Alborzi Orthodontics - July/August 2021

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235 N. SanMateo Drive, Suite 300 SanMateo, CA 94401-2672 Tel: (650) 342-4171

705 Purissima Half Moon Bay, CA 94019-1934 Tel: (650) 726-6321 Your Smile ~ Our World

July/Aug 2021

GO ABOVE AND BEYOND IN ANY EFFORT Even if It’s Just Counting Medflies

Lots of high school and college students have summer jobs. While many of them might work at a restaurant or a retail store, the first summer job (and first job, period) I had was a little out of the ordinary. The summer before I went to University of California, Berkeley, I had a job with the Department of Agriculture counting medflies on sticky traps.

the area with a bioluminescent coating on them, and then when we would view the traps, we would do so under a black light. That way we could compare the number of bioluminescent flies caught to the number of wild flies to see how many of the flies getting caught were the less harmful ones that the department had released.

more quickly. Eventually I got to the point where I would run from my truck to the trap and retrieve it as quickly as possible so I could finish my workday an hour early. I would spend that last hour at my favorite coffee shop, a place called Upstart Crow, reading a book. I think my biggest takeaway from that summer job was that you should never do the minimum amount of work you’re expected to do. You should always go above and beyond, because you’ll be rewarded for your work. Because I went above and beyond, I got a promotion to a position where, if I kept working hard, I could have time at the end of the workday to myself doing something I enjoyed. That’s a mentality you can take with you into any job and any endeavor. I’m glad I learned it so early in my life, and I hope that many high school or college students nowadays can enjoy the benefits of doing more than the bare minimum in their summer jobs.

For those of you who don’t remember, or weren’t living in the Bay Area in the early 1980s, agricultural workers were experiencing a serious infestation of medflies in their fields. The medfly is one of the most

While I don’t know that the work expressly interested me, I was interested in earning some money before going to college. So, I took the job and spent my summer endlessly counting medflies — that is, until I got promoted.

destructive insects in the world, so the Department of Agriculture

I wasn’t really working to get a promotion; it just sort of happened. My supervisors had noticed I was working hard and decided to bump me up to a position where I would drive around and retrieve the

was eager to eradicate the medfly from the area. In order to make sure they were doing that, they would need a way to check their progress. That’s where hundreds of young people, including me, came into the picture. I’m not really sure where I heard about the position, but the Department of Agriculture was paying people $3.25 (the minimum wage at the time) to anyone who wanted to count medflies that got stuck on sticky traps all over the Bay Area to see if the population was going down. Department workers would release a population of sterile medflies into

traps instead of count them back at the facility. I got a pay increase to $5 per hour for the new job. When I would drive around to all the places where sticky traps were located, I was never content to take my time. I wanted to work harder and faster so I could get done

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DON’T MAKE THESE MISTAKES WITH YOUR INVISALIGNS

Playing With Your Invisaligns Invisalign braces feel strange at first, and you might unconsciously send your tongue to investigate the strange new device that’s taken up residence atop your gums. However, the hard edges of the plastic material may leave your tongue scratched up if you investigate a little too thoroughly. Also, avoid fidgeting with your braces when removing them to eat. After wearing them for a few days, it will be like they’re not even there. Rushing the Process You’re excited to get to the part where you don’t have to wear your Invisalign braces anymore — trust us, we get it. However, you can’t rush to a new pair of aligners before your teeth are ready for them. Doing so could destabilize your teeth, loosening them, and making them more likely to fall out. While you might still have to avoid certain behaviors and change your routine with Invisalign braces, they’re still far less noticeable and will fix your bite far more quickly than traditional braces. If you have any questions about best practices with Invisalign braces, call Dr. Alborzi today at (650) 342-4171.

You might have initially explored getting Invisalign braces because they seemed more “low maintenance” than traditional metal braces. While this may be true in some regards, getting the most out of your Invisalign treatment still means you have to avoid certain behaviors when you’re wearing them (and when you’re not wearing them, for that matter). If you’re currently using Invisalign, or you’re about to schedule an appointment to get some, avoid these behaviors. Drinking Anything (Besides Water) While Wearing Invisalign You can stay hydrated while wearing your Invisalign braces, but if you want to wake up with some coffee or soda, you’re going to have to take them out. Carbonated water and sugar can damage the materials that make up your braces. It’s pretty easy to remember not to eat with them in (things will get messy pretty quickly), but it’s harder to remember how damaging different beverages can be until it’s too late!

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE: TRANSFORMED SMILES

Summer Splash Offer Start before school starts in August and receive up to $650 off Treatment. Get your teeth straightened now! A beautiful smile in a fraction of the time! No headgear, expander, or extractions! Call 650-342-4171 or go to alborzismiles.com and click Free Smile Assessment.

We look forward to hearing from you!

