Westchester's online newsletter for December 2018
2975 Westchester Avenue, Suite G02, Purchase, NY 10577
• www.oralsurgeryofwestchester.com
I will always look back on 2018 fondly. This was the year my twin boys started third grade and became really excited about baseball, the year my twin girls were in seventh grade and got passionate about dance, and the first full year we ran our Stamford practice. There were plenty of good memories and lessons learned.
My partner, Dr. Michael Graffeo, and I learned a lot about managing the added workload and the responsibility of running multiple offices. It was hectic at times, but we will begin 2019 stronger than we were before. There was a lot of planning and hard work done last year, though that will never really end. As we start the new year, I will continue working
“
EACH GOAL REACHED, NO MATTER HOW SMALL, PROPELS
YOU TO SET YOUR NEXT
GOAL, CAUSING A DOMINO EFFECT.
hard and improving each aspect of our practice. I’ve always worked hard to keep growing, personally and professionally; I’m dreaming up new goals each day and crafting plans to achieve them. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in 2018 — and throughout my career as a whole — it’s that you cannot underestimate the power of setting small, realistic goals. There are some who say it’s best to aim high, claiming that even if you come up short, you’re further along than where you started. However, this isn’t really how goal setting — and the psychology behind it — actually works. Setting a goal to increase business by 10 percent in six months sounds great, but what happens when the six months are up and you’re only halfway there? A 5 percent increase is significant, but when compared to an unrealistic expectation, it seems like a failure.
But attainable goals are essential when it comes to success. Each goal reached, no matter how small, propels you to set your next goal, causing a domino effect. As the former editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster, Michael Korda, once said, “One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals.” However, it’s important to recognize the difference between attainable goals and “easy” goals. If you set a goal and think it will be easy to achieve, then it’s not a goal — it’s a to-do list. Achieving a goal should push you out of your comfort zone and propel you forward. As you look ahead to 2019 and plan your goals for the new year, I encourage you to be ambitious, set realistic goals, and be patient with your progress. Success is a marathon, not a sprint. –Dr. Harrison Linsky Westchester Office • 914-251-0313
Many people become frustrated when facing stagnant progress and give up their goals altogether, reverting to what they knowworks.
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Why Nurturing Employees and Customers Is the Key to Retention THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG?
Get them hooked on your service.
Own up to mistakes.
Who comes first: employees or customers? When posed this classic business question, Southwest Airlines co-founder Herb Kelleher had an easy answer: employees. “If employees are treated right, they treat the outside world right,” Kelleher explained. As Kelleher knows well, employee-customer relations are a cycle — one that fuels recurring business. Engaged employees deliver service that converts to sales, a fact backed up by a Gallup report. Gallup cited a 20 percent increase in sales as a result of this process. Even as you’re courting leads, you can’t ignore your existing customers. Likewise, even (and especially) as you grow, you have to nurture your employees. The cost of losing either is too high. In the holiday rush, it’s important to not lose sight of your priorities.
Have you ever asked a client why they return to your business? Do you think it’s because they can’t find your product or service anywhere else? Probably not. Think about the last time you returned to a restaurant. Was it because it’s the only place in town that makes amazing Thai food? Maybe, but it’s more likely that you enjoyed the welcoming host, attentive waiter, and positive experience you had there. Starbucks is a great example. Even with thick competition, they deliver consistent service and quality products to customers, whether in Oregon or London. And they do this by providing competitive wages and benefits to their employees along with training and learning opportunities. Employees who are knowledgeable and excited about what they are offering pass their enthusiasm on to customers.
Even the best businesses make mistakes. When it happens, own up to it. There’s probably been a time when you put in your order at a restaurant, only to receive the wrong thing. How did the business handle it? Did they admit their mistake and offer you a newmeal? How a business treats customers when things don’t go smoothly is a good indication of how they’ll handle adversity in general, and that reaction starts with employees. Set the precedent for employees that a mistake is their opportunity to go above and beyond. A transparent environment will make employees feel more comfortable, which will make customers excited, rather than apprehensive, to engage with your business again. children experience when growing up. It can be frightening, and it makes sense that reassuring traditions would surround this rite of passage. The real question is why do American children fall asleep dreaming about a tooth fairy instead of a tooth mouse? That might have something to do withWalt Disney. The tooth fairy story started to gain traction around the same time animated films featuring benevolent, wish-granting fairies like “Pinocchio” and “Cinderella” were released. Much like how Coca-Cola helped solidify the iconic look of Santa Claus, pop culture played a part in helping children across America believe in the tooth fairy. In addition to helping young children through a frightening time of change, the tooth fairy has become a sort of mascot for good oral health. Some parents even tell their children that the tooth fairy gives more money for healthy teeth! For this reason, it might be wise for dentists and orthodontists to encourage young patients to believe in the tooth fairy for just a little longer.
The True Origins of the Tooth Fairy TEETH, MICE, AND DISNEY MAGIC
Along with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy stands among the pantheon of childhood beliefs. However, unlike her holiday counterparts, the tooth fairy’s origins are far more recent. Oral traditions of the tooth fairy only date back to around the turn of the 20th century, and the first written account of this dental sprite was a 1927 play by EstherWatkins Arnold. While the tooth fairy herself is barely 100 years old, legends and traditions surrounding the loss of baby teeth are far older and found in almost every culture around the world.
teeth from the upper jaw go underground. The idea is to encourage the adult tooth to grow in the direction of the old tooth. During the Middle Ages, it was common for parents in European countries to burn their children’s baby teeth so they could not be used in a witch’s spell. Interestingly, the most widely practiced tooth traditions involved rodents. Stories
from Russia, France, Mexico, and even New Zealand tell of baby teeth being offered to or collected by mice and rats. This was done in hopes that the adult tooth would be strong and sturdy
In many Asian countries, children who lose a tooth from their lower jaw might throw the tooth onto the roof of their home, while
like a rodent’s teeth.
