Check out our October newseltter!
Treats, Tricks, and Scary Perry! JULIA LEE SHARES HER LOVE OF HALLOWEEN
WOO’S NEWS OCTOBER 2019 mybestdentalcare.com
October is always one of my favorite times of the year. Nothing compares to the East Coast when it comes to the fall foliage and colors. The weather is perfect for hayrides, visiting orchards, and going to festivals. One of my favorite activities is loading up my family and visiting Butler’s Orchard for some warm apple cider and hayrides through the pumpkin patch.
17 Firstfield Rd Gaithersburg, MD 20878 240.683.3833 3704 Perry Ave Kensington, MD 20895 301.933.1833 2 Locations
But there’s another reason why October is my favorite time of the year: Halloween!
Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, even when I was just a little girl in Silver Spring, Maryland. My brother and I would race home after school so we could fill our home with pumpkins and spooky decorations. We wanted our house to be perfect for the many trick-or-treaters who would come by later that evening. After throwing on our costumes, my brother and I would trick or treat around the neighborhood. I may no longer be able to race around the neighborhood and collect candy, but that doesn’t stop me from still celebrating my favorite holiday with as much spirit as I did when I was just a little girl. These days, I take my 4-year-old son trick-or-treating, and in a few years, we’ll introduce him to the messy task of pumpkin carving. My sister-in-law — who makes the best pumpkin spice cookies you have ever had — spends fall afternoons baking with my son and her two boys.
Thankfully, I also work in an office that has just as much Halloween spirit as I do. As readers may know, Woo Wang Dental’s Kensington location is located on Perry Ave, but during the Halloween season, our neighborhood becomes Scary Perry! Essentially, all the businesses and residents actively turn Perry Ave into one big Halloween block party. Each year, Woo Wang Dental tries to find a theme to make our practice stand out among the rest. It takes weeks of planning to come up with ideas, create our costumes, and coordinate our group. We always have sugar-free treats for families and patients, too. Scary Perry is a favorite among all of our team members, and every year, it’s exciting to see how we can top previous years’ events. Last year we went “under the sea” for a SpongeBob SquarePants theme, and a few years back we took on personas from “Grease.” To find out what idea we come up with this year, you’ll have to swing into our Kensington location around Halloween. I promise we won’t disappoint!
It’s been really exciting to watch my son get excited about Halloween! There’s nothing that quite compares to the spirit of little ones as they prepare to go trick-or- treating. Halloween is so exciting no matter what generation kids belong to!
I wish you and your family a happy and safe (and spooky) Halloween. Come visit us over on Scary Perry … if you dare!
–Julia Lee
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How to Minimize Age-Inducing Atoms The Free Radical 411 Unfortunately, it’s impossible to entirely avoid free radicals and the havoc they wreak. The process that forms free radicals, called oxidative stress, can be kick-started by a variety of different substances found in food, water, medicine, and even the air we breathe, according to the Huntington’s Outreach Project for Education at Stanford University. Unsurprisingly, these substances are things already considered unhealthy, like alcohol, exposure to X-rays, ozone, fried food, chemical pesticides, air pollutants, and tobacco smoke. That said, there is one molecule that is stable enough to stand up to and reduce free radicals: the antioxidant. According to a study published by Pharmacognosy Reviews, antioxidants can “donate an electron to a rampaging free radical and neutralize it, thus reducing its ability to damage.” Synthetic antioxidants exist but can sometimes have harmful side effects, so scientists advise protecting yourself by avoiding free radical triggers like alcohol, processed foods, and red meat, and ingesting natural antioxidants in the form of berries, stone fruits, olives, onions, garlic, and green and black teas. Herbs and spices like cinnamon, basil, turmeric, and fenugreek can ratchet up your antioxidant levels too. While it can’t guarantee immortality, the right diet can certainly help you stave off aging and disease, so why not start today?
If you’ve ever picked up a health magazine
while waiting at the doctor’s office, then you’re
probably familiar with the term “free radicals” — at least enough to know that they get a bad rap from doctors and beauticians alike. But what are they, exactly?
According to Live Science, free radicals are atoms with unpaired electrons that have split off from oxygen molecules in the body and started to
We’re proud of how we have grown here at Woo Wang Dental, and now we have a brand-new website to cement our growth. We’re very excited to announce the revamped and updated MyBestDentalCare.com, where you can find all the information you need about appointments, services, and our dental providers at both our Gaithersburg and Kensington locations. When you first reach our new site, you will be greeted with a short video explaining our mission to help you and your family find the best dental care possible (hence the web domain name!). We want you to feel welcomed and safe, so we lay it all out there within the first click. If you keep scrolling, you will learn more about our three dentists, Dr. Kenneth Woo, Dr. Edmond Woo, and Dr. Ho Kai Wang. Did you know that Dr. Kenneth Woo has a toy poodle named Bosco? You can learn that and much more on our new website! Continue scrolling to find special offers, links for more details, and information on our two locations. At the top, you will find more information on the various services we offer at each location. Walk through what you can expect at your first appointment or discover the power cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, and bridges can have on your confidence. Our comprehensive guides Woo Wang Dental Gets a New Website OUT WITH THE OLD “scavenge” for other electrons to pair with. That wouldn’t be problematic, except that these atoms tend to damage cells, lipids, proteins, and even DNA along the way, and that destruction has serious consequences. As Live Science puts it, “Free radicals are associated with human disease, including cancer, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and many others. They also may have a link to aging, which has been defined as a gradual accumulation of free-radical damage.”
on our services outline the expectations, costs, and goals for each treatment option at Woo Wang Dental.
