Huron Smiles' online newsletter for December 2018
December 2018
HuronSmiles Simple and Stress Free What Dentistry Should Be
530 Iowa Ave. SE #102, Huron, SD 57350
605-352-8753
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There to Greet You Making Holiday Magic
Hello, everyone!
This is Alicia, your office manager at Huron Smiles. If it’s been a while since you’ve been by the office, this change might come as a surprise. For several years, I’ve been a dental assistant here at the office, helping patients take care of their smile. I’ve worked as a dental assistant for 13 years, but when Dr. Drake took over the practice and offered me the position of office manager, I was happy to accept.
The family will be coming back for Christmas, so we’re already planning that.
I enjoy helping patients with their oral health, but my favorite part of working at a dentist’s office has always been talking to people. Dr. Drake recognized that, with my happy-go-lucky personality, I would be well-suited to greet patients as they come into the office. I’d like to think she’s right, because I honestly love my new position. I get to have fun with patients when they come in and hear all about how their appointments went afterward. I want to make sure patients who come in leave feeling happy. Being the office manager is really different than being a dental assistant. Things can get a bit hectic up here, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. My whole life is chaos at home! I’ve often said that I’m a city girl turned country girl. I grew up in Miller, but today, I live on a farm south of Huron, where we have horses, pigs, chickens, and ducks! My husband and I also have three beautiful daughters: Jesse, 7, Harper, 6, and Ella, who is almost 1 year old. We just built a new house, so of course I had to open my big mouth and offer to host the family for the holidays. It’s been chaotic getting everything ready but also so much fun! Everyone in my family came over for Thanksgiving. My mom’s family, my dad’s family, and my in-laws came, too. Our house was packed, and we had the best time.
My girls are excited for Santa to come, and they’re always happy when our “elf on the shelf” comes back out. We have a little elf doll named Belle, and each night, I move her to a new spot in the house. She keeps watch over the girls for Santa, and they love finding her each morning. It’s magic for them! This tradition got a little harder last year when Ella came along. I knew I would be in the hospital for a little while, so before I left, I wrapped our elf’s leg in gauze and left a note from Belle for the girls. When Jesse and Harper came to see me at the hospital after Ella was born, they told me all about how Belle couldn’t fly because she’d broken her leg, but they promised me that they were still being extra good for Santa. This year, I am really excited to make sure Belle is able to fly all season long, with Ella joining in on the fun, too. The holidays are a special time, and I love being able to spend it with our patients at the office and with my family at home.
–Alicia Mattke Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
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4 WINTER ILLNESSES YOU’D RATHER AVOID
Achoo! That’s the last noise you want to hear this winter. Cold weather brings a slew of sicknesses, so be vigilant to treat these common illnesses, or better yet, avoid them altogether. The Common Cold
more serious strain of the virus. Most children will recover with at-home rest, but some may need to be hospitalized for more severe symptoms. Influenza
Although there is no cure, a cold is easier to treat than other illnesses. If you or a loved one has a runny
The flu is known for causing high fever, muscle aches and pains, nausea, and other symptoms similar to a cold. Often, the fever will last for around five days, but it can be shortened with the aid of antiviral medications. However, these medications are recommended only for children who face serious complications or hospitalization from the flu. If you want to avoid catching this, your best bet is to receive the annual flu vaccine. Strep Throat A sore throat, headache, stomach ache, vomiting, and high fever are signs of strep. This infection is treated with antibiotics and should be addressed soon after the first symptoms appear to prevent further complications. Children with strep throat should stay away from school and other activities until they’ve been on antibiotics for 24 hours. Everyone knows that getting sick is no fun and is best avoided at all costs. However, it happens to everyone eventually. Catching a virus or infection in its early stages can help you shake the sickness much faster.
nose, low-grade fever, headache, cough, nasal congestion, or sore throat, the common cold
has most likely taken hold. With the help of rest and perhaps some cold medicine, like cough drops and decongestants, the cold will come and go in
about a week.
Bronchiolitis Bronchiolitis appears most commonly in children less than a year old and is caused by other viruses. Of the many symptoms — nasal congestion, low-grade fevers, and coughing — wheezing is the one you should be most concerned about. If your child is having difficulty breathing and is dehydrated, they may have caught a
OUR PATIENTS SAY IT BEST
Great service, Libby did a wonderful job cleaning my teeth, and everyone was very friendly and helpful! Highly recommend anyone to go get work done here! –Arthur L. Always have such great workers, and they go above and beyond for the kids. –A. W. The staff is always so friendly and professional. They always explain what they are doing and why. I would highly recommend this dental office. –Becky K.
