at Michael Richards Orthodontics would like to extend our warmest wishes for a very happy holiday season. We hope whatever you're doing is merry and bright!

UTAH VS BYU RIVALRY

2010-10-26T12:00:00.001-06:00

The month of November means the annual "Holy War" between Brigham Young University and the University of Utah. Come to your appointment with your team colors on and receive an extra ruble! The contest this month will be to guess the score of the game. The person who comes the closest to the real score will receive a $15.00 gift certificate to the college bookstore of their choice!

The Many Faces of Dr. Richards

2010-10-26T09:00:00.001-06:00

Dr. Richards has us laughing everytime he walks in the door this Halloween week! Check out the do's he's been sporting and then vote on your favorite!

Simon Cowell

Hillbilly Rockstar?

Halloween Treats

2010-10-25T14:50:00.005-06:00

Happy Halloween from all of us at Michael Richards Orthodontics! Here are some more tasty treats that are also "brace-friendly"!

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

1/2 cup pumpkin
1 cup Spice cake mix
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together pumpkin and cake mix until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded Tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until firm and no longer gooey. Makes about 12 cookies.
*If you make your cookies very big, they will take too long to bake. If you are not in a hurry, bigger cookies are okay.

Cheesy Corns

Combine the taste of cheese pizza with the look of candy corn and--abracadabra!--you've got one crowd-pleasing snack.

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 450º.

Cut two small round prebaked pizza crusts into wedges that resemble the shape of candy corn. Top each wedge with rows of white, orange, and yellowish cheeses, as shown.

Bake the wedges on a cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, then let them cool for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 16 to 20.

R.I.P Pudding Cups

Spider Bites

These creepy cookies are as fun to eat as they are to set out for hauntingly hungry guests. This recipe is adapted from The Braces Cookbook by Pamela Waterman. The spider legs are made from licorice; check with your orthodontist to see if these cookies are appropriate for your family.

INGREDIENTS:

•1 cup vegetable shortening

•1 cup granulated sugar

•2 tablespoons water

•1 teaspoon pure vanilla

•2 eggs

•2 cups all-purpose flour

•1/2 cup cocoa

•1 teaspoon salt

•1/2 teaspoon baking powder

•1 package black rope licorice, cut into thin 1-inch pieces

•1 small tube of white (or color of choice) frosting

•Toothpicks

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.In a large bowl, combine shortening, sugar, water and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add eggs and blend.

3.Slowly mix in flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder at low speed. Drop tablespoon helpings of mixture onto ungreased cookie sheets and roll each helping into a ball.

4.Bake for 9 minutes. Let cookies cool for about 10 minutes.

5.Using a toothpick, create four small holes in either side of each cookie, then push one end of a piece of the cut licorice into each hole, creating the “legs” of the spider.

6.Once all eight legs are in place, create eyes or decorate at will using the white frosting.

Braces off Celebration!!!

2010-10-20T15:13:00.000-06:00

Check out how excited Corbin was to get his braces off!

"Would Your Rather?" Contest and Celebration Videos!

2010-09-09T12:35:00.007-06:00

Would you rather have really stinky feet or a snort every time you laughed? Would you rather be the bull rider or the clown? Would you rather eat a bottle of ketchup or mustard? How about a whole bucket of peanut butter with nothing to drink or 10 lbs of cheese?

Would you rather win the game "Would You Rather?" or a gift certificate to Target for $15? Either way you'll be a winner if you're chosen for this month's fun contest of "Would You Rather" questions! Enter in the office!

And just for your enjoyment we are attaching a video of some great patients dancing it up to CELEBRATE the day they got their braces off!

And this is cute Francie who couldn't be happier about her beautiful new smile!

Summer Contest

2010-06-21T08:37:00.004-06:00

Where in the World

are our patients?!

You guys really outdid yourselves...We had some AWESOME entries in our Summer Contest! We loved looking at all the place you've been and what you were up to! Thank you to everyone who participated! It was a VERY close contest, but the winners are:

Most Creative Picture: Sarah Allen

Most Adventurous Picture: Emma Whittle

Funniest Picture: Drew and Blake McDonald

Furthest Location: Bryston Hutchinson

Each winner will receive a digital frame to store all of their photos!

Here is a sample of the great entries we had:

Patient Appreciation Summer Party!

