Check out our March newsletter!
MARCH 2020
LONGVIEW TYLER
444 Forest Square Suite E Longview, TX 75605
2124 South Donnybrooke Ave. Tyler, TX 75701
903-758-5551
903-597-2201
www.texassedationdental.com
YOUR TEETH NEED GOOD NUTRITION TOO!
March is National Nutrition Month! This is a great opportunity to reflect on the food we put into our bodies, learn how it affects our daily lives, and brainstorm ways we can make healthier decisions for ourselves. Nutrition is one of the most important factors in living a long and happy life, but did you know that it’s also vitally important for the health of your teeth? We’ve all been taught that sugary foods cause cavities, but there’s a lot more to know than just that. Let’s break down how this whole “tooth decay” thing really works. Changes begin in your mouth the minute you put food in it. Some foods affect change more than others, but because foods full of carbohydrates tend to have the most dramatic effects on your teeth, sugar has become the enemy of the mouth. All carbohydrate foods eventually break down into one of four simple sugars: glucose, fructose, maltose, or lactose. Some break down in the mouth, while others break down farther in the digestive tract. When they break down in your mouth, these carbs work together with bacteria to form acid. This acid wreaks havoc on your teeth, eating away at your enamel layer and eventually working its way farther if proper oral hygiene doesn’t stop it. When people think of sugar-filled food, a few obvious suspects come to mind, like candy, cookies, cakes, and soft drinks. But because the entire carbohydrate group causes acid to form in your mouth, you should also be wary of foods like bread, pasta, crackers, and cereal. These can be just as harmful to your teeth as a nice big candy bar.
It’s also important to realize the other ways these foods can harm your teeth. The longer food stays on your teeth to mix with bacteria, the more harm it can do. Sticky foods like raisins, other fruits, chips, and popcorn that can get stuck between your teeth tend to cause a lot of decay as well. Though you should cut down the amount of high- carb foods you consume, indulging every once in a while should be no problem as long as you counterbalance in effective ways. Try to infuse your diet with as many whole grains, fresh veggies, and lean proteins as you can. These are the best foods for your body and your mouth. You can also fight the effects of tooth decay with proper oral hygiene. It’s entirely possible to build the minerals in your enamel layer back up with fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash. You can even use certain foods to help, especially those high in calcium like dairy, almonds, and leafy greens. The health of your mouth is vitally important because your mouth is the gateway to your stomach. If you suffer the effects of poor oral hygiene, like decay and toothaches, then you’re not going to be able to chew your food very well or may not want to chew food at all because of the pain and discomfort it causes. If you can’t chew, you can’t eat, and your body won’t get any of the energy or nutrients it needs to survive. Using nutrition to aid in the health of your body really depends on one cohesive system working in unison, and that system begins in the mouth. Make sure you take care of your oral health to the best of your abilities by using National Nutrition Month to evaluate and rethink your eating habits. WWW.TEXASSEDATIONDENTAL.COM | 1 -Dr. Travis Kendall
THE HEALTH OF YOUR MOUTH IS VITALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOUR MOUTH IS THE GATEWAY TO YOUR STOMACH.
LONGVIEW - 903-758-5551 | TYLER - 903-597-2201
TAMA, THE CALICO The First Feline Stationmaster in All of Japan
During the mid-2000s, the Kishi Train Station in Japan began to deteriorate. By 2006, Kishi Station was left completely unstaffed because of low ridership and financial problems. However, one last resident still remained after everyone else was long gone: a black, white, and tan cat named Tama. Tama first appeared at the station as a young cat in the late 1990s. She lived near the train station and would visit commuters daily to receive affection and the occasional treat. But, as it turned out, her continued visits to Kishi Station would end up playing a much bigger role for the station. The same year it became unstaffed, residents living near the station asked the president of the Wakayama Electric Railway, Mitsunobu Kojima, to revive the station because the cat’s survival Spring finally arrived in Texas, and with it came the spring-cleaning fever. All over our neighborhoods, people are hauling junk out of their garages, deep-cleaning their closets, and refreshing their bathrooms with inspiration from Marie Kondo. If you’ve caught the spring-cleaning fever, here’s a tip: Don’t forget to tackle your teeth! You’ve probably heard 1,000 times that it’s important to brush twice a day and floss at least once, but did you know that same advice applies to implants as well as natural teeth? If you’ve taken advantage of our services and have one or more implants brightening your smile, it’s vital that you keep them clean. If you brush and floss between your implants regularly, they’ll look better, last longer, and contribute to the overall health of your mouth. If you’re not convinced yet, here are three simple reasons to keep up good implant hygiene. 1 Flossing and brushing can stave off gum disease. By keeping your implants clean and free of food particles, you’re doing your gums a favor! Plaque can build up on implants just
depended on it. It turns out Tama’s original owner had asked the railway workers to care for her before he moved away — he couldn’t bear to take her from the station she loved to visit so much. So, Kojima decided to go meet Tama. He liked her immediately and adopted her. A year later, Tama was officially named the Stationmaster of Kishi Station, the first cat stationmaster in Japan. To complete her look, Kojima gave her a small conductor hat to wear as she greeted commuters from her window perch inside the ticket gates. As an official stationmaster, Tama became well known all across Japan and throughout the world. She appeared in the media and on promotional materials that soon brought much-needed foot traffic to Kishi Station. Thousands of tourists came rushing to Kishi to see Tama for themselves,
ride the Tamaden carriage, and pick up Tama merchandise inside the station.
Tama brought joy to all commuters for the next several years before passing away in 2015. Nearly 3,000 people attended her funeral, and her legacy lives on. Tama’s successors continue as stationmasters: Nitama, who serves as Kishi stationmaster, and assistant Yontama at Idakiso, five stations away. Tama’s friendly and loving nature impacted many people around her, and she will always be affectionately known as the cat who saved the Japanese train station.