Losing a tooth is one of the first changes
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Research Shows the Negative Impact of Vaping on Oral Health
Vaping, the practice of inhaling vapors produced by e-cigarettes, has become increasingly popular over the years. Both former smokers who have made the switch and young people who started off vaping without ever smoking a cigarette will insist that vaping flavored nicotine is less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes. Are they right? The most dangerous parts of tobacco cigarettes are the 7,000-plus chemicals smokers take in with each breath. Dr. Michael Joseph Blaha from John Hopkins Medicine admits that “there’s almost no doubt that [e-cigarettes] expose you to fewer toxic chemicals than traditional cigarettes.” However, this by no means makes vaping safe. E-cigarettes are just as addictive as traditional cigarettes; their nicotine use increases the likelihood of a heart attack, and researchers don’t know how the unknown chemicals used in e-cigarettes may impact a person’s health. “You’re exposing yourself to all kinds of chemicals that we don’t yet understand and that are probably not safe,” Dr. Blaha warns. Vaping also puts your oral health at risk. Early health problems associated with traditional smoking start in the mouth. Nicotine tar and other harmful chemicals found in cigarettes often cause bad breath, yellow stains, and weakened tooth enamel. While vaping won’t cause bad breath or unsightly stains, there are plenty of other ways it can harm your oral health.
● • Nicotine reduces blood flow, lowering the mouth’s ability to fight off infection and leading to a higher risk of gum disease. ● • The vapors from e-cigarettes release inflammatory proteins in gum tissue and cause painful oral diseases.
Where There’s Vapor ...
● • Many chemicals used to flavor e-cigarette vapor can cause cellular damage in the mouth.
● • Research from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine found that e-cigarettes suppress “key immune genes in your respiratory system and nasal passages,” as much as — if not more so than — smoking traditional cigarettes. Vaping can be just as harmful on your respiratory system as smoking. If you have a patient who is thinking about using a vape to quit smoking, warn them of the new dangers they face after picking up an e-cigarette. You should also let them know that a recent study from John Hopkins found “most people who intended to use e-cigarettes to kick the nicotine habit ended up continuing to smoke both traditional and e-cigarettes.”
The answer to better physical and oral health after smoking isn’t to start vaping. It’s to quit altogether.
Have a Laugh
30-Minute Cauliflower Soup
INGREDIENTS This hearty soup is a quick, easy, healthy addition to your holiday table. It can also be made vegetarian by substituting chicken broth with vegetable broth. DIRECTIONS
•
1 small head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored and sliced
1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter into warm oil. Add onion and leek, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, about 10–12 minutes. 2. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cauliflower, broth, and cream. Simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.
• • • • • • • •
1 leek, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
3. Using a blender, purée in batches until smooth.
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4. Top servings with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of pepper.
Salt and pepper, to taste
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Inspired by Good Housekeeping
Westchester Office • 914-251-0313
2975 Westchester Avenue Suite G02 Purchase, NY 10577
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
914-251-0313 www.oralsurgeryofwestchester.com
INSIDE This Issue
PG 1
One Step at a Time
How to Come Out on Top in 2019
PG 2
Don’t Let Retention Slide in the Holiday Rush
Do You Believe in Fairies?
PG 3
Is Vaping Really Healthier Than Smoking?
30-Minute Cauliflower Soup
PG 4
Holiday Decoration Tours
There’s nothing quite like the magical lights of the holiday season, and some destinations in the U.S. have perfected the craft of holiday decoration. If you’re looking to get away this December and still engage in seasonal festivities, add one of these places to your must-visit list. NewYork City’s Rockefeller Center NewYork City is an iconic location for Christmastime. The scene is like a Hallmark card: Ice-skating lovers whiz past miles of twinkling lights underneath an exceptionally tall and amply decorated tree. The tree is
the archway make for a Western-themed holiday pulled right out of a JohnWayne classic. For holiday admirers looking for a unique spin, Jackson has you covered.
YearlyYuletide in Santa Claus, Indiana
This one’s for the Christmas lover. If you can’t make it out to Santa Claus, Indiana, this holiday season, you can still celebrate Christmas in this tiny Midwestern town in January, June, or even October. Embracing its unique name, the town boasts a museum, holiday shopping center, and a Christmas theme park. In a moving tribute, the town’s residents also write responses to children’s letters to Kris Kringle himself. It’s impossible to avoid holiday cheer in this town. DisneyWorld’s Christmas Magic What better place to celebrate the most magical time of the year than in the most magical place on Earth? Walt DisneyWorld’s halls are decked to the max with a parade, gingerbread homes, strings of lights, and festive parties. Plus, costs to visit DisneyWorld can be cheaper during the Christmas season, so keep an eye out for a vacation steal.
specially selected by Rockefeller Center’s landscaping crews, who scout out trees years in advance. It remains lit from November to early January, so you have plenty of time to check it out. Ranch Christmas in Jackson, Wyoming Jackson, Wyoming, takes its frontier culture to the next level during the Christmas season. All year, the city proudly displays four elk antler arches, but around the holidays, they are lit up with white string lights and flanked by snow. The Christmas decorations and lights surrounding
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