Alborzi Orthodontics - July 2020

235 N. SanMateo Drive, Suite 300 SanMateo, CA 94401-2672 Tel: (650) 342-4171

705 Purissima Half Moon Bay, CA 94019-1934 Tel: (650) 726-6321 Your Smile ~ Our World

July/August 2020

GETTING BACK INTO THE WORLD What I Learned During Quarantine and What I’m Looking Forward To

I hope that by the time all of you are reading this, I will have been able to see some of my patients in person. It seems like the spread of the coronavirus has slowed, which hopefully means I will have reopened my office by now and can get back to treating all of you. I’ve greatly missed the personal interactions I once had with my patients and staff. You’re all like family to me. As excited as I am to be back in the office, however, I also am happy with the work our team has been able to accomplish considering the circumstances. For the past few months, I’ve had two staff members working from their homes to keep our patients updated on their scheduled appointments and keep me updated on my patients’ situations as well. I’ve held virtual consultations with patients, where they sent me photos of their teeth and I evaluated their oral health and discussed their care over the phone. While these circumstances have been far from ideal, those measures have allowed us to reduce the number of patients who come into the office, keeping the environment safe for everyone. It’s also ensured there was little to no interruption to each patient’s treatment schedule. That being said, the quarantine has not been so horrible other than I miss working as usual, and I tried to take advantage of the downtime in as many ways as I could. We’ve

been able to spend more time together as a family, and I’ve really enjoyed eating my son’s cooking! We’ve also made sure to get outside when we can to go for walks around the neighborhood. I’ve also tried to take advantage of my time in quarantine by catching up on a lot of work I’d fallen behind on, which has proved beneficial. The more order in your life, the more productive you can be! At the same time, staying at home has given me the chance to continue my dental education and sharpen my skills as an orthodontist. Since many people are still wary of being out and about in public, I took the opportunity during quarantine to learn how to streamline our patient experience. Even though we are taking every precaution, the last thing I would want is for my patients to feel unsafe in our office.

able to properly take care of you without much interruption to your treatment. We will continue to maintain the quality of care you’ve come to expect from us, as well as maintain your trust as your go-to orthodontic care option. Whether you’re coming into the office for an appointment soon or will be taking advantage of our remote appointment options (learn more on Page 2!), we look forward to seeing you!

To all of you reading this who have been weathering the storm and enduring

your own set of challenges, I just want to encourage you — especially if you’ve been cooped up with your young kids! It’s frustrating and exhausting for so many reasons, but I hope your Invisalign treatment wasn’t one of those reasons. I hope we were

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VIRTUAL APPOINTMENTS ARE HERE TO STAY

While there will come a time when the coronavirus is nothing but a distant memory, it still has the potential to impact how we do business right now and in the near future. Our ability to keep our jobs, provide for our families, and keep the economy running has relied heavily on staying connected through the internet. For some businesses, Alborzi Orthodontics among them, it seems like offering more services and opportunities to work with customers, clients, and patients remotely will become the new norm. Throughout this entire pandemic season, we at Alborzi Orthodontics have done virtual appointments and checkups through Zoom whenever possible. Because of the ease with which we’ve been able to conduct several appointments this way, we’ve decided to continue doing virtual checkups even after the pandemic no longer makes them necessary.

Our hope is that even though we eventually won’t have to worry about social distancing anymore, having a virtual appointment option will make scheduling more convenient. Think of the time you could save commuting to our office!

Don’t get us wrong — if you still want to come into the office for your appointment, if only to visit with us in person, that will still be an option for you. We love having patients in the office for any reason. That said, we know how important it is to give you options that will fit with your busy schedule and lifestyle, and virtual appointments are an option for now and in the foreseeable future. So, if you have an appointment coming up that doesn’t require an in-office procedure or if you just have questions about how virtual appointments work, please give our office a call at (650) 342-4171.

We will continue to hold remote appointments for anything that doesn’t require adjustments or other in-office procedures.

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE: TRANSFORMED SMILES

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? SHOW THIS TO YOUR FRIENDS!

