Huron Smiles February 2019
February 2019
HuronSmiles Simple and Stress Free What Dentistry Should Be
530 Iowa Ave. SE #102, Huron, SD 57350
605-352-8753
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Our Grand Adventure Facing Life’s Surprises With My Husband
When I applied for dental school down in Texas, I never would have guessed I would one day run a practice in Huron, South Dakota. Life takes us on unexpected adventures, and you can never be certain where you’ll end up. The best you can hope for is to have someone to go on those adventures with. In that regard, I consider myself lucky because I have my amazing husband! Brad and I started dating in college. We met while attending the University of Texas in Austin. After an incredible first date where we went horseback riding and an equally outstanding second date — albeit one that had to be rescheduled twice — I knew Brad was a man I could count on to face life’s trials and joys with. We fell in love, got married, moved to Louisiana for a while, and ultimately moved back to Texas to raise our children. Talk about an adventure! You spend your life hearing about how parenthood is a wild ride, but you can’t understand what it’s like until you experience it for yourself. Raising our two boys has been an experience I’ll cherish forever. It was about as far from easy as you could get, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Brad and I have watched them grow from little kids with sticky hands and loose teeth to young men, with one starting law school and the other halfway through his junior year of college. Our boys are about the same age Brad and I were when we first met. It’s crazy to think about my sons entering the same stage of life I was in all those years ago. Of course, if they’re anything like their father, things will work out great for them. When we first started dating, Brad was always messing around on the computer. This was back in the 1980s, and I was convinced he needed to stop wasting time
with that fad and focus on a real job. Wouldn’t you know it, he grew up to be a real computer genius!
What I thought would be just a pastime ended up becoming
his whole career. He’s amazing at it, and his skill with computers allowed him to help provide for our family.
This wasn’t the only time Brad surprised me, and there have been many incredible moments throughout our marriage I never could have anticipated. But one thing that never surprised me was just how incredible our marriage has been. I knew right from the start that Brad was the guy I wanted to marry. From our first date on horseback, to the night he proposed on the San Antonio Riverwalk, to today, he’s never let me down. Once our boys were out of the house, I was ready to start a new adventure and travel more. Moving up to Huron was a big change, but I was always excited, because I knew Brad would be by my side every step of the way. Happy Valentine’s Day to my wonderful valentine. I am happy you are a part of my life, and I’m looking forward to our future adventures.
—Dr. Valerie Drake
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SAFE AND SWEET Allergy-Friendly Valentines for Your Child’s Classmates
For a parent of a child with allergies, every day can feel like a battle with food labels and ingredients lists — and Valentine’s Day only exacerbates this fear. Avoid the danger of an allergic reaction on Valentine’s Day by creating alternative, candy-free valentines that the whole class will enjoy! Get Creative This valentine idea taps into your kids’ desire pictures, create cards, mold tiny sculptures, or braid together friendship bracelets to create one-of- a-kind gifts that will be safe for their classmates to enjoy. Kids can put their own effort into gift-giving, and their valentines will have a personal touch candy cannot replicate. Think Like a Kid If you’re looking for a creative valentine that will be safe for all your child’s friends to play with, check no further than the toy aisle of your local dollar store. While being mindful of latex allergies, you can purchase little toys that to create by using commonly found household items. Have your children draw “Love these guys. I switched over first, and now the whole family is here. This is not an overstatement: Everyone from the office is great. Super friendly and I always feel like I am in good hands.” -Deborah A. “This team is amazing! Was expecting to hear the worst and get the hard-sell on implants, but I was happy to have other options proposed. They made me feel very comfortable, and I have gradually recovered from gum disease and dental neglect. Although they’re unable to ‘undo’ years of bad dental habits, I still have much of my original dental hardware and go for six-month cleanings religiously. My whole family relies on these folks for all dental and orthodontic needs.” -Alan W.
kids will love that won’t break your bank. Think bouncy balls, mini skateboards, Army men, yo-yos, puzzles, rubber ducks,
hand-held games, markers, or bubbles. Adorn these little gifts with yarn, ribbons, or personalized tags, and slap on cute sayings to make them fit for the holiday. Finish off the masterpiece by having your kiddo sign their name on each valentine, and you’ve got a kid-approved Valentine’s Day favorite. Fancy Up Some Fruit If you’re worried about food allergies but still want to make a yummy treat, ask your child’s teacher for a list of students’ allergies, then just work around them. Fruits are usually a safe bet, but it’s best to double check. You could skewer strawberries and heart-shaped pieces of watermelon onto kabob sticks for a sweet and fun snack, or pass out goody bags with apples, bananas, and clementines. Offering a group snack that is allergy-friendly will keep your children and their friends safe and healthy, and it can also help children with allergies feel included in the festivities. As with all Valentine’s Day gifts, keep in mind that it’s not the item or money spent that means the most. It’s the thought behind each gift that makes receiving valentines the sweetest part.
