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PREMIER DENTAL N EWS L E T T E R
EDITION 27
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It’s been about 15 months since the first COVID-19 case was diagnosed in the U.S. I was reflecting on how the virus has altered our lives, and I realized the pandemic has wreaked havoc in many ways. But it has also created some positive changes. I want to share those reflections with you this month, and maybe you can relate. Our Personal Lives Isolation has taken a toll on our mental health, including increased rates of depression and anxiety. Tele-psychiatry can help, but getting an appointment is not easy, as these professionals are busier than ever. Online schooling has been a mixed bag — reasonable to some and annoying and unacceptable to others. On the positive side, Peloton bikes and online instructors have made it more feasible to exercise at home. Telehealth is here to stay, making medicine more convenient and less costly. Plus, online shopping — including grocery shopping — increased sharply and is here to stay as well. Personally, I haven’t been as impacted by stay-at-home orders. My hobbies, like reading, listening to NPR, or watching sports, are done at home. I have missed gathering in person with friends, but we have been able to stay in touch with Zoom or FaceTime. Work Life Thanks to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other videoconferencing options, remote work has increased tremendously. Many people don’t commute, and business travel is down and could be reduced permanently by 30%–50%. This is good news for those who dislike travel but bad news for airlines. Since people don’t go to the office, there is less “politicking” at work, and efficiency may have increased. Despite that, staring at a computer screen does have some undesirable consequences such as eye strain, headaches, and even weight gain. When it comes to travel, Dr. Gopal and I are looking forward to continuing our trips to Europe when it is safe to do so. Our upcoming trips will stay small, local, and safe, as we will not make overseas air travel until 2022 or 2023. The Environment Due to reduced commutes, the air is cleaner today relative to February 2020. It’s as if the earth got a much-deserved respite from greenhouse gases. However, plastic usage has increased How the Pandemic Changed Our Lives
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sharply, as people are using gloves, shields, and Plexiglass dividers and ordering more takeout food. The result is increased plastic waste in landfills and at the bottom of the ocean. The Economy COVID-19 has absolutely destroyed small businesses, especially the hospitality industry. Tons of companies have closed permanently. In New Jersey, as of late March 2021, the number of small businesses that are open decreased by some 30% compared to January of 2020. Regrettably, millions of people have also lost their jobs in the process. The sector that has boomed is Big Tech. The Big Five — Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft — have done exceptionally well, and their combined market capitalization surged 45% in 2020. Video streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+, Shopify, and the audio streaming platform Spotify have also done very well. These companies have turned a world crisis into an opportunity to become more dominant. The Biotech Industry Perhaps the biggest development is that the pharmaceutical and biotech industry delivered several safe and effective vaccines in record time. These can significantly reduce hospitalizations and mortalities. Considering the complexity and magnitude of the task, the rollout of vaccines is progressing quite well, too. Most adults in the U.S. are on target to be vaccinated by the end of July 2021. The vaccine is not a panacea, as new mutants are emerging, and the vaccine does not guarantee protection. The vaccine will not eliminate the need to wear a mask, physically distance, and avoid crowded situations. Still, our lives during this pandemic would have been infinitely harder without development of the vaccine. We can all look forward to a slow return to “near normalcy” with more optimism. We know it will take some time, but if the good things that have happened recently are any indication, better days lie ahead.
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PATIENT COORDINATOR
MICHELE
DENTAL ASSISTANT
CATHLEEN
HYGIENISTS
CHARLENE JULIA
PRACTICE MANAGER
PETER
–Peter Gopal
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DR. HEMA GOPAL: 20+ YEARS IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Does Float Therapy Really Work? SWIM INTO THE LATEST HOLISTIC HEALTH TREND
Then you lie down, close your eyes, and someone else shuts the lid. You’re encased in complete womb-like silence and darkness. That’s when restricted environmental stimulation therapy (REST) can begin. Dr. John Lilly, a neuroscientist studying sensory deprivation, pioneered float therapy in 1954. Today, it’s gaining traction as a popular holistic health treatment, perfect for those who prefer to unwind in isolation. The health benefits supposedly include relaxation, pain reduction, creativity, and better sleep. John Lennon, Jeff Bridges, Elle Macpherson, and even Homer and Lisa Simpson are fans — but does hanging out in a tank really live up to the hype? In 2004, a survey of 27 studies published in the journal Psychology & Health found that “REST has positive effects on physiology (e.g., lower levels of cortisol, lower blood pressure), well-being, and performance.” The survey’s authors called float therapy a “useful stress management tool.” More recently, a 2014 pilot study with 65 participants found that those who enjoyed 12 float therapy sessions over seven weeks experienced significantly decreased stress, depression, anxiety, and pain. They were also more optimistic and slept better than a control group of nonfloaters who had “no significant results” over seven weeks. That particular study relied on questionnaires, so it’s possible some of the benefits were due in part to a placebo effect. However, in the stressful times we’re living in, even imagined relief might be worth the $50–$100 it costs for a float session. To find a float therapy site near you and judge for yourself, visit FlotationLocations.com.
