Anderson Dental Care - February 2022

Anderson Dental Care - February 2022

BRUSH - UP

ANDERSON DENTAL CARE Nathan Brooks, DDS, Inc.

7525 STATE RD., STE. A, CINCINNATI, OH 45255 | 513-438-8152 | WWW.ATOWNDENTAL.COM | FEBRUARY 2022

How Playing Guitar Changed My Life

R From High School, to Dental School, to Our Family Life Many patients don’t know that playing guitar is a huge part of my life — life-changing, really. You could say being a guitar player is partially why I was accepted into dental school! In my application essay, I wrote about how I started playing the guitar, and how it transformed me as a person. Today, I want to tell you a little more of that story. was a great experience, but I just connected more with the guitar. By playing an instrument I’d learned to love all by myself, it was easier to feel re-centered, calm, and energized afterward. It was a perfect way to give myself a mental break.

Playing guitar was also one of the ways I connected with my now- wife, Jessica. I was a guitarist and she was a singer/songwriter. In college, we played a few shows together while dating and early in our marriage. During dental school, we even traveled to a studio in Nashville and recorded our own demo country album. I proposed to Jessica with a song I wrote and recorded and put together with a video. Then, one Christmas when

My mom has been an orchestra teacher for over 35 years, teaching grades 4-12. Naturally, I was required to join the orchestra starting in 4th grade, and we needed more violas, so guess who got to play it? Yes, me! I played viola throughout my school years, and I also became an accomplished pianist. However, in a slightly

rebellious move, I decided to learn to play guitar — just for myself, to have fun and let off steam now and again. Why guitar? In orchestra, guitar wasn’t considered a “string instrument,” and not many pop songs used traditional orchestra instruments. It was perfect for playing whatever music I wanted. My brother found an old acoustic guitar on the side of the road that he let me use to learn, and my grandpa, one of my biggest fans, supported my decision by taking me to my guitar lessons every week for a while. I had an amazing guitar teacher, who’d also taught the lead guitarist of Matchbox Twenty. I learned to

Jessica was pregnant with our first child, I wrote and recorded another song for her called “Momma,” reflecting on the fact that, after playing “mother” as the oldest sister of six siblings, she was going to become a mother of her own kids. Even today, Jessica and I try to enjoy making music together whenever we can, especially when we’re with family. Now that our oldest daughters are learning piano, violin and guitar, we might even form a family band! Everyone needs a hobby, and it doesn’t have to be guitar. But for me, picking up guitar was one of the best things I could’ve done for myself. Sharing your creativity is an unforgettable way of connecting with people — whether

play a lot of different kinds of music, including classical guitar, pop, folk, indie, and more. (Tom Petty, Rob Thomas and John Mayer were some major influences!)

a loved one, a stranger, or just yourself. And fun fact — you can hear two Brooks demo songs on the playlist when you visit our office. Listen for one called “Regret” and one called “Happy.”

Looking back, playing guitar got me through the most difficult points of high school, college, even dental school. Playing viola or piano like my mom taught me

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Yes, Oral pH Matters

BRUSH UP ON CHILDREN’S ORAL HEALTH

3 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

YOUR CHILD MAY NEED SEALANTS. If your dentist recommends sealants to your child, it could mean they noticed your child is prone to decay. A sealant is a dental treatment brushed onto the top of the teeth and is used to prevent tooth decay, cavities, and bacteria build-up. Your dentist could also recommend sealants if there are deep grooves in your child’s teeth that are hard to brush and could harbor bacteria. In addition, sealants may be recommended based on your child’s diet. If your child eats a lot of sugary foods or drinks a lot of soda or juice, sealants will help prevent decay. It’s important to note that sealants don’t last forever. They only last between 3–5 years, but kids can get them more than once if they are prone to decay or have gotten cavities. NOT EVERY KID NEEDS TO SEE A PEDIATRIC DENTIST. Any general dentist can see children, and in our office we love seeing them! A pediatric dentist is helpful if your child has dental anxiety or needs extensive treatment that may be better performed under anesthesia. Regardless of whether your child sees a general dentist or pediatric dentist, it’s crucial for their visits to be good experiences. If not, they may avoid the dentist as they get older, and their oral health will inevitably suffer. If you or your child is uncomfortable with their current dentist, make a change for the sake of their lifelong dental health!

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month! This is a great time to promote healthy oral health habits to your children so they will continue these methods as they grow older. Here are a few strategies you can use with your children to keep their beautiful smiles. BRUSH YOUR CHILDREN’S TEETH. Until a child is 8 or 9 years old, they don’t have the motor skills or muscle strength to brush their own teeth — unfortunately, to the detriment of children’s lifelong oral health, this fact isn’t common knowledge. Children’s little hands sometimes have a hard time maneuvering a toothbrush in their mouth — they aren’t able to reach some of the spaces between their teeth as well as adults can. You may have flossing daily and brushing twice a day down pat as a habit for yourself, but it takes time for hygiene habits to develop in children. By brushing your children’s teeth for them, they will soon understand the importance and the routine of brushing and flossing teeth. It’s recommended that parents should brush their kid’s teeth with a manual toothbrush until a child is at least 8 years old because improper brushing can affect your child’s oral health in the long run. This is because you’re born with your permanent teeth in your mouth; they just haven’t developed yet when you’re a child. As a result, bad oral habits like decay or any other issue can affect your child’s permanent teeth — even if they still have baby teeth.

If you have any questions about how to improve your child’s oral health or need to book an appointment with us, let us know. We will be happy to help you and your family ensure your child has a great dental experience.