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El Ratón de Los Dientes
THE TOOTH FAIRY GOES INTERNATIONAL
One of the most beloved myths in many Spanish-
speaking countries involves a magical mouse. This mouse
goes by Ratón Pérez or El Ratón de Los Dientes, and he is exactly what his name suggests: a mouse who collects
Toothy Traditions Around the World Every night, children in houses all over the U.S. crawl into their beds with anticipation, their recently lost baby teeth stashed carefully under their pillows. Why? They await the arrival of the tooth fairy, of course! Nearly everyone has at least one memory of falling asleep with a tooth under their pillow and waking up a dollar or two richer. While the tooth fairy we know and love didn’t flutter her way into the American social consciousness until the 1920s, other countries around the world have their own tooth-centric traditions dating back several centuries. My Dog Ate My … Tooth? Rather than sliding the tooth under your pillow, throughout Central Asia, it’s traditional to put the tooth into a delicious fatty snack and feed it to a dog. Children take part in this tradition to ensure that their adult teeth grow in to be as strong as the dog’s teeth. No dog? No problem! The next best practice is to bury the tooth by a tree so that the new tooth has strong roots.
teeth. Like the tooth fairy, Pérez gets the teeth only after they’ve been lost and put
under children’s pillows. In Argentina, a lost tooth is placed in a glass of water before bed. When Pérez shows up, he’ll drink up the water, grab the tooth, and leave his gift in the empty glass. Toss Those Teeth In countries like China, India, and Japan, kids will toss their teeth rather than hide them under their pillows. Teeth lost from the lower jaw are usually thrown up onto a roof, while teeth from the upper jaw are tossed onto the floor or ground. The logic behind this practice is that the strategic placement of the old tooth will help the new tooth grow in strong.
Have a Laugh
CAULIFLOWER SOUP 30-Minute
This hearty soup is a quick, easy, healthy addition to your holiday table. It can also be made vegetarian by substituting chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Inspired by Good Housekeeping
Ingredients
• 1 small head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored and sliced • 1 leek, chopped • 1 medium onion, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth • 1/2 cup heavy cream • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil • Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions 1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter into warm oil. Add onion and leek, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, about 10–12 minutes. 2. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cauliflower, broth, and cream. Simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes. 3. Using a blender, purée in batches until smooth. 4. Top servings with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of pepper.
Huron Smiles • 605-352-8753 • 3
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 Get to Know Alicia Page 1 What Do My Symptoms Mean? Page 2 Hear From Our Happy Patients! Page 2 The Tooth Fairy Goes International Page 3 30-Minute Cauliflower Soup Page 3 What Your Eyes Can Tell You About Love Page 4
In the last decade, researchers have determined that from a romantic and reproductive standpoint, both men and women are attracted to partners with What Your Eyes Can Tell You About Love
IS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT REAL?
The idea of love at first sight is wonderfully romantic. Two strangers see each other across a crowded room. There’s an instant, magnetic attraction, and suddenly they’ve found their match for all of eternity. In a world in which dating often requires a lot of work — work that comes with disappointment, rejection, and
bigger pupils. Studies demonstrate that when women are at their peak fertility, they might subconsciously be more attracted to a person with sizable pupils because it could indicate a partner’s attraction to them. Likewise, researchers have reported that men seek out women with dilated pupils due to the association of larger pupils with youth and longevity. The connection between the eyes and enthrallment has inspired some of Shakespeare’s most iconic sonnets, and the science behind our eyes validates some of the Bard’s romantic claims. But does this connection between larger pupils and attraction corroborate the idea of love at first sight? If you believe that attraction equates to true love, then absolutely. But if your definition of love requires a little more depth, then you may have to toss aside the idea of love at first sight and instead view your partner’s eyes as mere “windows” to their soul.
uncertainty — falling in love at first sight has a strong appeal. But can it actually happen? Can your eyes tell you anything about love? The connection between the eyes and love has been described in poetry and prose since time immemorial — it’s the stuff of heroic epics and fanciful fairy tales. And evidence has increasingly shown that the human brain is hard-wired to both display and notice visual cues when gazing at a potential love interest. Enlarged pupils are one such cue. When you survey a person or object you are interested in, your brain releases a surge of dopamine — a chemical that controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centers — which causes your pupils to dilate. In this sense, beauty really is “in the eye of the beholder.”
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