The tank is white, shiny, and oblong — just big enough for a human to lie down in. When you open it, eerie blue light pulses out along with steam from the water inside. A calm voice from over your shoulder tells you to step in. Would you do it? That image probably brings to mind an alien pod from an outer space movie, but it actually describes a real-life spa treatment here on Earth: float therapy. The concept of float therapy is as simple as it sounds. You step buck naked into a sensory deprivation tank filled with a foot of heavily salted water.
DO YOU NEED DENTIST’S HELP? The Cure for ‘American Girl Doll Teeth’
In December 2020, the TV show “The Bachelorette” spawned a new meme. Against all odds, the joke wasn’t about roses, petty arguments, face masks, or even limousines — it was about teeth! That month, a fan snarkily compared contestant Bennett Jordan’s prominent front teeth to those of the “Samantha Parkington” American Girl doll. The fan’s joke cracked up millions of viewers, possibly because the doll is such an unlikely twin for the Harvard-graduating, Rolls Royce-driving lady’s man. Samantha hails from 1904 and wears a pink velvet dress, white tights, and black Mary Jane shoes. Her bangs and hair bow are iconic, but her two front teeth really define her look. They’re the only visible teeth in her smile and peek out from below her top lip, making her look like a cross between an adorable bunny and Hermione Granger from “Harry Potter.” A photo of Bennett with the same smile next to a shot of Samantha went viral. From there, the meme got out of control, inspiring Instagram reels and TikToks of people calling each other (and themselves) out on their embarrassing “American Girl Doll Teeth.” Those jokes hit close to home for people already self-conscious about their front teeth. If the “American Girl Doll Teeth” meme is getting you down, don’t worry — your smile isn’t a lost cause. Dentists have multiple tricks up their sleeves to minimize prominent front teeth.
Trimming — which is also known as tooth shaving, interproximal reduction, or interproximal enamel reduction — might be the best option if your teeth are oversized. Trained dentists can trim teeth using a drill or by hand. They’ll shave off just enough length to make your smile look uniform without removing the crucial enamel or causing you pain. Invisalign can help if your front teeth are crooked or stick out from the rest of your smile. The procedure involves wearing clear retainers for six months or more to shift and straighten your teeth. Both options take time and money to accomplish, but they’re guaranteed to make you feel more confident in your smile. If you decide to go with one of these procedures, it won’t be long before you can chuckle at the “American Girl Doll Teeth” meme, too!
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For Healthy Hair, Use These Hair Products GORILLA GLUE AND HAIR DON’T MIX
Few things are more satisfying and exciting after a long day than the woosh and crackle as you’re opening a fresh bag of chips. Ah, salty bliss! Culinary legend says Americans have been eating potato chips since 1853, when the aptly named chef George Crum first popped slivered tubers into the fryer in Saratoga Springs, New York. In reality, the provenance of the chip is unknown, but Crum’s sister, Kate Wicks, may be the real genius behind it! (Read up on the controversy at ThoughtCo.com.) After all those decades of chip-eating, you may have thought we’d perfected the art, but it turns out the TikTok generation has a few hacks to improve the experience. Here are just a few new ways to eat chips, popularized by videos on the app. Better Ways to Eat Chips — Courtesy of TikTok
On Feb. 3, Tessica Brown shared a heartbreaking video on TikTok about her experience using Gorilla Glue instead of got2b Glued Blasting Freeze Spray on her hair. When Brown sprayed her hair to keep it in place, the result left it glued completely flat to her head. After a month of desperately searching for a solution, plastic surgeon Micheal K. Obeng reached out to Brown, stating he would like to perform a surgery that would finally help her hair, free of charge. Brown agreed, and after an hourlong surgery, she was finally able to run her fingers through her hair again. After this run-in with Gorilla Glue, Brown went viral on social media, earning herself all kinds of attention, both good and bad. She later admitted in an interview with BETNetworks that if she hadn’t been “so obsessed” with her hair, she wouldn’t have been so desperate “to find something in this house to make [her] hair look good.” Now, she’s decided to go the more natural way: using wigs if she wants a certain look or more natural hair care products. To support the natural beauty of your own hair, here are a few great products to try.