But our favorite part of the new website is how easy it makes booking appointments! We understand taking time out of your hectic schedule to call our offices can put a drain on your day. Simply click our easy- to-use “Book an Appointment” tabs anywhere across the site, fill in the information and additional comments, and press submit. You’ll receive confirmation of the booking, and we will see you soon!
(Of course, you can still book your appointments via phone too! Call 301.993.1833 or 240.683.3833 to do so.)
If you haven’t visited our website in a while, head over to MyBestDentalCare.com to see our new digital home. Let us know what you think! We can’t wait to hear from you.
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CHECK OUT THESE LOCAL GHOST STORIES Local Haunts
Q: Why did Dracula go to the dentist?
Once home to Edgar Allen Poe, Maryland is
known for its spooky and outright terrifying
tales — some a little too real for its residents. Gaithersburg and Kensington are no strangers to creepy joints, including these two haunted locations. Gaithersburg’s Friendly Ghosts
A: He had a fang-ache.
Many longtime Gaithersburg residents know about the Kentlands Mansion’s stately presence, but few may be familiar with its spiritual history. In the mid-1800s, the property was an established series of farms owned by F.A. Tschiffely, an affluent man from Washington D.C. who would use Maryland as a getaway. The property was passed to his son, Frederick Jr., who built the mansion we know today. In 1942, Frederick Jr. sold the property to Otis Beall Kent, who gave Kentlands Mansion its name. Historians cannot find any tragic events at Kentlands Mansion, yet many former residents and workers claim to have seen apparitions who haven’t left. Notably, many people see an apparition of Otis Kent in the window of his former bedroom. Others have seen a well-dressed woman roaming the halls, and a former resident once watched as two ghostly women scurried out her bedroom door saying, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll fix it.” Regardless of who is “haunting” Kentlands Mansion, everyone who has seen the ghosts or noticed items moving around agree that the spirits are friendly. So, don’t panic if you see Otis or the lovely woman during your next visit. Like many Maryland residents, they just don’t want to leave the gorgeous estate. Sweet Revenge? If you’re searching for a more hair-raising tale, look no further than The Maryland Mine. Functioning as an active gold mine from the Civil War until the late 1930s, most of the mining operations produced “fool’s gold,” but it also created a tragic story. Legend states that on June 15, 1906, miners were preparing an explosion in one of the mine’s tunnels when the dynamite was lit by accident. Miraculously, many of the men were able to escape, but the explosion killed the hoist operator. Today, visitors
How to Assemble a Veggie Skeleton
Those who eat paleo may struggle to find a
Halloween treat suitable to their diet. But no matter what your dietary restrictions
are, everyone can enjoy some raw veggies with a healthy dip. Here are some tips for constructing your very own veggie skeleton — a spooky twist on a time-tested treat. For the Head Your favorite paleo-friendly dip makes a great canvas for a face. Pour it into a bowl and build features on top using different veggies. For the Ribcage Sliced cucumbers make for great vertebrae, and bell pepper slivers can be used to simulate ribs. Alternate between the two to give your skeleton some backbone. For the Arms and Legs Any long and straight vegetable will do the trick here. If you want to be anatomically accurate, consider using some spherical vegetables for joints. Don’t be afraid to get creative and wacky with your veggie skeleton. The whole point, after all, is to have some fun and give people a reason to smile.
claim to hear knocking along the mine’s tunnels and sightings of a gnome dressed in miner’s clothing. Many believe it’s the miner looking to seek revenge for his accidental death. Other mischievous sightings have left visitors scrambling, but if you dare
to look, you can see the mine via the hiking trail in C&O Canal National Historical Park.
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17 Firstfield Rd Gaithersburg, MD 20878 mybestdentalcare.com 240.683.3833
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For the Love of Halloween 1 WHAT'S INSIDE?
Tips for Fighting Free Radicals Explore Our Updated Website! 2
Local Ghost Stories How to Assemble a Veggie Skeleton 3 Halloween Costumes to Think Twice About 4
HOW TO STEER CLEAR OF LOOKS THAT MIGHT OFFEND Halloween Costumes to Think Twice About
If you’ve ever taken your kids trick-or-treating for Halloween, then there’s a good chance you’ve seen a costume that made you feel a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps it was something too sexual or gory for your 4-year-old’s eyes or a satirization of a political figure you admire. Odds are you didn’t say anything, but such encounters can be unsettling, even for the most laid-back among us. This Halloween, help others avoid that discomfort by thinking twice about the costumes you and your family choose.
where putting your opinions front and center could cause friction with your coworkers or boss. Instead, opt for a fictional character or a classic Halloween monster. No one is going to argue with you about your support or disdain for werewolves. While some costumes have their time and place, others are off-putting in any setting, and it’s never too early to explain that to your kids. Consider the case of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, who came under fire earlier this year for a 1981 yearbook photo that appeared under his name and showed two costumed figures, one wearing a KKK uniform and the other in blackface. Northam’s role in the photo was never clarified, but it caused permanent damage to his reputation and friendships. Make sure your family avoids similar strife this Halloween by steering clear of costumes associated with racist, sexist, or politically divisive groups. Teach your kids that it’s best to rule out costumes imitating another race or culture, particularly if they promote stereotypes, to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings — famous sports teams facing criticism for their Native American mascots are canaries in the coal mine on that point. Finally, encourage your kids to avoid hamming up symptoms of mental illness or addiction in their costumes. Dressing like a “mental patient” can hit too close to home for real-life sufferers, some of whom you likely know and love.
When dressing for Halloween, remember that it’s important to consider your audience. A skimpy Jessica Rabbit or
Poison Ivy costume might be fun for an adults-only party, but it’s inappropriate for a family gathering. Similarly, you might not want to go the political route for an office party,
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