2010-04-01T13:08:00.011-06:00

We had such a great time at our annual Patient Appreciation Party! We loved going to the movies with our wonderful patients and hope all of those that participated has as much fun as we did!

Race For the Cure

2010-03-29T09:00:00.003-06:00

We would like to thank all those who participated with us in the Race for the Cure. This is an inspiring event that we look forward to every year. Once again we had an outpouring of support from our patients, family and friends. On behalf of our survivors, Jeanie and Cathy, and the rest of us here at Michael Richards Orthodontics we say:

THANK YOU!

Information regarding the race can be found here.

Slideshow from Haiti

2010-02-25T15:18:00.001-07:00

Here are a few of the photos Dr. Richards took while in Haiti. He returned safely from his trip early last week and is grateful for everyone's support.

Haiti from Michael Richards on Vimeo.

More Updates on Haiti

2010-02-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

Dr. Richards is being featured by "Our South Valley" for his volunteer work in Haiti. To see the full story click here.

Update on Dr. Richard's Haiti Trip

2010-02-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Patients and Families:

Since the devastating earthquake hit Haiti on January 12th we have all been shocked with the suffering, injury, loss of life and incredible destruction we have witnessed on television, the internet and in the newspaper. But we have also witnessed amazing stories of survival and a general sense of determination and resiliency in the Haitian people. I have especially watched this drama unfold since I was planning to go to Haiti for a routine humanitarian trip on February 6th with the group International Aid Serving Kids (IASK).

Given the uncertainty of the situation, the members of our team have been anxiously waiting to hear if we would go as scheduled, or if the trip would be postponed. We learned this week that our trip is on, with necessary modifications to meet the current priorities following the earthquake. We will still leave on February 6th, re-routing to the Dominican Republic and then traveling by bus to Port-au-Prince. Originally we were to have gone to a remote village to provide medical and dental care (mostly to children). Now our plan is to go to Leogand, a hard-hit suburb of Port-au-Prince, where we will work and stay at an LDS stake center that survived the quake. We will return on February 13th.

I appreciate all the support from those of you that have contributed to IASK or have simply expressed interest in our trip. The funds contributed will go directly to earthquake relief. I am sure that many, many of you have also contributed generously to other wonderful earthquake relief organizations. Thank you for doing what you can. Hopefully I will have something useful to offer to the suffering but resilient people we will serve.
Best Regards,

Dr. Richards

IASK and Helping in Haiti

2010-01-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Patients and Parents:

In about four weeks my 16 year-old son, Drew, and I will join with about 30 other healthcare providers on a medical/dental humanitarian trip to the impoverished country of Haiti. For years I have wanted to get involved with a humanitarian aid volunteer organization, but like many others, let the busyness of life get in the way of that goal. When this opportunity to participate with International Aid Serving Kids (IASK) presented itself, I just couldn't let it pass by.

I wanted to let you know about my involvement with IASK because I believe that many of you might be interested in being involved in such a worthwhile cause. While we have all been affected by these tough economic times, for the most part, we are all very blessed with food, clothing, shelter and good health (not to mention luxuries like straight teeth!). Many of the children of Haiti are malnourished, live in squalor and are lucky if they even have healthy teeth. There are so many ways to serve others and we certainly can't support every cause that comes our way. You may feel however, you have a few dollars to spare that could go a long way in helping the children of Haiti.

Everyone that is involved with this upcoming aid mission is gladly covering their individual expenses for the trip, as well as additional contributions to the support the needs of the mission. However, in order to adequately provide free medical and dental care, provide medications, vitamins and needed hygiene, medical, dental, school and newborn kits, and sponsor orphan children by placing them in foster care and providing for their costs of living, we are in need of additional on-going donations. One dollar a day can sponsor three well-balanced meals, and another dollar a day will pay for a child's tuition, books, school uniform and other clothing and medical needs. Think what we could do for these impoverished children if we as a practice "family" could each contribute as little as $2!

If you feel able to contribute to this humanitarian mission, please include a separate check for any amount you desire made out to "IASK". If you would like to learn more about IASK and have an interest in more substantial involvement, you can visit www.iask4kids.org.

I look forward to doing what I can to serve the children of Haiti and am excited to share my experiences with you when I return in mid-February. May you each be blessed abundantly this new year and experience great joy as you look for ways to serve others.