The Classy Dipper
If you’re looking for scalp cleansers and shampoo, these products are good choices:
Are you frustrated by the lack of chip space you have left when you plop dip in the middle of your plate? @thelifebath on TikTok has the solution. Grab a martini glass and fill it with your dip of choice, then set it down in the middle of a bowl. Now when you add the chips, they can cover the base of the glass, stabilizing it and allowing for maximum chip storage.
• Design Essentials, $44 • Carol’s Daughter, $13 • Kinky-Curly Come Clean, $10 • Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Shampoo, $25 For conditioners, consider these:
The Staleness Solution
• Suave Professionals, $5 • Vernon Francois, $18 • SheaMoisture, $11 Detanglers are also important, especially for thick or curly hair. These work well: • Carol’s Daughter Monoi Repairing Anti-Breakage Spray, $24 • Alikay Naturals Knots Be Gone, $13 • Oribe Priming Lotion Leave-In Conditioning Detangler, $38 If there’s a lesson to be learned after reading Brown’s story, it’s that it’s important to know exactly what we’re putting in our hair because it’s a significant part of our daily lives.
If you’re out of binder and bag clips, never fear — there’s a clip-free way to keep your half-eaten bags of chips fresh. @abrigail23 has mastered the art of folding her bags closed origami-style. To follow her lead, simply roll down the top of the bag, then fold both ends of the roll inward, tucking them under as you roll down another layer. Presto! Sealed chips.
The Bag-to-Bowl
Thanks to their tapered bottoms, most chip bags are inherently unstable. But if you don’t have a couch cushion to prop your bag against (or a bowl at hand), @kennamox has your back. Once you open your chips, push the bottom of the bag up from the center and fold the pointed corners in. Then, pinch around the edges to create a concave bottom. Now your chips will stand upright, no bowl needed!
Take a Break
Check out Buzzfeed.com or the TikTok app for more clever hacks.
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DR. HEMA GOPAL: 20+ YEARS IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
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Inside
DR. HEMA GOPAL: 20+ YEARS IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
This Issue
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One Year Later: The Impacts of a Pandemic World Does Float Therapy Really Work? The Cure for ‘American Girl Doll Teeth’ New, Better Ways to Eat Chips Gorilla Glue and Hair Don’t Mix 5 COVID-Safe Gifts for Your Child’s Teacher
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5 COVID-Safe Gifts for Your Child’s Teacher DON’T MISS TEACHER APPRECIATION MONTH!
When parents first came up with the idea of sending their children to school with an apple as a teacher’s gift, they weren’t counting on a pandemic. In many places, schools are still operating online or using a mix of virtual and in-person learning, and even kids attending in person don’t want to get within 6 feet of their teacher to hand over fruit! So, what are your options for Teacher Appreciation Month? There are more than you might think. If you have the resources, consider gifting one of these pandemic-friendly items that teachers will love. 1. Virtual Gift Card: These days, you can easily send gift cards by email, and your options include everything from Amazon to DoorDash. Does your child’s teacher have a coffee addiction or a passion for dinosaurs? You can find the perfect gift card with a Google search. 2. Thank-You Yard Signs: If you live in a small town or have access to your child’s teacher’s address, consider “gratitude bombing” their front yard with signs! You can use a professional sign company like Sign Gypsies or make your own. 3. Quarantine Kit: Teachers working in person put themselves at risk every day, and a quarantine kit is the perfect gift in case the worst happens. You can include helpful items like hand sanitizer or personalized masks along with goodies like adult coloring books,
novels, and more. Simply email the teacher to find out how to get your gift to them.
4. Sanitizer and Other Learning Tools for the Classroom: Many school districts are underfunded, and the money for sanitary supplies, pencils, markers, glue sticks, and more comes out of the teacher’s pocket. Buying items like this for when they’re back at school will really brighten their day. 5. A Note From You and Your Child: According to a teacher survey done by The Strategist, handwritten notes are one of the best gifts a teacher can receive. To really make an impact, sit down with your child and write a note from both of you, thanking the teacher for their hard work. Then, send it via snail mail or scan it and email it their way!
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609.298.1124
DR. HEMA GOPAL: 20+ YEARS IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
We have been vaccinated!
As of March 12, 2021, all of our clinical staff and all our full- time front desk staff have been vaccinated. We are well aware that this pandemic is far from over, as the threat of new variants looms. So, for the foreseeable future, we will continue all COVID-19 safety protocols that we’ve put in place within the practice. This includes but is not limited to social distancing, wearing higher level PPE, sterilizing rooms between patients, use of air filtration systems, and use of an aerosol evacuator for dental procedures. Your safety and the safety of our employees is our top priority. Sincerely,
Dr. Hema Gopal and Staff at Premier Dental
Premier Dental 321 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown, NJ 08505 (609) 298-1124 Bordentowndentist.com
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