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212-517-9000 | www.reitdds.com Glenn Reit D.D.S.
SPRING 2025
A HAPPY DENTAL HOME
Here in the practice we realize going to the dentist is not on your top of to do list. It’s not like going out to a Broadway Show or a steak dinner. At some point we all need to go, and prevention is always better than restoration. It is estimated that more than fifty percent of the population does not go to the dentist regularly. So why doesn’t everyone go to the dentist for a simple exam and cleaning? Maybe they are living in Egypt in denial, or have had a bad dental experience or are financially challenged due to lack of dental insurance. Over the years I have worked on children of all ages even down to age three. A child’s first visit to a dental office is critical. No one at that age comes to the dentist fearful since they have never been to the dentist before. If the appointment is handled correctly, without pain, they will continue to go for dental treatment in the future. If the experience is negative it will always be remembered and as an adult they will delay visiting the dentist until they are in pain. Now they will be more anxious dreading the appointment and making the situation difficult for all involved. Here at the practice we care about you and value your time. When you’re scheduled for 1 p.m. you’re seen at that time, unlike most other doctors’ offices. We try to make your visit non-traumatic both emotionally and physically. We try to keep you relaxed and informed on what’s going on if that’s your
inclination. If you get an injection you get a call back from me the next day to check on how you’re doing.
Dentistry has changed over the decades. Back in the day it was gold or silver. If you were in the limo you got gold, but like most if you were riding the buses or subways you got silver. Both gold and silver were superior restorations. Today only elderly patients and/or dentists get gold. In most cases gold is one and done, usually lasting a lifetime. Silver is not too shabby, lasting decades, but both have gone and are rarely used anymore due to their lack of esthetics. Like records, cassettes, 8 tracks, VHS, and DVD’s times change, and today everybody is agreeing to white fillings which we can match to the color of your teeth so you look like you’re restoration-free. But still it’s going to the dentist and while talking about dentistry is generally not something you may do, If someone asks; do you know of a good dentist, your recommendation is always appreciated. For we have to go above and beyond to give your referral a great experience since it’s also a reflection of you. Still a referral is the best compliment you can give.
Glenn Reit, DDS
1 212-517-9000
SUGAR, THE NEW HEALTH CHALLENGE
The days are getting longer and the temperature is getting warmer and for most of us, we’ll be glad to see winter go. No more need to bundle up. So, say goodbye to your overcoat; as the temperature eases you’ll be a lot happier when you’re not freezing. It’s easier to arise at 6:30 a.m. if it’s now light outside. As your clothes peel off you’re confronted with another challenge. How am I looking? Extra weight provides insulation in the winter but now that it’s getting warmer, not so much. Do you realize with every additional inch added to your waist, you’re putting ten pounds of additional stress on your knees? In addition you are adding another mile of circulation to your circulatory system, causing your heart more stress. The answer is to cut out the sugar and exercise your heart. Sugar is in everything. As you body breaks down, the food you eat it is transformed into sugar which your body uses for energy. The problem is when you eat too much sugar the body transforms it into fat. Too much fat leads to medical issues. You do not want to visit the most expensive hotel in the city, namely the hospital, and realize that all drugs are poisons which are sometimes necessary and life-saving but all have negative side effects.
to Peter Luger will not kill you, but if you’re watching what you’re eating you can immediately feel the difference.
Cut down on the carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, cake, cookies and pizza which is a challenge in New York Bread City, and reduce your pure sugar intake, realizing that each gram of sugar listed on the food labels is equal to one teaspoon of sugar, so a soft drink or Starbucks’s coffee with additional syrup is a killer. Too much alcohol is a no-no especially beer which is maltose, the most absorbable carbohydrate available. When you’re younger you can get away with challenging your body, but after 50 you need to take care. Unfortunately, you cannot directly work out your heart. The only way to accomplish this is by indirectly increasing your heart muscle with aerobic exercises where you increase your heart rate and thereby build up your heart muscle. Life is not fair and your ancestors are always there even if they’re six feet down. You can’t change your genes so you have to live with what you’ve been given, but you can influence your genetic makeup by watching what you eat and being active. Here in the Big Apple you have a plus. In New York everyone is walking, unlike LA where no one does. You have free stair masters throughout the city. If you take the subway you’re walking down and up in most cases. Walking is one of the best exercises available and does not put undue strain on your joints. To get your heart rate up you can do power walks where you walk a little faster. How about bicycling in Central Park? Citi bikes are available everywhere so you don’t even have to buy one. The challenge is to get into the park without coming into contact with motor vehicles and/or pedestrians. I myself do not bike but swim three times a week. Swimming is one of the best exercises since it’s aerobic and easy on your joints. However, you have to commit and go to the pool and its a little harder in winter. Yes, it’s indoors, but still. Don’t forget to include a little resistance training twice a week with weights. As you age your muscle mass begins to decrease, so you need to do your part. Not heavy weights but some weight. Going to the gym is annoying and the best part for me is leaving, but over time it does have a positive effect and the endorphin spike after exercising gives positive reinforcement. Finally don’t forget your inner self. Reading or solving crossword puzzles or learning a new language helps to expand and challenge your brain. You need to be doing something to continually challenge your mind. Watching television or your smartphone is not helping. You’re not challenging your mind, just becoming comatose. Nobody wants to become old without cognition. So spring into Spring, and for your tooth exercises just come on down. We’ll clean them and check em’ out so you’ll have a happy and healthy mouth. You and your teeth will be glad you did.
