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The MONTHLY Smile
706-453-1333 www.LakeOconeeDental.com
NOVEMBER 2018
TRANSFORMING SMILES THROUGH THE ART OF DENTISTRY
Meet Dr. Jamie Austin
While studying at The Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University, Dr. Jamie took on a case that became truly pivotal in her career. A heroic young man had become severely injured during a bar fight while trying to protect a woman. In addition to his other injuries, one of his front teeth was shattered. Rather than extracting the damaged tooth, Dr. Jamie was able to completely restore it. This case led her to publish an article regarding her restoration technique in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry — an amazing accomplishment for an aspiring dentist. Dr. Jamie’s exceptional work didn’t stop there. During dental school, she went on a mission trip to Peru, where she and several other dentists provided free dental care for people in villages on the outskirts of town. Some of the patients she worked with had never seen a dentist in their lives. Communicating through translators, Dr. Jamie was able to relieve their pain and discomfort through fillings, cleanings, and extractions.
If you ask Dr. Jamie Austin for her favorite aspect of the job, she’ll reply that it’s “transforming smiles through the art of dentistry.” Very few people in other professions would refer to their jobs as art. But for Dr. Jamie, the artistic aspect of her work is what fuels her passion daily. Ever since she was young, Dr. Jamie has enjoyed using her hands to create. She grew up spending her free time drawing, painting, and scrapbooking. In fact, Dr. Jamie’s love for crafting led to a part-time job at Michael’s while attending college. Surprisingly, this job was instrumental in introducing her to the dental world, which would change her career path forever. During the summer of her freshman year at Georgia College and State University, a coworker at Michael’s introduced Dr. Jamie to a pediatric dentist who needed help around the office. Dr. Jamie started by assisting with charts, processing insurance information, and sterilizing instruments. She learned how a dental office functioned and was able to ask the dentist about various diagnoses and treatments, which fueled her interest in the dental field. She returned to college the following year ready to pursue both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in biology and went on to attend dental school shortly afterward.
Even when Dr. Jamie isn’t in the office helping her patients, she spends her time expanding her breadth of knowledge. In addition to joining study clubs with fellow dentists in the area, she makes sure to attend as many dental conferences as possible. “The dental field is always innovating, and it’s important to keep abreast of the emerging technologies,” Dr. Jamie explains. “In this way, I get to be a lifelong learner.”
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Should Parents Help Pull Loose Baby Teeth?
THE RIGHT WAY TO HANDLE LOOSE BABY TEETH
Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays celebrated throughout the United States. One of the first documented Thanksgiving celebrations took place in 1621 when Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared a feast together. But the banquet, which celebrated the colonists’ first successful harvest, wasn’t just one large meal, nor did it last for only one day; in fact, the feast lasted for three days. In later years, Thanksgiving also lasted for longer than a single meal. During the time of the American Revolution, the Continental Congress chose several days throughout the year to celebrate giving thanks. Then, in 1789, George Washington made the U.S. national government’s first Thanksgiving proclamation. He used this to speak to his fellow American citizens about the Revolution’s satisfactory conclusion and encouraged them to show their thanks for the freedoms they gained. Thanksgiving became a national holiday more than 200 years after its first celebration. It gained this status largely due to the persistence of a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale. Hale was a successful magazine editor, prolific writer of novels and poems, and author of the famous nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” which was first published in her 1830 collection entitled “Poems for Our Children.” Losing baby teeth is a rite of passage for children. It’s a sign that they are growing up! Many parents are excited to be part of this experience and re-enact the traditions of their childhood. How many of us remember a parent tying one end of a string to your tooth and the other to a doorknob, helping the tooth come out with a single slam? This “trick” for getting out a loose tooth is a time- honored tradition — and it’s also one of the worst ways to handle a loose baby tooth! You should never force a tooth to come out before it’s ready. If a tooth is yanked out before the root is fully dissolved, the root can break and cause a great deal of pain. Forcing a tooth out can also damage gum tissue or the surrounding teeth, leading to infection. Some parents want to get loose teeth out of their child’s mouth as soon as possible because they’re worried the tooth will get swallowed by accident. If this happens, you don’t have to be alarmed. A baby tooth is not a choking hazard and a swallowed tooth will pass through your child’s body without any trouble. At most, you may have to help your child write a letter to the tooth fairy explaining what happened. SARAHHALE
If your child is begging you to take out their loose tooth, don’t go searching for the string. Instead, take a tissue and gently apply pressure on the tooth with two fingers. The tooth should pop right out. However, if the tooth resists or your child complains about any pain, leave the tooth alone a little longer. The best way to deal with a loose tooth is to have patience and let your child wiggle her tooth until it falls out on its own. Loose teeth will fall out when the time is right.
How Thanksgiving Became an Official Holiday!
