feb 2020
The Undisputed Tooth
610-868-7601 | www.drpetrillo.com
Dentistry Is Constantly Advancing
For the Benefit of Our Patients
2019 has come to an end, which means all of us are moving into a new year and a new decade. Since many people are pursuing their New Year’s resolutions, maybe this year you will be going to the gym, planning a vacation or new investment strategy, starting a new diet or eating plan, or just actually wearing and using that Fitbit sitting in your drawer. Whatever you may be doing to improve your overall health, here is encouragement to keep your dental “needs and wants” in mind. The best investments you can make in dentistry are preventive decisions. Some patients may not feel the pain “yet” when we see a cavity, and some perhaps don’t realize that by the time it hurts, it’s probably going to cost more to fix. What starts on the treatment plan as a $100-plus procedure can easily save you thousands by fixing things when we first notice it. Not only are you saving
money by getting dentistry work done in the early stages of problems, but you are also preventing all the inconvenience and pain of a tooth “blowing up” down the road. Whether you have some treatment needs or just want some changes to your smile, it’s important to remember to practice self-care through dentistry. While we are reflecting back, it’s worth noting that dentistry has taken some interesting turns over the years. Maybe you remember those half-hour checkup visits from the past? The hygienist’s role back then was mainly to clean your teeth, and dentists were merely doing cavity checks. Today, Sharon and Leah can barely get everything done in their one-hour appointment with you, which now includes measuring gum pockets and bone height, as well as performing oral cancer screenings with our light detection devices.
As medicine and dentistry integrate more closely, we are now communicating with your physicians as issues come up, including blood pressure, a lump or lesion noticed while doing an oral cancer exam, a scalloped tongue, abnormal tongue size, a crowded airway, and/or snoring problems. Clearly, dental checkups are not just about your teeth anymore because your oral health adirectly correlates to the health of your entire body. During the dental part of our regular exams, the dentist looks more closely at your bite. Years ago, only orthodontists were looking and treating misaligned teeth. We now know so much more about preserving your natural teeth. Positioning teeth and treating airway issues are all major components of our exams. Two years ago, we invested in a 3D scanner to help you visualize what we can see and what all these issues mean to you. If you have not had a scan done yet, please ask Sharon and Leah. It is done for you at no charge. We are excited to have this amazing technology for you.
Sleep Trivia By LV Sleep Solutions, Medical Division
Are you sleeping with half a brain?
I learned this while listening to a podcast by Matthew Walker, who authored the book “Why We Sleep,” and this piece of trivia was news to me. With all the traveling I used to do to develop our training and skills, this information explains more to me than just the jet lag I used to get. Apparently, when you are in a different and/or strange environment, half of your brain will not sleep deeply. Deep sleep restores all your body systems and is necessary for optimal health, but your brain won’t get to that deep sleep because a threat detection mechanism in our brain is activated. While animals, including dolphins and other sea mammals that can actually sleep with half a brain, handle this more efficiently, humans simply can’t. Half of our brain does go into a deep sleep, but the other half stays wide awake. That is why, even if you get 7–8 hours of sleep in that hotel room or at Aunt Martha’s house while visiting, you won’t feel refreshed when you wake up. It is not just the quantity of your sleep, it is the quality too!
Dr. Mike Petrillo
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610-868-7601
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Y O U
Protect Yourself and Your Money
According to a recent survey by the American International Group (AIG), a majority of Americans over the age of 65 don’t know much about the myriad financial scams circling the globe. Reports show that ignorance of these scams has proven costly for the 65-plus crowd, who are the most frequently targeted demographic. IS IT LOVE? One common shakedown taking seniors and retirees for a ride is the online romance scam. As part of it, a person poses as a potential date or romantic partner and engages in a fake relationship with the victim. The scam usually starts with an online or web-based dating service and progresses to texting or talking over the phone, but it always stops short of an in-person meeting. Instead, after the scammer has gained the trust of their victim, they’ll
Haley grew up loving the dentist. Her aunt worked as a hygienist and always loved to bring her niece into the office. Haley saw the dentist as a fun place to be, and, as she grew older, her passion for the field grew, too. Once she started to pursue a dental career, Haley had the chance to learn how significant a field it was. “It’s a lot more than just brushing teeth and getting cavities filled,” she says. Haley joined Lehigh Valley Smile Designs three years ago and has enjoyed every day working with her team. “I love the fact that we’re family- orientated and family-owned. We have patients who have been coming here for over 20 years; I think that shows a lot about how much everyone cares for people here.” Since choosing this path, Haley has been incredibly thankful and has found immense joy in what she does. “My favorite thing about being a part of this field is the patients. I love talking claim there’s been some kind of emergency for which they need money fast. The clueless victim usually offers to wire them the money. In many cases, the scammer will continue asking for money for as long as they can get away with it. Then, once the victim figures they’ve been bamboozled and try to retaliate, the scammers vanish — off to find their next target. DID YOU PAY? Another prevalent rip-off is the invoice scam. Again, AIG reports that about 57% of people aged 65-plus aren’t familiar with this sham. In most cases, the victim receives a phone call or email from a representative of a local company, who says they still owe money for a bill or service. For example, the scammer may tell the victim they owe an overdue $50 for their power bill. If the victim says they’ve already paid, the scammer might respond, “Your payment didn’t
to and building rapport with people every day, but I also love the education aspect of what we do. Ensuring that our patients understand their treatments and the significance of them is really crucial. It’s our goal to provide services that improve the quality of our patients’ lives, whether that’s getting them out of pain or offering restorative care. I like having these relationships with every one of our great patients and helping them in a genuine way.” While she works hard in the office, Haley does find time to relax at home. Whenever Haley has a few free moments, she’s out spending time with her close friends catching a movie or attending a sporting event for her favorite game: baseball. Ever since the first day she joined, Haley has been a perfect fit with the Lehigh Valley Smile Designs team. Her care, enthusiasm, and determination to help our patients mirrors the attitude of the whole team. Scammers want your money, but if you are aware of today’s hustles, you can better protect yourself and your assets. Luckily, AIG also found that nearly 92% of the 65-plus crowd now ignores phone calls, texts, and emails that request personal information, and 89% of these folks say they avoid clicking links from unknown senders. Be vigilant and remember that if someone calls you and demands personal information over the phone or asks you to wire money, there’s a very good chance it’s a scam. process correctly.” The crook’s job is to get the victim to relent and pay up. Then, once they’ve been paid, usually via credit card number or wire transfer, the scammer once again vanishes along with a significant portion of someone’s bank account.