Best regards,

Dr. Michael F. Richards

November Update

2009-11-03T12:13:00.001-07:00

Remember to wear your BYU/UTAH team shirt to your appointment and recieve and extra ruble!

HaPpY HaLLoWeEn!

2009-10-29T09:16:00.000-06:00

HaPpY HaLLoWeEn from everyone at

Michael Richards Orthodontics!

Orthodontic Health Month

2009-10-02T13:04:00.000-06:00

October is the official Orthodontic Health Month!

Why choose an Orthodontist? An Orthodontist is a Dentist that went through at least two extra years of specialized training to learn how to treat dental and facial irregularities. Orthodontists not only know how to straighten teeth, but also know how to deal with crowded or protruded teeth as well as jaw alignment issues which can be a contributing factor to problems with joint pain, clicking or locking of the jaw. TMJ is a common, often overlooked, problem .This condition can be brought on by trauma, stress or the way your bite fits together. If you are experiencing neck or joint pain Dr. Richards may be able to provide relief.

Dr. Richards supports the American Association of Orthodontists' reccommendation that children should be seen for an Orthodontic Check-Up as young as seven, especially if a problem is suspected.
Dr. Richards believes in early diagnosis and treatment in order to prevent more serious problems later on in life. And while children and teens continue to make up the majority of our patients it may surprise you to learn that over 25% of our practice consists of adults from the ages of 18-65. Braces aren’t just for kids anymore. Tooth alignment can be changed at any age if your gums and bone structure are healthy. We offer a variety of treatments that are designed for different age groups – including adults. Orthodontic treatment at later stages in life can dramatically improve your personal appearance and self-esteem. Click here to see examples of the "Bracelift" Facelift. Improving the health of your teeth and gums is equally important. Crooked teeth and a bad bite can contribute to gum and bone loss, tooth decay, abnormal wear of the tooth enamel and surfaces, headaches and jaw joint (TMJ/TMD) pain.

There are many reasons why more and more adults are pursuing treatment options to correct their teeth and jaw alignment. Advances in orthodontics, specifically the Damon System, have made braces much more comfortable, affordable, and attractive in recent years. Also, with recent break-throughs in brace technology your treatment can be done in less time with fewer appointments.

If you are interested in finding out what options are available to you make an appointment for a complimentary consultation at one of our two offices.

For our current patients: Don't forget that sticky or hard Halloween candy can easily cause breakage to your brackets or appliances which may delay your treatment. Instead, make one of these delightful, brace-friendly Halloween treats!

Sensational Cinnamon Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

1 cup shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on low to combine the shortening, 1 ½ cups sugar and eggs. Add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. In a separate, small bowl, stir together the 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to use later. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about an hour. With well-floured hands, pinch bits of dough and roll them into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar until coated. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 8 to 10 minutes at 400°, being careful not to over bake. Makes about five dozen. Store in a covered container.

From “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love” by Pamela and Brenda Waterman. http://www.bracescookbook.com/

Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients

1 pkg. yellow or white cake mix
½ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
¾ cup sugar 1
tsp. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
¼ cup water (add 2 tbl. of water if eggs are small)

Directions

Put cake mix in a large bowl. Make an indentation in the center and pour in the oil and one egg. Mix using mixer at medium speed, then add the rest of the eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Add pumpkin, sugar, spices, then water. Bake in greased and floured tube pan in 350 degree oven for 60-70 minutes. Cool before removing from pan. Makes a moist and delicious cake—no frosting required.

Recipe courtesy of the American Association of Orthodontists

For more fun facts and great recipes go here.

Welcome To Our Blog!

2009-09-29T10:59:00.000-06:00

Michael Richards Orthodontics is thrilled to announce the creation of our team blog! Our office realizes the need to adapt to the ever changing world we live in and hope this will provide opportunities for you to find useful information regarding our office including patient information, ideas on how to care for your braces, contests and more. Check back often for important updates!

Quarterly Update

2009-09-29T10:48:00.001-06:00

There are some exciting things happening at the office! Here is what's up and coming:

THE RIVALRY
Utah vs. BYU Saturday, November 28, 2009. Wear Utah/BYU team clothing to your office visit during the month of November and receive an extra ruble. Also, the contest for the month will be guessing the correct score of the game. The winner will receive a new team shirt from the team of their choice.