Premier Dental - December 2023

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THE JAW- DROPPING JOURNEY OF BUDDHA’S TOOTH

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

Inspired by TheModernProper.com

Ingredients

Many parents keep their children’s baby teeth as keepsakes, but ancient Buddhist followers went several steps further. When Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, died more than 2,000 years

• 1/2 cup butter • 1 cup chopped onion • 1 cup sliced celery • 2 cups sliced carrots • 1/2 cup flour • 1 tsp salt • 1/2 tsp pepper • 1/2 tsp celery seed

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1 tsp garlic powder

1 cup milk

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups peas

4 cups cooked chicken 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg

ago, his followers divided his ashes. A left canine tooth was among Gautama

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 F. 2. In 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, melt butter, then add onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 5 minutes. 3. Add flour, salt, pepper, celery seed, and garlic powder to pan and stir. Sauté for 2 minutes. Slowly incorporate milk. 4. Add stock and bring to a simmer, whisking until mixture thickens. Add peas and chicken. 5. Roll out pastry sheet into 16-inch square on floured surface. Cut into 3-inch squares and place overlapping onto chicken mixture. 6. In a small bowl, whisk egg with 1 tbsp water. Brush egg over pastry and place in oven for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Buddha’s remains and preserved as a holy object by believers. Local legend says the tooth was eventually gifted to the Sri Lankan monarchy, which was tasked with protecting it. For centuries, various rulers passed the tooth among themselves and trusted subjects for safekeeping. Some believed the power of the tooth was so strong that whoever held it was the true king. When one rival attempted to steal the artifact, believers credited his failure to Buddha’s will. However, it does not appear that possession of the tooth was ever a genuine method of determining succession in the Sri Lankan monarchy. The first Sri Lankan king constructed a temple to house the tooth in the 1500s. Hundreds of years later, the tooth sits in its fourth home after the first three temples were destroyed. The Temple of Sacred Tooth in Sri Lanka was built in the 1700s and remains a popular tourist attraction and place of worship. The intricate, historical architecture attempts to do justice to the holiness of the artifact inside. Believe it or not, the tooth in Sri Lanka is not the only tooth Buddhists worship. Singapore houses another tooth in the Buddhist Tooth Relic Temple. The apparent molar was rediscovered in 1980 after being hidden in solid gold for safekeeping. Legend says many people have attempted to destroy the tooth over the years, but every attempt shattered the tools instead of Buddha’s remains. While the stories and temples are elaborate, the provenance of Buddha’s teeth is in question. Experts argue that they are too large to be human. However, devotees believe the teeth kept growing over the years due to Buddha’s immense power. If you are ever in Singapore or Sri Lanka, it’s worth visiting one of the elaborate temples to decide for yourself.

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DR. HEMA GOPAL: 25+ YEARS IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

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