DON’T FORGET TO SPRING-CLEAN YOUR TEETH! 3 Reasons to Keep Your Implants Sparkling
3 With proper care, your implants can last a lifetime. Success rates for dental implants are remarkably high, between 90%–95%, but in order to get those results, you need to keep your implants clean. Poor maintenance and gum disease have both been linked to implant rejection. In addition to home care, it’s smart to keep your implants spick and span with regularly scheduled in-office cleanings. Here at Texas Sedation Dental & Implant Center, we offer several types of cleanings tailored specifically to your needs, implants included. To schedule your spring- cleaning, visit TexasSedationDental.com today.
as easily as on natural teeth, so it’s necessary to clear it away. If you don’t, your gums could swell, turn red, and start to ache, potentially even requiring surgery. 2 Your breath will improve (and your love life might too). A clean mouth is crucial to fresh breath, so if you don’t clean your implants, your breath will suffer — and your romantic life might too. According to Colgate, “In a recent Philippines-based survey, some 81% of people said that they would rather be kissed by an average-looking person with good breath than a hunk with bad breath.”
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LONGVIEW- 903-758-5551
MEET THE TEAM!
ARIES BLOOM BUD
FLOWERS GROWTH LUCKY MELT PUDDLE RAIN REBIRTH
SPRING SPROUT
OUR EXPERT DENTAL HYGIENISTS
We always tell our patients that good oral hygiene practices at home are crucial for a healthy smile, but we also want them to remember that scheduling biannual cleanings with the professionals is just as important! Texas Sedation Dental & Implant Center has two amazing dental hygienists on staff who we’d love for you to get to know! CRYSTAL
This St. Paddy’s Day, try taking a festive spin on a classic staple. If you have red velvet lovers in your family, they’re sure to love this equally decadent treat. INGREDIENTS GREEN VELVET CHEESECAKE BARS
Crystal is a registered dental hygienist who works in our Longview location. She graduated fromTyler Junior College in 2007 and has been a hygienist for over 11 years. Her passions are to be a part of a team that believes in whole-body health and to help her patients understand dentistry better. She was born and raised in East Texas and is now raising
her two daughters in Hallsville. She enjoys watching her oldest daughter cheer on Friday nights and watching her younger daughter play softball. CAROL
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1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
1 oz green food coloring (gel works best) 3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
Carol is a registered hygienist for our Tyler location. She graduated from Northeast Texas Community College in 2013 and has been a hygienist for over five years. She was born and raised in Tyler and loves the community so much that she’s never had the itch to leave it. Her hobbies include tap dancing, running, yoga, and reading. Amid
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Green sprinkles, optional
DIRECTIONS
her schedule of dedicated work and healthy hobbies, she also manages to find time to chase after her two pets, Biskit and Bambi. Part of what makes Texas Sedation Dental & Implant Center a place our patients enjoy visiting is that we have such a wonderful and talented team to help brighten your smile. If you’re ready to book your next cleaning, give our office a call and ask for Crystal or Carol!
1. Heat oven to 350 F, and line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. 2. In a large bowl, combine crumbs, butter, and food coloring. Press into the baking pan. 3. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together. 4. Add eggs one at a time and stir in vanilla. 5. Pour mixture over the packed crumbs. 6. Bake for 40 minutes or until the center is set. 7. Let cool completely before adding sprinkles and slicing.
Inspired by AboutAMom.com
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
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444 FOREST SQUARE, SUITE E LONGVIEW, TX 75605
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1 2
HowYour FoodAffectsYourTeeth
Bringing Love, Joy, and Life Back to Kishi Station
3 Reasons to KeepYour Implants Clean
3
MeetYour Dental Hygienists
GreenVelvet Cheesecake Bars
4
The Evolution of St. Patrick’s Day
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ROOTS Celebrating St. Paddy’s Day in Ireland vs. America
From extravagant parades to green-dyed rivers, something about St. Patrick’s Day feels quintessentially American — despite its Irish heritage. That’s because many common St. Patrick’s Day traditions actually originated in America, evolving beyond their roots in the Emerald Isle in a few key ways. On March 17, Irish folks commemorate the death of St. Patrick, who brought Christianity to pagan Ireland during the late fourth and early fifth centuries. Historically, these religious origins make for a more somber observance of St. Patrick’s Day. Many Irish families go to church and eat a modest feast as the extent of their celebration. However, St. Patrick’s Day in America is not so much about venerating Ireland’s patron saint as it is about celebrating Irish heritage in a foreign land. When Catholic Irish immigrants first came to the United States, they faced persecution from a largely Protestant population. In response, Irish Americans began using March 17 as a day to publicly declare and celebrate Irish heritage with parades and demonstrations.
like Boston, NewYork, and Chicago. Then, in the booming post-World War II economy, various businesses aggressively marketed the holiday to Americans of all heritages. Thus, it became a day when anyone could celebrate Irish American heritage, or at least it gave everyone an excuse to drink like they believe the Irish do. Ironically, imbibing was not a part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Ireland until relatively recently. Due to the religious nature of the holiday, pubs and bars closed down on March 17 until 1961. Additionally, the traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage is another American addition. In Ireland, pork and cabbage was actually more common, but impoverished Irish immigrants substituted less expensive beef for pork, and the tradition stuck. Even though the most widely observed St. Patrick’s Day celebrations originated in America, many of them have found their way back to Ireland. Starting in 1996, the St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Dublin now attracts over 1 million attendees with all the drinks and revelry that Americans love. You’d be hard pressed to find a green beer, though. In the hallowed birthplace of Guinness and whiskey, some traditions may be better left across the pond.
The observation of St. Patrick’s Day grew in popularity in cities with large Irish populations,
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