*Offer valid for new treatment only — ends August 31, 2021. Cannot be combined with other offers.*

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FROM ANCIENT EGYPT TO STANFORD UNIVERSITY A BRIEF HISTORY OF ORTHODONTICS

When you think of trades and professions that transcend continents and millennia, you’d be forgiven for not having considered orthodontics to be among them. The truth, however, is that even thousands of years ago, humans were looking for innovative ways to straighten their teeth. Just be thankful our methods have improved a little over time!

Fauchard and Pierre Bourdet, wrote about the “Bandeau,” a mouthguard-like device that supposedly kept a person’s teeth in place. Bourdet also discovered that removing a person’s wisdom teeth could reduce crowding in the mouth — a procedure common to this day.

Throughout the 1800s, creative orthodontic minds created crude braces using wire and elastics. In 1864, Dr. S.C. Barnum invented the dental dam. The term “braces” didn’t actually exist until the 1900s, however, after which point dentists continued to use whatever materials they could to create something roughly resembling today’s metal braces. In the 1970s, the advent of stainless steel and dental adhesive made them far less damaging and far more efficient at straightening crooked teeth.

The first evidence of orthodontic work came from ancient Egypt. Some mummies have been found with cord, made of animal skin, wrapped around their teeth. Similarly, ancient Etruscans (the people on the Italian peninsula before the Romans) would outfit the teeth of their dead with mouth guards to keep the teeth from caving in as the body decayed.

In ancient Rome, a medical doctor named Aulus Cornelius Celsus documented his attempts to straighten teeth with the force of his hand (we do not recommend this). At the same time, some Roman burial remains have small gold wire in their teeth, supposedly used to achieve a similar result to Celsus’ experiments. After the fall of Rome, during the so-called Dark Ages and the Renaissance, not much progress was made in the realm of orthodontics. However, in the 1700s in France, two dentists, Pierre

Then, in 1997, Invisalign braces were invented by a Stanford University graduate named Zia Chishti using 3D imaging software to create a model of a person’s mouth and a pair of plastic aligners to slowly move teeth into place. Orthodontics has come a long way over the past few thousand years — and it’s most certainly not done improving.

LOUD! Laugh Out

EASY ZUCCHINI ENCHILADAS

This healthy summer dish is the perfect way to use up extra zucchini!

Ingredients • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 onion, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 2 tsp cumin • 2 tsp chili powder • Salt, to taste • 3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. 2. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Cook for 1 minute, then add chicken and 1 cup enchilada sauce. Stir to combine.

• 1 1/3 cups red enchilada sauce, divided • 4 large zucchini, sliced very thin lengthwise and dried • 2 cups shredded cheese • Sour cream and cilantro, for garnish

3. On a cutting board, lay out three slices of zucchini side by side.

Top each with a scoop of chicken mixture, then roll into a tube. Repeat with remaining zucchini slices.

4. Add the rolls to a baking dish. 5. Top the rolls with the remaining

enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with garnishes!

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Give us a call! TEL: (650) 342-4171 FAX (650) 342-8748

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235 N. SAN MATEO DRIVE, SUITE 300 SAN MATEO, CA 94401-2672

Issue INSIDE THIS

Lessons From My First Summer Job PAGE 1 The Biggest Mistakes You Can Make While Wearing Invisalign Winning at Alborzi Orthodontics SAVE $650 OFF TREATMENT PLAN PAGE 2 From Ancient Egypt to Stanford University Easy Zucchini Enchiladas PAGE 3 Fourth of July Fun Facts to Share With the Kids PAGE 4

FUN FACTS ABOUT THE FOURTH OF JULY

You Can Share With Your Kids

What do your kids know about the Fourth of July? Do they know it’s a day when you have a barbecue, spend time with friends and neighbors, and watch a fireworks show? These hallmarks of the holiday certainly do make it fun and memorable, but they don’t really exemplify why we celebrate the Fourth of July, the anniversary of when the United States declared its independence from Britain. So, along with the sparklers and hot dogs, here are a few fun facts about Independence Day you can share with your kids to help them understand the significance of the holiday. The Fourth of July marks our country’s independence because it’s when the Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence. This fact might seem like a no-brainer, but it contextualizes the holiday for kids. It’s a great jumping-off point to talk about why the United States wanted to be its own

country, what the Continental Congress was, what the Declaration of Independence said, and what it means to “ratify” something. Two future presidents signed the Declaration of Independence: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They both died exactly 50 years later, on July 4, 1826. This fact is an interesting coincidence sure to fascinate both kids and adults. It’s also a great way to introduce kids to some of the Founding Fathers and share how they helped shape the United States today. In 1776, the year the United States was founded, only 2.5 million people lived here. Today, the U.S. population is 331 million. Lots of people have been born in the United States since it was founded, and millions more came here from other places, hoping to find a better life. Many succeeded, too. Many people want to call this country home!

On the Fourth of July, around 155 million hot dogs are eaten in the United States. Okay, so this fact might not have anything to do with American history, but it’s still pretty funny! If anything, the fact that we have so many hot dogs to eat on that day is evidence of the prosperity so many people enjoy in the United States of America.