Food portions have gotten a lot bigger and without some form of exercise the more you eat the more you gain. The key to eating is to watch what you eat and to eat slowly. Why do people like to eat? Well. Without food you won’t be around for long and when you’re eating you metabolism slows down. You’re breathing slower so for most you feel better. Occasional splurges are good but not if it’s the norm.
Levin cookies – one bite is all you need, not the whole cookie and certainly not a box of four. Pastrami and French fries at Katz’ once a year along with a yearly trip
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AI THE BEGINNING OR THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Well AI is here and we’re not going back. I’m not sure how it works but when I do a Google search it says AI is being used and an answer is given. Previously you did a search and the information just appeared. I remember the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Total Recall where on Mars they had Johnny Cab, an AI robot who drove you around until Arnold tore if off its moorings because he couldn’t stop talking. The robots, the robots are coming. I remember in the Woody Allen movie Sleeper he had his robot dog Rags who basically went Woof, Woof, Woof. Of cause there was Lost In Space with Robby the Robot who seemed confused and the paranoid robot
in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Moving forward there is everybody’s favorite AI creatures, R2D2, C3PEO and BB8. Then there were the malevolent robots of the Terminator movies which make you wonder if that is where we’re headed. Humans can be annoying and when the AI programs reach consciousness maybe they’ll agree humans are annoying and not necessary. There’s the famous line from the AI generated agent from the first Matrix movie who claimed humans were just a virus who destroyed all they came into contact and were only good for one thing which is being used as a source of energy as in a large Duracell battery. Will there be Intel inside the AI’s or is that just for PC’s? Artificial as in not real so is Artificial Intelligence not real and if it’s not real then what is it. Like the Pink Floyd sang; Is There Anybody Out There? Or, “Open the pod bay doors Hal.” “Sorry, Dave, I can’t do that” from 2001. Maybe like smart phones, the AI robots will impart an endorphin surge in our brains so we’ll just feel good and zone out like the humans portrayed in the Disney movie Wall-E where the little robot seemed very happy with his full time job of compacting human trash. Finally there was the AI robot who dared to call Captain Kirk – “Captain Dunsil” or as Spock explained to Uhura, “It’s an old midshipman’s term for a part that is no longer needed.” Ultimately there was the AI-enhanced human, Khan, who aptly told Kirk “Revenge is a dish best served cold and it’s plenty to cold in space” To which Kirk somewhat intelligently responded, “KHANNNNNN!”
MANNA FROM HEAVEN
You live in New York City, also known as bread city. You can get bread on every corner and New Yorkers like their bread. Problem being if you eat too much you’re going to expand as in eat it today and wear it tomorrow. So many choices, what to do? I like bagels and sourdough bread. Problem with bagels is one bagel equals two or more slices of bread. There is a new bagel store right close to the office called PopUp Bagels on Third Avenue and 82nd street. The bagels are delicious and are smaller in size. Their slogan Not Famous but Known is true; they are not famous and until recently, not known. You have to buy three at a time. Why three, who knows maybe they’re fans of the Three Stooges? Go for the plain; for some reason they are by far the best, and try to get them warm straight out of the oven which sends them over the top. With a smear of cream cheese and a coffee, how can you lose? For a heftier bagel you can go to the West Side to Barney Greengrass on Amsterdam Avenue and 86th Street where the garlic bagels are my favorite. This is a bagel, delicious and big.
For sourdough bread which is supposedly easier on your digestive system and does not go right to your waist, here are some choices. It’s not going to equal the sourdough bread you get in San Francisco but hey, we’re in New York. Even if you buy San Francisco sourdough bread here, it’s never ever the real thing. For a sourdough baguette my choice is Bread Bakery which has a location on Third Avenue and 74th street. You only need to buy one, for within a day that baguette can be used as a softball bat. Another product here is the original plain croissant, not as good as the croissant at Paul’s in London but still pretty, pretty good. However, this is a once in a while purchase because you can feel it around you waist immediately. For sourdough rolls my choice is Eli’s Market on Third Avenue and 81st street. You can’t buy much here unless your backing up the Brink’s Truck, for the prices are so high it’s insane. A small roll gives you a small taste, perfect when having a salad.
Are you aware of the original Silver Cup Bread Factory in Long Island City right off of the entrance to the 59th Street Bridge? Back in the day when driving in from Long Island to Manhattan especially on the upper level of the bridge, if they were baking, the smell was mesmerizing. You wanted to just get out of your car and get some. Now the Silver Cup bread sold in the food store was nothing to write home about, but the baking of it was something else. Today they are no longer making bread but television shows, for it is now Silver Cup Studios. Only the original sign remains. The Sopranos and Blue Blood interiors were filmed here but like their bread, today’s shows are no longer impressive, especially with the myriad commercials interruptions.
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Glenn Reit D.D.S. 212-517-9000 | www.reitdds.com
1498 Third Avenue New York, New York 10028
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pass along this newsletter and have them give us a call.
ROADS OF NEW YORK CITY
ASPHALT Stone, gravel, and tar mixture over concrete
COBBLESTONE Cut square pieces of Limestone
GRAVEL Sandstone, limestone, and Basalt Mixture
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