When your child can brush and floss their teeth on their own, it’s best to purchase an electric toothbrush for them. These do part of the physical work for your child — the bristles are already moving in the proper directions — so the child need only focus on getting every surface of the tooth.

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3 VALENTINE’S GADGETS FOR LONG-DISTANCE COUPLES

If you’re in a long-distance relationship or friendship, you probably think you’ve tried everything to stay in touch. Texting? Check. FaceTime? Check. Old-fashioned phone calls? Double check! But have you tried high-tech gadgets that can bring you closer without words? This Valentine’s Day, consider treating your romantic partner, or platonic friend, to one of these three handy devices. While these items may be on the pricier side during most of the year, keep an eye out for any holiday sales! THE HEY BRACELETS (FeelHey.com) These paired bracelets look like fitness bands, but they can do a lot more than count your steps! When you activate your bracelet, it will communicate with the band on your partner’s wrist through the HEY app and give it a gentle squeeze to let them know you’re thinking about

them. The bracelets come in classic black or sleek white, are totally weatherproof, and can go for three days between charges.

that communicate different messages. (For example, maybe you agree that pink means, “wish you were here.”) You can also sync more than two lamps to connect with additional people you love.

PILLOW TALK WRISTBANDS (LittleRiot.com/pillow-talk)

This package includes wristbands with heart rate sensors, small speakers, and various cables — for you and your partner! When you sleep, simply wear your wristband and slide your speaker under your pillow. From there, the Pillow Talk app will broadcast your heartbeat to your partner’s speaker in real time! It’s the next best thing to sleeping next to each other. FRIENDSHIP LAMPS (FriendshipLamps.com) Like the Hey Bracelets and Pillow Talk Wristbands, these lamps come in pairs. One goes to you and one to your partner. Tap your lamp, and your partner’s lamp will glow to let them know they’re on your mind. You can even send different colors

ARE THERE STATES THAT DON’T ALLOW SELF-SERVICE GAS? Two states have banned citizens from getting their own gas — New Jersey and Oregon. The purpose of this ban is to protect consumers and gas station owners from costly and dangerous accidents. DO YOUR EARS GROW AS YOU AGE? Your ears are made out of cartilage, which continues to grow until you die. The earlobes also elongate due to gravity, causing your ears to look more prominent. WHEN WAS MUSIC FIRST RECORDED? French scientist Charles Cros was the first to propose a means to record and reproduce sound. However, the first practical device to record and produce music was the mechanical phonograph cylinder, invented by Thomas Edison in 1877. HOW LONG WOULD DNA BE IF IT WERE STRETCHED OUT? Every human has 60–90 trillion cells in their DNA. If you were to stretch it in a line, your DNA would be more than 6 feet long. YOUR MONTHLY NEED-TO-KNOW

Vegan Red Velvet Cake Inspired by LovingItVegan.com

INGREDIENTS • 2 cups flour • 1 cup white

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease baking pans of choice. Line bottoms with parchment paper. (Two 8-inch round pans work best.) 2. In a large bowl, sift flour and mix in sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. 3. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and soy milk. Leave the mixture to sit for about a minute so it can curdle into buttermilk. 4. Add milk mixture, vanilla, oil, vinegar, and food coloring to the flour mixture, stirring well to break up large clumps. 5. Pour batter into pans and bake for 20 minutes. 6. Cool cakes completely before frosting with icing of choice.

granulated sugar 1 tsp baking soda

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1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup soy milk

2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup canola oil

1 tbsp distilled white vinegar 1 tsp red food coloring (gel works best)

•

•

Frosting of choice

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513-438-8152 WWW.ATOWNDENTAL.COM

ANDERSON DENTAL CARE Nathan Brooks, DDS, Inc.

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

7525 STATE RD., STE. A, CINCINNATI, OH 45255

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1 2 3 3 3 4

Playing Guitar Changed My Life — Here’s Why

It’s National Children’s Dental Health Month!

3 Valentine’s Gadgets for Long-Distance Couples

February’s Need-to-Know

Vegan Red Velvet Cake

Eat Smart While Abroad

5 TIPS FOR EATING AT RESTAURANTS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES

Enjoying some food abroad? It can be tough to feel like the odd one out, and restaurant etiquette can vary widely across country borders. Here are five things to keep in mind while exploring the cuisine in new places! CHINA While eating food in China, don’t stick your chopsticks into your meal straight upward. It brings a curse of bad luck since it reminds those in the Chinese culture of the incense that burns at funerals.

allow someone else to do it. When your neighbor’s glass is half-empty, refill their glass, and they’ll return the favor!

ENGLAND Port — a sweet wine that originates from Portugal — is enjoyed in a very specific way in England. It must be continuously passed to the left side of the table until the bottle is finished. If the port is not passed, it’s impolite to ask for it. Instead, someone can ask the person who has it, “Do you know the Bishop of Norwich?” Once they reply they don’t know him, the response goes, “He’s a very good chap, but he always forgets to pass the port.”

It’s also bad luck in many other Asian cultures for similar reasons, including Japan and Korea. When setting down your chopsticks, let them rest on the rims of your rice bowl or on the table. CHILE With the exception of bread, in Chile, you must use utensils for everything you eat! It’s considered bad manners to eat with your hands. Even french fries and pizza are eaten with a knife and fork.

ITALY In Italy, it’s considered a cardinal sin to ask for cheese when it’s not offered to you. If you want to blend in with the locals, don’t ask for extra cheese on your pasta or — even worse — seafood!

EGYPT It’s never acceptable to refill your own beverage while in Egypt. It’s customary to

We hope these tips help you on your next journey abroad! Bon appétit!

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