MEET OUR DEDICATED TEAM MEMBER: HALEY Dental Assistant and Caring Individual
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PATIENT SPOTLIGHT Introducing Anne Baum
Our client spotlight this month features Anne Baum, a wonderful individual and long-term patient here at Lehigh Valley Smile Designs. Anne first moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, nearly 25 years ago, where she quickly picked up a job to support herself in the new town she found herself settling in. As Anne grew acquainted with her new coworkers, she noticed that one of the women she worked with had the most beautiful teeth. Being new in town and in need of a reliable dentist, Anne asked her coworker who her dentist was, and the coworker recommended our office. “I’ve been here ever since,” Anne says happily. “I got to know Dr. Petrillo and the rest of his team, and I was blown away by how much effort and care they have for everyone. It’s amazing.” “The whole team has such wonderful people working there, especially the hygienists. I’ve been seeing the same people for years, who also saw my kids when they were little. This was really big for me because they were actually afraid of going to dentists due to a bad
experience they went through. Dr. Petrillo and his team treated my boys like kings, and they were able to overcome their fear. As a mother, the whole experience was incredible.” Anne wanted to brighten her smile, a service we were more than thrilled to provide her. “They helped me with my first teeth whitening, and they replaced all of my old silver fillings with porcelain, and that really improved my smile. My confidence just went up; it felt amazing. Recently, I even started treatment with Invisalign to help with my bite, and that’s also been fantastic. My experience with Dr. Petrillo has been nothing but positive, and I’m overjoyed I found them. If anyone is looking for a dentist, I would recommend giving them a try.” From all of us here at Lehigh Smile Valley Designs, we are beyond grateful for such kindhearted words, Anne. We’re proud to have given you such a wonderful experience and look forward to your visits throughout this new year.
SUDOKU
EASY SHRIMP SCAMPI
Inspired by The Blond Cook
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
1. In a skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. 2. Add shrimp and oregano, stirring frequently until shrimp is pink. Remove shrimp from skillet. 3. Add wine and lemon juice to skillet and bring the mixture to a boil. 4. Stir in remaining butter and olive oil and cook until butter is melted. 5. Add cooked shrimp to skillet and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. 6. In a serving bowl, top cooked linguine with shrimp mixture. Garnish with parsley and serve.
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4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp minced garlic
DO YOU KNOW DR. MIKE’S FAVORITE HOBBY? Post your answers or a photo on our Facebook page! Correct answers will be entered into a contest for a $200 restaurant gift card! Contest ends March 31, 2020.
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1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
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1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup dry white wine
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1/4 cup lemon juice
8 oz cooked linguine
Be sure to check back here next time for a new trivia question!
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1/4 cup parsley
610-868-7601
return service requested
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
610-868-7601 www.drpetrillo.com
2019 Industrial Drive Bethlehem, PA 18017
Dr. Mike Petrillo, DMD
Dr. Bernhard E. Kabitzke, DMD
Dr. Patrick A. Petrillo, DDS
Inside This Issue
PAGE 1
Preventive Care to Last a Lifetime
PAGE 2
Don’t Let These Scammers Steal Your Money
Caring About Our Patients Is What We Do
PAGE 2
Meet Our Wonderful Patients
PAGE 3
Easy Shrimp Scampi
PAGE 3
Learn All About Leap Year
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Facts About the Leap Year LEAP INTO 2020
WHERE Anthony, Texas/New Mexico (a single town that straddles the two states’ borders), claims the title “Leap Year Capital of the World.” The city throws one massive birthday party for all leaplings but invites everyone to join the celebration. Two leapling neighbors from Anthony began the tradition in 1988, and it’s blossomed into a festival with thousands of participants every four years. It includes banquets, hot air balloons, a carnival, concerts, parades, and more. When you have four years to plan in between each shindig, there’s time to go big. Celebrate this leap year by doing something unusual or new. It’s a special day that doesn’t occur often, so make the most of it by doing something you’ll talk about for another four years.
Like the Olympics and presidential elections, leap years only occur once every four years, which is why many people look forward to Feb. 29. But there’s a lot that you might not know about this quirk on the calendar. WHY To keep the calendar in sync with Earth’s orbit around the sun, an extra day is added to it every four years. Earth takes exactly 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to orbit the sun. Those extra hours add up over time, so another calendar day becomes necessary. But a leap year doesn’t occur every four years. Adding that extra day still doesn’t quite keep Earth on track, so the calendar skips leap years
that occur during century years not divisible by 400. For example, 2000 was a leap year, but 2100 won’t be. WHO The odds of being born on Feb. 29 are 1 in 1,461. That means that of the roughly seven billion people in the world, only about five million of them are “leaplings.” The number of leaplings currently living in the U.S. is roughly 187,000. Some famous leaplings include motivational speaker Tony Robbins, rapper Ja Rule, and singer Mark Foster of Foster the People. However, the most famous leapling is probably Superman. When you invent a super-being, you might as well give him a super-birthday.
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