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4 MYTHS ABOUT INVISALIGN DEBUNKED THESE INVISALIGN ‘FACTS’ ARE A LITTLE CROOKED

Myth No. 3: Invisalign is only for adults. While you might think teens will still have to awkwardly make their way through middle and high school with

As with any new technology or treatment in the medical field that seems too good to be true, myths and half-truths will abound, and the case is no different for Invisalign braces. Admittedly, it seems strange that Invisalign can do the work of regular metal braces while letting you forego wires, bands, and constant visits to the dentist. That’s why some of these myths persist even though Invisalign really works. Myth No. 1: Invisalign can’t fix severely crooked bites. You may have heard that Invisalign is only effective at fixing minor dental problems, but that’s not true. Invisalign can fix a number of problems that previously could only be addressed with metal braces, such as gaps, underbites, overbites, crossbites, overcrowding, and alignment issues. Myth No. 2: Invisalign takes longer to fix your smile. It’s actually the other way around — metal braces, on average, take longer to correct your bite than Invisalign braces do. While the average timespan for wearing metal braces is about two years, the average for wearing Invisalign braces is around 12–18 months. Of course, you’ll only correct your bite that fast if you listen to your orthodontist and wear your Invisaligns for around 22 hours a day.

metal braces, they’re actually prime candidates for Invisalign — so long as they’re responsible. Teens whose teeth are fully developed and who remember to take out their aligners while eating or brushing can avoid the dreaded metal mouth while still correcting their smile.

Myth No. 4: All orthodontists are the same when it comes to their

knowledge of Invisalign. As with all professionals, some are better at their work than others. At Alborzi Orthodontics, you have access to Dr. Alexa Alborzi, who has treated hundreds of patients and is considered to be in the top 1% of Invisalign providers in North America. So, if you need the best Invisalign provider around, be sure to give Alborzi Orthodontics a call at (650) 300-5284.

Laugh Out

LOUD!

Ingredients • 1 tsp salt • 1/4 tsp pepper • 1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning • 1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced • 2 lbs assorted vegetables, trimmed and halved (asparagus, mushrooms, red onion, red bell peppers, baby carrots, and yellow squash are great on the grill) THE BEST GRILLED SUMMER VEGETABLES

• 5 tbsp olive oil • 2 tbsp lemon juice • 1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped

Directions 1. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic.

2. Brush vegetables with olive oil and place in a large bowl. Top with lemon juice and seasoning mixture. Toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes but no longer than 2 hours. 3. Prepare the grill at medium-high heat. 4. Grill vegetables in batches, cooking 3–5 minutes on each side until browned and tender. (Carrots will cook longer, 6–9 minutes per side.) 5. Remove from the grill, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot.

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Give us a call! TEL: (650) 342-4171 FAX (650) 342-8748

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

235 N. SAN MATEO DRIVE, SUITE 300 SAN MATEO, CA 94401-2672

Getting Back Into the World PAGE 1 Virtual Appointments Are Here to Stay Winning at Alborzi Orthodontics PAGE 2 4 Myths About Invisalign Debunked The Secret to Delicious Grilled Veggies PAGE 3 3 Travel Destinations Where Photos Are a No-Go PAGE 4 Issue INSIDE THIS

NO PHOTOS ALLOWED

What is traveling without taking photos? With the

excellent cameras on our smartphones and endless platforms to share our snapshots on, we’re taking more pictures than ever. But did you know there are certain destinations where visitors are not allowed to take photos? Here are three places where you must put the camera away. The Eiffel Tower Right now, you’re probably thinking about all the pictures of the Eiffel Tower you’ve seen or even taken yourself. After all, the Eiffel Tower is one of the most popular tourist spots in the world, but under French law, taking a photo of the Eiffel Tower at night — and then distributing that photo — is illegal. That includes posting the picture to social media. French officials can send you a cease-and- desist order if they find your night photo because the tower’s nighttime light display is copyrighted. It was installed by French

artist Pierre Bideau who owns the rights to the display. Do French officials search the web for your vacation photos? No, but they can take action if it’s brought to their attention. The Sistine Chapel While the Sistine Chapel may be home to incredible works of art originally painted by Michelangelo, it is also a place of worship, and the Vatican considers it disrespectful to photograph such a holy place. However, there’s more to the story. In 1980, Japan’s Nippon Television Network Corporation bought exclusive rights to all photos and videos of the interior of the chapel because they funded the renovation of the chapel. While the Japanese corporation no longer holds these rights, the Vatican maintains the “no photos” rule.

Uluru Also known as Ayers Rock, Uluru is one of the largest sandstone rock formations in the world. Located in the middle of Australia, Uluru is highly regarded by the Anangu Aboriginal people who call the region home. Photography around parts of the rock is forbidden out of respect for the Anangu people’s beliefs, specifically Tjukurpa , or the time when the world was created. Certain areas around Uluru are used for gender-specific rituals, and as a result, members of the opposite sex must never see these locales, including in photos. The Anangu say the restriction of photography ensures they adhere to their beliefs and never lay eyes on these sacred spots, even accidentally through a photograph.

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