OUR PATIENTS SAY IT BEST
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But there’s some evidence to suggest our desire to kiss comes from a primal instinct. Monkeys commonly show affection and greet one another through kissing, and bonobos — the most affectionate primates — kiss all the time. Other animals nuzzle their noses together as a form of what scientists believe is kissing.
BIRDS AND BEES DON’T DO IT
So Why Do Humans Kiss? Giving your sweetie a smooch or kissing Grandma’s cheek as you leave is a common practice few of us think twice about. But philematology, the study of kissing, is devoted to discovering why humans kiss. The search for an answer has produced a few likely theories but no concrete answers. Most philematologists agree that humans continue to kiss because the thousands of nerve endings on our tongues and mouths make it feel good. Yet one of the more popular theories of why we kiss stems all the way back to our cave ancestors. It’s believed that mothers chewed food and transferred the mush into their toothless babies’ mouths, pressing their own lips to their children’s in the process. Philematologists theorize that kissing evolved from this maternal act into a learned social greeting and romantic gesture because it was taught to impressionable babies. The theory is backed up by the fact that there are some tribes that don’t kiss at all because they were never taught to do so.
Additionally, researchers have discovered that women often select mates based on their perception of a man’s ability to parent and produce healthy kids. The scent of the man’s pheromones tells the woman whether he would be an ideal mate. If so, the woman is attracted because humans have a basic desire to continue as a species. Philematologists have concluded that women use kissing to decide if they find the other person attractive. This Valentine’s Day, continue a centuries-old tradition and pucker up for your sweetheart. Maybe don’t share all the history about food mashing and monkey kisses beforehand, though.
SPICY SALMON Tartare
Have a Laugh
Ingredients • 1 8-ounce boneless, skinless salmon fillet • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice • 1/4 teaspoon lime zest • 1/4 cup cucumber, seeded and finely diced • 1 1/2 teaspoons jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced • 1 1/2 teaspoons shallots, minced • 3/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, minced • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh chives, minced • 1 1/2 teaspoons grapeseed or vegetable oil • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste • Crackers or chips, for serving
Directions 1. Place salmon in freezer for 20 minutes to make slicing easier. 2. Meanwhile, prepare other ingredients for mixing. 3. Thinly slice salmon into sheets and cut sheets into strips and strips into cubes. When finished, you should have 1/8-inch cubes. 4. In a mixing bowl, combine salmon with all other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Garnish with chips or crackers and serve.
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530 Iowa Ave. SE #102 Huron, SD 57350 605-352-8753
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HuronSmiles Simple and Stress Free What Dentistry Should Be
Inside This Issue Adventures in Life Page 1 Candy-Free Valentines Page 2 Hear From Our Happy Patients! Page 2 The Science Behind Kissing Page 3 Spicy Salmon Tartare Page 3 Ordering Coffee Just Got Easier Page 4
ORDERING COFFEE JUST GOT EASIER How Starbucks Helps the Deaf Community
If you’ve ever visited a Starbucks coffee shop, you’ve likely heard a patron rattle off a drink order that was more specific than your grandma’s pecan pie recipe. For example, they might say, “I’ll take a Grande, four-pump, nonfat, no-whip, extra-hot mocha.” Without missing a beat, the barista scribbles the order on the cup and starts making the drink. Orders like this one are a mouthful for even the most seasoned Starbucks guru, but for deaf people, it can be difficult to even order a cup of black coffee. Adam Novsam, a deaf utility analyst at Starbucks headquarters in Seattle, set out to address that difficulty by heading the launch of the company’s first deaf-friendly signing store. Washington, D.C. Its overall success relies primarily on its purposeful operation and design elements. In 2005, the ASL Deaf Studies Department at Gallaudet University created the DeafSpace Project using design elements, such as space and proximity, sensory reach, mobility, light, and acoustics, to address potential challenges for deaf people. Starbucks’ signing store incorporates these aspects of DeafSpace to make their store more accessible. For customers new to sign language, the store features some high-tech options for assisting with communication, ordering drinks, and Operation The store’s grand opening took place in October in
receiving beverages at the handoff counter, including digital notepads and a console with two-way keyboards for back-and- forth conversations.
Aprons All store partners at the signing store are proficient in ASL, whether they are hearing, hearing-impaired, or deaf. However, deaf partners wear special green aprons embroidered with the ASL spelling of Starbucks. What’s more, these aprons were created by a deaf supplier! Education For hearing customers who aren’t fluent in ASL — even those just ducking in to grab a cup of coffee to go — the signing store offers an opportunity to learn something new. For example, they can learn how to sign a word like “espresso” in ASL merely by reading the chalkboard above the register with the “sign of the week.” Starbucks’ decision to make their product more accessible has benefited thousands of customers all along the East Coast. Hopefully, as time goes on, other corporations will choose to follow suit so we can make a more deaf-friendly society.
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