Why should a 7-year-old see the orthodontist?

October 31, 2019
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A common assumption is that orthodontic work should wait until all permanent teeth are in place. Not necessarily, explains Dr. Scott Ralph of Liberty Lake Orthodontics.

“There is a window of time before jaw and facial growth have finished during which early treatment may prevent more serious problems from developing,” he said. “Not to mention, early treatment can make the traditional teenage braces timeframe shorter and less complicated.”

Dr. Ralph recommends seeing kids around age 7 for a free consultation. At this appointment, severe crowding and jaw growth disharmony issues can be addressed, often avoiding the need years later to extract adult teeth or undergo jaw surgery. A first phase or orthodontic treatment may also be recommended, which takes advantage of a window of opportunity to create room in the arches, correct jaw growth imbalances or bite problems and improve self-esteem, among other benefits.

“For many kids, early treatment can pay huge dividends,” Dr. Ralph said. “Obviously, we are not out to treat all 7-year-olds — only the ones who will really benefit from it. Parents typically feel it’s worth the free consultation to find out.”

Obviously, we are not out to treat all 7-year-olds —only the ones who will really benefit from it.

Dr. Scott Ralph, Liberty Lake Orthodontics

Of course, Liberty Lake Orthodontics sees kids, teens and adults of all ages. Dr. Ralph’s customized treatment options also include Invisalign and clear braces. For more on Dr. Ralph and Liberty Lake Orthodontics, see below.

NOTE: A version of this article first appeared in the 2019 Liberty Lake Yearbook.

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Try in 2020: Southwest Breakfast Burrito

October 9, 2020
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Southwest Breakfast Burrito

Frannie’s Kitchen at Chevron
1109 N. Liberty Lake Road, Liberty Lake

Featuring sausage, eggs, peppers, onions, hashbrowns and cheese, this breakfast burrito is freshly made in Frannie’s Kitchen inside Liberty Lake Chevron. Full-pound burrito option also available.

Why you’ll love it

When you think of food prepared fresh by a trained chef with years of experience, you probably aren’t thinking about gas station fare. Yet that’s exactly what’s offered in the northwest corner of Liberty Lake Chevron through Frannie’s Kitchen.

People walking in for the first time often expect prepackaged items that have been sitting in a food warmer for who-knows-how-long.

“That’s not what this is,” said Fran Stevens, the 10-year Chevron employee and longtime Liberty Lake resident behind Frannie’s Kitchen. “It’s not been sitting there for hours. You always have people who are prejudiced against gas station food, and we just have to fight the stigma.”

For someone with culinary training and experience working in catering and for resorts, Fran might seem overqualified for the job, but she loves the community environment, repeat customers and ability to surprise people with what they can find inside their local convenience store.

“Once they come in, they come back, and they tell their friends,” she said. “I just have to get them in the door.”

After establishing a loyal lunch crowd with gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Liberty Lake Chevron expanded this past year to provide breakfast offerings from 7 to 10 a.m. The combination of fresh-made food with grab-and-go convenience was already a hit, and a crowd of breakfast regulars formed quickly.

Owner Don Douglas said credit goes to Fran, who works behind the register for Chevron when she’s not behind the grill a few paces away. Fran makes the burritos and sandwiches to order, usually while visiting with the customer. She uses hearty meats, real cheese and fresh, store-bought ingredients she hand-selects. Customers also love her homemade cookies.

In addition to the Southwest Breakfast Burrito, Fran said morning commuters love grabbing the Three Little Pigs — a ham, bacon and sausage burrito — and the Southern Style, highlighted by sausage and gravy.

Lunch standouts include grilled-to-order specialty sandwiches from the Pulled Pork and Cheddar, to the Italian, to the ever-changing Specialty Sandwich of the Week.

“It’s not what you would expect from a gas station,” Don said of Frannie’s Kitchen. “We don’t know what’s next in her fresh kitchen, but we know it will taste great!”

NOTE: A version of this article first appeared in the 2020 Liberty Lake Yearbook.

Permanent teeth saved with 2-phase

November 20, 2020
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Growing up in the 1980s, Tamryn Parker-Carver and her husband, Scott, both had braces, and they both remember the trauma of having permanent teeth pulled because there wasn’t enough room in their mouths.

It came as no surprise, then, when their family dentist told them children Sylvie and Joel both had extremely narrow palates. The kids were facing severe crowding issues and the possibility of future extraction of permanent teeth.

Fortunately, his recommendation was a familiar one: Go see Dr. Ralph.

While teaching piano lessons in Liberty Lake, Tamryn saw dozens of students file in and out of her house with braces. Normal small talk revealed the same thing time and again: They saw Dr. Scott Ralph of Liberty Lake Orthodontics, and they loved him.

Now, it was her kids’ turn. She took Sylvie to Dr. Ralph as a kindergartner, and Joel as a first-grader. Both entered into a two-phase treatment she only wishes would have been available when she was younger.

“I love his philosophy of two phases of braces because it makes so much sense to me,” said Tamryn, who now teaches music at Liberty Lake Elementary School. “It is to preserve ultimately healthy permanent teeth.”

In the first phase, both children’s palates were expanded. Tamryn said in Sylvie’s case, front teeth were pulled back together as part of the process of getting everything aligned for the arrival of permanent teeth. Using terms and details gained through many appointments, she described how the first phase dialed in both children’s bites as well.

“I’ve learned a lot about orthodontia from Dr. Ralph,” she said. “I’m not an orthodontist, but I can play one on TV.”

Earlier this year, Sylvie started her second phase, and Joel is on a similar trajectory to follow suit soon. Tamryn marveled how Sylvie was actually excited to get her braces and how both kids look forward to orthodontic appointments — “they do make it fun there.”

As the responsible parent, Tamryn added that she appreciates the clarity and manageability of the payment plans, all part of an overall practice experience she has grown to appreciate and trust.

“He’s just smart,” she said of Dr. Ralph. “He’s done a lot of research and knows a lot about the different kinds of methods for orthodontia, and he goes with what he truly believes in. Working on saving those healthy permanent teeth is so important. Why pull perfectly good, healthy teeth? There’s no reason for it.”

While Dr. Ralph sees many patients like Sylvie and Joel, Liberty Lake Orthodontics is a full-scope practice serving patients of all ages with braces and Invisalign options.

“My practice philosophy has always been to provide people with a common-sense approach to treatment that is safe, affordable, portrays the big-picture perspective — and maybe is a little fun along the way,” Dr. Ralph said.

NOTE: A version of this article first appeared in the 2020 Liberty Lake Yearbook.

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