New for the 2013 Calendar Contest, we will feature pictures taken in the office of our patients wearing their FSO gear and participating in the theme weeks and contests. There is a theme week each month listed in the calendar, so check it out and come prepared! Think braces and Franklin Square! Winners will receive a gift card of their choice.

Our next Theme Week is Scarf Week for February 20th-23rd. Keep your neck warm at your appointment, bring your Rewards Card and let the points rack up.

The Patient Rewards Program is a very exciting new addition to the office. As of February 1st we are no longer accepting Meharg $$. If you still have Meharg $$, file it in your memory box. The Rewards Card is now the focus to the prize. It is very important that you show your Rewards Card to your assistant at the time of your appointment in order to receive points for your visit.

***REMEMBER: Good Orthodontic Participation=Points=Prizes***

What are you working towards earning? Prizes we have on display in the Franklin Square Orthodontics Market to a number of gift cards to choose from. Wow, it pays to be a good patient!

Did you know your Patient Rewards Account is a FUN place to go to? Besides being able to monitor and spend your points, you now can play games. For a limited time the games are FREE. Eventually, there will be a minimal charge of 5-10 points to buy the games for as long as you have your Patient Rewards Account. So play away and find your favorite games.

About Dr. Meharg

Dr. Meharg is a Board-Certified Orthodontist who has been practicing for more than 20 years. He has submitted over 100 cases of Invisalign and has earned Premier Preferred Provider status with Align Technology. To schedule a FREE consultation please call 315-471-6790.

Dr. Meharg is a Board-Certified Orthodontist who has been practicing for more than 20 years. He has submitted over 100 cases of Invisalign and has earned Premier Preferred Provider status with Align Technology. To schedule a FREE consultation please call 315-471-6790.

In continuation of National Orthodontic Health Month Halloween festivities are underway at the office. This week is out costume halloween celebration theme week, in which, patients can earn extra reward points by wearing costumes to their appointments.

To conclude our Halloween activities, Franklin Square Orthodontics is continuing our annual candy buy back program. A significant amount of candy that trick-or-treaters receive on Halloween can wreck havoc on those with braces. A few years ago Dr. Meharg wanted to find a way for his patients to safely enjoy Halloween and at the same time not waste all the sticky, chewy, and hard candies. Dr. Meharg will pay his patients $1 for every pound of candy that they bring in. Not only will Dr. Meharg’s patients get the benefit of turning their candy into cash they will also be supporting Catholic Charities of Syracuse. Dr. Meharg will match every dollar his patients earn with a financial donation to Catholic Charities. Also, the candy that is turned in will be sent to our troops serving overseas. Don’t risk popping brackets or breaking your orthodontic appliances. Stop by our office in Franklin Square or bring your candy along at your next appointment to turn your uneaten candy into cold hard cash!

• Caramel • Nuts • Popcorn • Taffy • Jelly beans • Hard pretzels • Licorice

Halloween should be fun for everyone including those currently in orthodontic treatment. Here is a list of treats that won’t damage braces.

• Soft, melt-in-your-mouth chocolates • Peanut butter cups • Milk shakes • Gelatin • Peeled, thinly sliced apples • Ice cream

Franklin Square Orthodontics has a special October contest to help celebrate National Orthodontic Health Month. Dr. Meharg contacted Gary Adams, a parent of two former Franklin Square Orthodontics patients, to obtain a large pumpkin for the weight guessing contest. We have a “Pacific Giant” pumpkin from his pumpkin fields in LaFayette NY. This is our second year doing this contest and we have an even bigger pumpkin than last year. Gary is well known in the pumpkin growing world for growing massive award winning pumpkins. He has been growing giant pumpkins and competing in contests for only three years and he’s getting better each year.  Last year he competed in a weigh off in Canton, Ohio and his giant pumpkin weighed in at 1471 pounds!  This year, he crossed seeds from two of his largest pumpkins to grow a pumpkin weighing over 1450 pounds and is still growing All of our patients are encouraged to guess the weight of the pumpkin. Whoever comes closest to guessing the actual weight will win a gift card from their choice of Target, iTunes, ect.

Franklin Square Orthodontics Patient Rewards Hub!

Our new program is card based. Now, patients won't need to keep track of all the "Meharg Money" bills. So you may be wondering how it will work. This Program is easy and FUN! All you have to do is bring your card to your appointment, ask a team member to swipe it, and watch the points pile up! Earn more points at each appointment for things like; having excellent oral hygiene, getting great grades, referring a friend or seeing your dentist for a dental cleaning. Your reward points will grow as you continue throughout your orthodontic journey.

Dr. Meharg is a Board-Certified Orthodontist who has been practicing for more than 20 years. He has earned Preferred Provider status with Invisalign. Franklin Square Orthodontics is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Syracuse at 526 Plum Street, Syracuse, NY 13204. To schedule a FREE consultation please call 315-471-6790.

Every summer we like to do something to show our thanks for our fantastic group of patients. In the past we have done bowling nights or gone to a baseball game. This year with the heat, we wanted to do something different. For the rest of the summer, we will have a Blue Bunny Ice Cream Cart parked in our office so patients can enjoy a cold ice cream after their appointment. So far, it has been a huge success. At your next appointment be sure to have some ice cream before you leave.

Dr. Meharg is a Board-Certified Orthodontist who has been practicing for more than 20 years. He has submitted over 100 cases of Invisalign and has earned Preferred Provider status with Align Technology. To schedule a FREE consultation please call 315-471-6790.

Here is a short interview with Dick our Lab Technician:

What do you like best about your work?

“I like the variety. I never create the same retainer twice. Each appliance I make is always a new challenge. I also like the people I work with.”

What is the most interesting orthodontic appliance that you have made?

“One of the most interesting appliances I have made was a Distal Jet. This appliance keeps the molars from moving forward.”

What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?

“I enjoy golfing"

The final assembly for the very first calendar (2004) featured a dental trivia contest and included all 24 entry drawings. In 2005, the trivia contest was all about New York State. The next year, 2006, we presented riddles that needed solving with a cartooned picture of Dr. Meharg as the cover. 2007 saw the introduction of Orthodontic First Aid and the Market at Franklin Square and the loss of the trivia, while 2008 was the first year to have a 13 month format. A big change came with the 2009 calendar when we started using the photos that our patients were taking for the “Where in the World is Franklin Square Orthodontics?” contest as the month headers. The 2010 and 2011 calendars also have incorporated photos and 2011 is the first year that I made the cover! We have received photos as attachments to emails, saved on disks, printed out on family printers, and “developed” from film.
The new batch of calendars are printed and arrived in the office just before Thanksgiving. Be sure to pick up a couple and put them to work keeping you organized. And remember to take (and send) pictures of you wearing your FSO gear and your FSO smile!