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| In The News |
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Dr. Melisa Christian Joins
Dallas Laser Dentistry! We're pleased to let everyone know that we have added Dr. Melisa Christian to our staff. Dr. Christian is a graduate of Baylor College of Dentistry, just like
me. Dr. Christian is a natural fit, as her practice philosophy mirrors what I've provided for the last 12 years. She's also a Certified Invisalign Provider, a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and an experienced general dentist as well. If you read sports pages locally, you may have already heard of
Dr. Christian. A world class athlete who competes in triathalons, Dr. Christian has qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials in the marathon, and was the female winner of a local major marathon race here in Dallas last fall. The drive for perfection that has powered her performance in sports is also evident as she works with each patient to insure their oral health is where it should
be, and that their smile becomes an asset, not a liability. Dr. Christian will be available to see patients on Thursdays and Fridays in March. Beginning in April, she will be seeing patients Tuesday-Friday. If you know anyone who is looking for an outstanding dentist, please have them call Melissa or Merritt to schedule either a
general exam or a consultation for a smile makeover with Dr. Christian. Mary Swift, D.D.S.
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| Daylight Saving Time (not Daylight "Savings" Time) |
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Hopefully you remembered that Daylight Saving Time started two weeks earlier this year and made it to work on time! Daylight Saving Time was instituted in the United
States during World War I in order to save energy for war production by taking advantage of the later hours of daylight between April and October. During World War II the federal government again required the states to observe the time change. Between the wars and after World War II, states and communities chose whether
or not to observe Daylight Saving Time. In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act which standardized the length of Daylight Saving Time. Arizona (except some Indian Reservations), Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa have chosen not to observe Daylight Saving Time. This choice does make sense for the areas closer to the equator because the days are more consistent in length throughout the year. Other parts of the world observe Daylight Saving Time as well. While European nations have been taking advantage of the time change for decades, in 1996 the European Union (EU) standardized a
EU-wide European Summer Time. This EU version of Daylight Saving Time runs from the last Sunday in March through the last Sunday in October. In the southern hemisphere where summer comes in December, Daylight Saving Time is observed from October to March. Equatorial and tropical countries (lower latitudes) don't observe Daylight Saving Time since the daylight hours are similar during every season, so there's no
advantage to moving clocks forward during the summer. U.S. Daylight Saving
Time Year Spring Forward Fall
Back
2007 2.a.m. March 11 2 a.m. Nov. 4 2008 2 a.m. March 9 2 a.m. Nov. 2 2009 2 a.m. March 8 2 a.m. Nov. 1 2010 2 a.m. March 14 2 a.m. Nov
7 2011 2 a.m. March 13 2 a.m. Nov. 6
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| Holiday Promotion |
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St. Patrick's Day - An Offering of the Green! We will credit
your dental account with $100 towards any cosmetic treatment you may need or want upon completion of
your regular exam. Call Melissa today at 214-556-5251 to schedule your appointment.
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| Brighter Whites: Choosing the Best Way to Whiten |
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You’ve walked past the aisle in the drugstore; you’ve seen the ads on TV; you’ve heard your friends rave about it. There are many ways to go about whitening your teeth. Which one is best for you?
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| Bits Of Wit And Wisdom |
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- Love is what happens to a man and a woman when they don't know each other. - Men are contrary creatures. They want home atmosphere in a hotel and hotel service at home. - School: a mouse race to get us ready for the rat race. - Many a man owes his success to his first wife, and his second wife to success. - You can't draw from sweet memories unless you make
regular deposits. - Love your enemies - you made 'em.... - Middle age is when after one night out you need two nights in. - Procrastinator: a man with a wait problem. - Unlike opportunity, temptation knocks more than once...and it's easier to recognize. - Men are attracted to two types of women - those who wear well, and those who wear little. - Reputation is
the other fellow's idea of your character. - It now costs more to amuse a child than it cost to educate his father. - When you stop to think, don't forget to start again. - Sure I caught a fish, but it was too small to fool with so I had a couple of guys help me throw it back. - One thing a child can operate is a grandparent. - Childhood is that wonderful time when
all you have to do to lose weight is bathe. - There's no failure until you stop trying.