In 1827, Hale began a campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. For the next 36 years, she wrote numerous editorials and countless letters to state and federal officials expressing her desire that it gain official status. In 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln finally declared it a national holiday, hoping that it would help heal the wounds of the country. Lincoln decided that the holiday would take place on the last Thursday of November. It was celebrated on that day until 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in the hopes of increasing retail sales during the Great Depression. However, this plan was very unpopular, and in 1941, the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November. Without the efforts of Sarah Hale, we might not have the pleasure of the Thanksgiving feast we know and love to this day. This year, give thanks for family, good food, and the resolve of one woman who recognized the importance of Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
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SHOULD LAST BEYOND THANKSGIVING An Attitude of Gratitude
Taking the time to acknowledge who and what you’re grateful for is a Thanksgiving tradition far more important than turkey or football. It’s the cornerstone of the holiday and the reason we feast together in the first place. But when you really think about it, should expressing our gratitude and appreciation for others be limited to one day every year? Of course not! WHY GRATITUDE MATTERS As we get older, it’s easy to succumb to negativity and pessimism — “Kids these days,” “The world isn’t what it used to be,” etc. The crabby grandparent and angry old neighbor are archetypal depictions of later life. But these fictions don’t have to be your reality. Recognizing and acknowledging gratitude will help you take stock of the positive aspects of your life and dwell less on unhappy thoughts. Being grateful has also been linked to significant health benefits. According to gratitude expert and author Dr. Robert A. Emmons, “Preliminary findings suggest that those who regularly practice grateful thinking do reap emotional, physical, and interpersonal benefits. Adults who keep gratitude journals on a regular basis exercise more regularly, report fewer illness symptoms, feel better about their lives as a whole, and are more optimistic about the future.” HOW TO PRACTICE GRATITUDE In the above quotation from Dr. Emmons, he mentions the practice of keeping a gratitude journal. This activity is a great way to start seeing the world with a more
positive, appreciative eye. As often as you can, take a few minutes to write down the acts, people, and moments that you’re grateful for. Some will be big, others small — but all will have an impact on your mood and bring a smile to your face. Before you know it, you’ll have an entire book full of good memories and warm feelings.
While keeping a journal is great, there are other ways to go about cultivating and expressing gratitude. The easiest one is simply to say “Thanks” whenever you can. It may seem insignificant, but you’d be surprised what a difference it makes. When you approach the world with the perspective that every day is Thanksgiving, it’s only natural to be grateful. We all have moments when we want to curse the world, especially as we get older, and those experiences are perfectly normal. Just as frequently, though, we have moments that are worth celebrating, often with people who are worth appreciating. Which will you think about more? Sweet potatoes are a Thanksgiving staple, but they’re often the blandest thing on the table. Luckily that’s not the case with this recipe, which features Thai spices and coconut milk. Spicy, CREAMY SWEET POTATOES
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Dr. Jamie enjoys spending quality time with her huge family (including six sisters and 11 nieces and nephews), her adopted cat, and her husband, Ashton. In fact, Ashton and Dr. Jamie will be celebrating their five- year anniversary this December. Because he was in the Army
Ingredients • 5 pounds sweet potatoes • 1 cup canned coconut milk • 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Instructions 1. Heat oven to 375 F. On a large sheet pan, bake potatoes until very soft, approximately 75 minutes. 2. Let potatoes cool until they are safe to handle, then peel and mash. 3. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine coconut milk and curry paste. Once mixed, add the mixture, salt, half the sugar, and half the butter to potatoes. 4. 30 minutes before serving, heat oven to 425 F. Spread potatoes in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. 5. Uncover potatoes and dot with remaining butter and sugar. Broil until brown, crusty, and delicious. Serve hot.
when they met, Ashton was deployed to Afghanistan just a month after they got married. Now that he has finished his contract, the two are able to enjoy all the amazing activities that Greensboro has to offer. Their biggest goal for the next year is to learn how to water-ski and wakeboard. All of us here at the office are grateful to have Dr. Jamie as part of our team. If you haven’t had the opportunity to meet her yet, be sure to drop by and say hello! –Dr. David and Dr. Patti
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1011 Parkside Main | Greensboro, GA 30642 If you have any questions, call us at 706-453-1333 www.LakeOconeeDental.com
We’re located at 1011 Parkside Main between the Publix parking lot and the movie theater.
How to Give Thanks Year-Round page 3 Spicy, Creamy Sweet Potatoes page 3 Stars, Stripes, and Smiles page 4 Inside
Meet Our Fantastic TeamMember page 1 The Right Way to Handle Loose Baby Teeth page 2
How Thanksgiving Became an Official Holiday! page 2
STARS, STRIPES, AND SMILES
Helping Vets Smile This November
Of the 21 million veterans in the United States, fewer than 10 million are enrolled for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health benefits, and more than 1.2 million lack health insurance
with their choice of a free extraction, filling, or cleaning that day. Dr. David Miller, an oral surgeon and owner of Lake Oconee Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Center, will also be donating his time along with his team in order to help as many people as possible.
STRIPES Stars and
altogether. This disparity is even more pronounced when it comes to dental care because the VA only provides dental benefits to veterans classified as disabled or as a prisoner of war — or as veterans who have a service- connected dental condition. To honor our veterans, Lake Oconee Dentistry will once again be hosting Stars, Stripes, and Smiles, a free day of dentistry solely for our servicemen
It is Lake Oconee Dentistry’s honor to serve those who have fought to make our country free. If you are a veteran and are interested in receiving treatment on Nov. 16, please call the office at 706-453-1333 to receive an appointment time. Doctors and volunteers will treat the first 100 patients, and possibly more if time allows.
and servicewomen, on Friday, Nov. 16. Drs. David and Patti Bradley, Dr. Shelly Pound, Dr. Andrea Feldman, and Dr. Jamie Austin, as well as Lake Oconee Dentistry hygienists, dental assistants, and other team members, will assist veterans
Thank you for your service. We look forward to serving you!
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