HOW THE GRINCH STOLE OUR HEARTS
As regularly as Rudolph does, the Grinch appears on our television screens every December. Despite his negative attitude and nefarious intentions, the protagonist of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” remains a family favorite more than 60 years after the animated TV special first aired. The Grinch’s transformation into a cultural icon began with a 1957 children’s book. Author Dr. Seuss had recently experienced great success with “The Cat in the Hat” and was a hot commodity. He published “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” later that same year, and the black-and-white book was an instant smash. The story might have ended there if Dr. Seuss had his way. Dr. Seuss was protective of his creations and didn’t trust them in anyone else’s hands, but his filmmaker friend, Chuck Jones,
eventually persuaded him to reconsider. Still, the story required some changes. Jones assigned the Grinch his signature green color, and the Grinch’s dog, Max, was given a more prominent role to increase the special’s runtime. But the songs were the most important of all. The TV special contains nine total musical numbers, the most famous featuring lyrics only Dr. Seuss could have written. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” is a hilariously clever song and a highlight of the program. The filmmakers also secured a big win in the voice talents of horror movie legend Boris Karloff, who provided an alternatingly sneering and tender tone to the production.
Grinch” may have been the most expensive television special made until that time. Later, Hollywood upped the ante with a live-action adaptation in 2000 and an animated full- length film in 2018. Both movies were box office successes, but neither has overtaken the 26-minute TV special as our favorite way to enjoy the Grinch. Why does the Grinch endure? Dr. Seuss based the character on himself, so it may be that there’s a little bit of the Grinch in all of us. Unlike that other well-known holiday- hater Ebenezer Scrooge, he gives those who aren’t full of Christmas cheer a favorable mascot. The Grinch’s wild schemes and comical complaints are more fun than menacing, and his story produces a reliably happy ending. As its greatest gift, an annual viewing can leave even the most hardened Grinch feeling as if their own heart has grown a size or two.
Thanks to its full animation technique featuring 25,000 drawings, Variety says “The
The Real Tooth Myth: Removing back teeth is not a big deal. Fact: It’s complicated. When we see patients, especially younger patients, with a damaged back tooth, they often decide to have the tooth removed rather than repaired or restored because they don’t think removing a back tooth (a premolar or molar) is a big deal. After all, you cannot see these teeth when you smile, and people often value appearance over function. In the short term, removing a back tooth is not a major issue. However, in the long term, you can face serious consequences, including the need to remove more teeth, ongoing pain, and continued costs.
Busting the Myth About Back Teeth Removal
the “complete” side. This will require treatment to fix, which may include the removal of more teeth.
DRIFTING Once a tooth is removed, the adjacent teeth will try to close the gap because our teeth are always in dynamic movement and only stop moving when they meet with another tooth. This will cause a major collapse in your bite, which could be very hard to recover from over the years, and it can end up causing you to lose more teeth. We see older patients who have had several teeth removed because they overloaded their healthy teeth in their youth. It can be traced to the removal of that first tooth because they thought it wasn’t a big deal. In the end, a tooth removal can leave you with more problems than when you started, including a large bill. If you experience tooth decay or damage, it’s important to explore other options in order to save your existing teeth. Removing a tooth should be the last option.
When you have a back tooth removed, whether due to infection, damage, or severe overcrowding, you can create new problems.
OVERLOADING When you are missing a tooth on one side of the mouth, you end up overloading the other side of the mouth. This puts extra strain on the jaw and teeth opposite of the removed tooth. Over a long period of time, you can wear down and damage teeth on
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