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| A Note From the Tooth Fairy |
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Mouth Guards and Sports Are Mouth Guards Really Necessary? According to the American Dental Association, an athlete is 60 times more likely to have an injury to the teeth when not wearing a protective mouth guard. A mouth guard is designed to help buffer the mouth and
teeth from trauma. It is also an important piece of gear that should not be overlooked during participation in sports. Wearing a mouth guard is common in contact sports such as football, boxing, hockey and basketball, but a protective mouth guard can also be beneficial in non contact
sports such as snow skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, soccer and bicycling. There are 3 types of mouth guards to choose
from: 1. Ready Made 2. Boil and Bite 3. Custom
made by a dentist When choosing a mouth guard, keep in mind that a custom made mouth guard from your dentist is designed to offer superior protection. These guidelines can help you choose the right mouth guard: - Be sure that the mouth guard is comfortable and fits
good. - Check for flexibility and resistance to tearing or ripping. - Make sure that the mouth guard doesn’t impair breathing. - Make sure that the mouth guard doesn’t confine speech. - Finally, be sure that it can be easily cleaned. Taking Care of a Mouth Guard After investing in a mouth guard, it is important to take care of it by following these
tips: - Keep your mouth guard in a vented and sturdy container. - Rinse thoroughly before and after use or brush with a toothpaste and
toothbrush. - Replace your mouth guard if it becomes worn out. - Never leave it in the sun or hot water. - On occasion, use cool soapy water to clean, being sure to rinse it thoroughly. Since studies have linked almost 1/3 of dental injuries to sports related activities, a mouth guard is an important piece of sports gear that should be chosen carefully and taken care of
properly.
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| Don’t Take That Dental Chair for Granted! |
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Did you know that when you climb into the dental chair at our office, you’re sitting in the lap of cushy, space-age luxury? If you went to the dentist 100 years ago, you’d be sitting in a creaky wooden contraption – and 200 years back, you might have been sitting on the floor!
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| Do You Suffer From Recurring Headaches? |
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There’s now a great way to relieve headache pain from TMJ, tension and migraines! Neurologists have found that migraine and tension headaches, as well as those from TMJ (which also causes you to grind your teeth), can be effectively treated with BOTOX® in 2 out of 3 cases! Now BOTOX® injections from Dr. Swift can be used therapeutically to relieve recurring headache pain! In
2004 Dr. Swift underwent training in both the therapeutic and cosmetic use of BOTOX® with Dr. Andy Blumenfeld. Dr. Blumenfeld is an internationally recognized authority on the utilization of Botulinum Toxin Type A for the treatment of headache and has significant experience as a researcher, speaker and national injector trainer. He was Chief of Service for the Department of Neurology at Kaiser
Permanente in San Diego, and is currently Director of The Headache Center of Southern California. Dr. Blumenfeld is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. To learn if you're a candidate and get more information, please follow the link....
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| Monthly Quiz |
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Patient Quiz!
Last Month's Quiz Question! What has a foot on each end and one in the middle? Answer: A yardstick. This Month's Quiz Question! Why were the early days of history called the dark ages? (A history joke)
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| With Heartfelt Thanks For your Referrals! |
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There’s no question that I have the BEST patients on the entire planet! My business is built on word of mouth advertising and I would like to thank all of you who were kind enough to recommend our services to your friends. Thank you soooo much!
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| Rainbow Toast |
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Rainbow Toast: Give each child a slice of white bread. Have ready several small containers of milk to which you
have added food coloring. We usually use margarine tubs, and offer the children blue, red, green, yellow and purple. Each child can brush colored milk on the slice of bread, in stripes or a rainbow arc, using a pastry brush or new watercolor brush. Then place in toaster. Bread comes out colored and can be eaten with butter and jam.
(Butter can be tinted green for
fun!)
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| Do You Book Your Own Travel Online? |
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Want To Save A Ton of Time Planning a Trip And Find The Lowest Price Available? As a service to our many patients who travel and use the internet to research the best value and to book their business trips and vacations, we have added to our website technology that can save you time and money. Our website has “PowerSearch™”, a proprietary comparative search engine. Simply enter your travel
info once, hit search, and it hunts automatically on up to 200 travel related websites and brings back the results in order of price – plus shows you which site has the best deal. Then click on the deal you want and save money! If it’s a travel, airline, hotel, cruise, or car rental site – you no longer have to go to each and enter your dates to search and compare – one click does it
all!
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| Subscribe/Unsubscribe |
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You are subscribed because you provided us or someone affiliated with our practice with your email address, attended an event we attended requiring your email address be available, or are members of organizations to which we also belong. Should you wish to unsubscribe, simply send an email with "unsubscribe" as the title to dave@dallaslaserdentistry.com. Your name will be removed within
7 working days. If this has been sent to you by a friend and you wish to subscribe, please follow the link below.
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| Irish Tidbits |
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Irish Tidbits The first reference to the Shamrock in written English dates from 1571, and in
written Irish, as seamrog, from 1707. As a badge to be worn on the lapel on the Saint's feast day, it is referred to for the first time as early as 1681. The Shamrock was used as an emblem by the Irish Volunteers in the era of Grattan's Parliament in the 1770's, before The Act of Union. So rebellious did the wearing of the Shamrock eventually appear, that in Queen Victoria's time Irish regiments were forbidden to display it. At that time it became the custom for civilians to wear a little paper cross colored red and green. As a symbol of Ireland it
has long been integrated into the symbol of the United Kingdom, along with the Rose of England, the Thistle of Scotland, and the Leek of Wales. Today, however, on St. Patrick's Day a member of the British Royal Family presents Shamrocks to the Irish Guards regiment of the British
Army. THE MAGIC SHAMROCK Three is Ireland's magic number - hence the Shamrock. Numbers played an important role in Celtic symbolism. Three was the most sacred and magical number. It multiplies to nine, which is sacred to Brigit. Three may have signified totality
- past, present and future OR behind, before and here OR sky, earth and underworld. Everything good in Ireland comes in threes. The rhythm of story telling in the Irish tradition is based on threefold repetition. This achieves both intensification and exaggeration. Even today in
quality pub talk, a raconteur can rarely resist a third adjective, especially if it means stretching a point. "Three accomplishments well regarded in Ireland: a clever verse, music on the harp, and the art of shaving faces." THE LEPRECHAUN The Leprechaun is
an Irish fairy. He looks like a small, old man (about 2 feet tall), often dressed like a shoemaker, with a cocked hat and a leather apron. According to legend, leprechauns are aloof and unfriendly, live alone, and pass the time making shoes. They also possess a hidden pot of gold. Treasure hunters can often track down a leprechaun by the sound of his shoemaker's hammer. If caught, he can be
forced (with the threat of bodily violence) to reveal the whereabouts of his treasure, but the captor must keep their eyes on him every second. If the captor's eyes leave the leprechaun (and he often tricks them into looking away), he vanishes and all hopes of finding the treasure are lost. Near a misty stream in Ireland in the hollow of a tree Live mystical, magical leprechauns who are clever as can be With their pointed ears, and turned up toes and little coats of green The leprechauns busily make their shoes and try hard not to be seen. Only those who really believe have seen these little elves And if we are all believers - We can surely see for ourselves. (Irish Blessing) THE BLARNEY STONE The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in
the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence (blarney). The castle was built in 1446 by Cormac Laidhiv
McCarthy (Lord of Muskerry) -- its walls are 18 feet thick (necessary to thwart attacks by Cromwellians and William III's troops). Thousands of tourists a year still visit the castle. The origins of the Blarney Stone's magical properties aren't clear, but one legend says that an old woman cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning. Kissing the stone while under the
spell gave the king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly. It's tough to reach the stone -- it's between the main castle wall and the parapet. Kissers have to stretch to their back and bend backward (and downward), holding iron bars for
support.
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Ever wonder what it’s like to wear clear aligners to straighten your teeth? One Invisalign patient explains why she chose this route, what worried her, and how things are turning out.