Flax Dental - October 2020

Flax Dental - October 2020

404-255-9080 | www.flaxdental.com

October 2020

Obsess Over Your Dreams Reflecting on the 138th Birthday of the “Father of the Space Age”

the rush? Well, for me, I wanted to get into dental school a year early because I felt it was my destiny. I’ve found that destiny is a very hard thing to argue against. The bad news is that “destiny” sounds intimidating and too concrete to some people. However, the good news is that you can believe

Dreams shouldn’t be kept locked away in our hearts and minds; they’re the most powerful when we obsess over them.

As someone who once obsessed over becoming an astronaut, let me tell you a story about a famous dreamer. Robert Goddard, the father of the Space Age, was born on Oct. 5, 1882, and was known as a pseudoscience dreamer among the scientific community. Why? He wanted to launch a vehicle into space. People told him that it’d be impossible. Although he would invent truly innovative technology — the very first rockets that’d reach space — it wasn’t until after his death that he gained real acclaim and recognition. It all started when he climbed a tall cherry tree as a 17-year- old and looked toward the night sky. He was transfixed by its glory and his imagination of a device that could reach such faraway places. He later wrote that “I was a different boy when I descended [that] tree.” Goddard kept pictures of the tree and remembered that day annually because the moment spurred his greatest inspiration. While being an astronaut isn’t my dream anymore, we should always keep our inspirations close to heart. As a kid living in Florida, I had an opportunity to attend three different space launches, and I truly believed that the space program was my destiny for some time. It took a lot of evaluations on the demands of astronauts to realize that it didn’t fit my life plans. But, I knew one thing couldn’t change after that: I wanted to dream about a career that’d allow me to aim high. Very high. I didn’t deal with many of the problems that Goddard faced in his career, but I’ve certainly set many lofty goals for myself that I would’ve said were impossible before. For example, I got into dental school early. People thought I was pretty crazy for that, and there was barely anyone else in my class who did it. What’s

you have a destiny anyway and allow that obsession to drive you toward it. My dad used to give me a lot of books and biographies, and I’d read them, wondering what the secret to success could possibly be. One of the books that influenced my mindset the most was “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. He talks about desire — but that desire shouldn’t be vague. It should be definite and precise. You can’t give yourself an “out” or an excuse to reach your dreams. You have to burn your metaphorical boat so once you arrive at the starting point of your journey, you can’t go back. The best way of doing that? Make friends with people who have bigger dreams than you do. Your dreams won’t seem so impossible when you can connect with people who dream and work harder than you could imagine.

These times may make us weary, but I think the world is always a little bit bigger, brighter, and better when we allow ourselves to dream about the future. Don’t be afraid to obsess over those worthwhile dreams. —Hugh Flax

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3 Great Apps to Maintain Your Mental Health at Home

MoodMission (MoodMission.com) If you’re struggling with mental health issues, like anxiety and depression, you may feel like this free, evidence-based app was designed just for you. MoodMission asks you a series of questions to assess how you’re feeling, then suggests a series of “missions” you can complete to help you get into a better state of mind. Missions are short, achievable tasks, like taking a walk around the block or cleaning up a room in your home. Of course, like all the apps listed here, it is not a replacement for professional mental health care, but it offers evidence-based exercises and a level of support that’s not often found in smartphone apps. Talkspace (Talkspace.com) While this app contains a number of mental health tools, its primary purpose is to connect you quickly with one of the company’s thousands of licensed and experienced therapists you can message on a regular basis. Unlike traditional therapy where you schedule an appointment and meet in person, Talkspace allows its user to communicate with their therapist through the app’s encrypted messaging system. It also allows you to request a check-in from your therapist and provides a place for them to upload your therapy notes. Talkspace is more costly than some other apps, but depending on your specific needs, it may be worth it.

When you lead a busy lifestyle, mental health often takes a back seat to other pressing matters. Thankfully, there are a number of easy- to-use apps to help address this concern. Even if you’re pressed for time, these apps can help you maintain your mental health. And if you’re just looking for some simple resources to guide you through mood-boosting exercises, they’ve got you covered there too. Moodfit (GetMoodfit.com) Think of this app as a fitness tracker for your mind. The mood tracker allows you to record your moods and thoughts and follow trends and changes over time. You can look at these trends yourself or set the app to monitor specific areas of your mood. This highly customizable app is packed with tools and resources to help you with your mental health. In addition to the mood tracker, Moodfit offers a range of breathing exercises and a guide to mindfulness meditation.

4 Most Common Health Problems Linked to Oral Health

Brushing Your Teeth Can Help Keep You Healthy for a Lifetime!

Diabetes can also be affected by poor oral health. When your mouth is unhealthy and you can’t eat properly, your blood sugar goes up because inflammation in your mouth makes it harder for your body to control it. The good news is that keeping your oral hygiene in control can help with diabetes. Pregnancy complications, such as an early or low-weight baby, can occur if the expecting mother doesn’t take care of her teeth. (Additionally, changes in hormones can potentially change periodontal conditions.) Arthritis — similar to diabetes — is a two-way street. If your gum health is poor, your arthritis can worsen. However, reducing gum inflammation has been shown to also reduce arthritis pain. There are many other connections between oral health and smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), obesity, and potentially osteoporosis. A happy mouth doesn’t only create a beautiful smile but also a beautifully healthy body. If you have any questions or concerns about how your oral health is affecting you, call your expert team at Flax Dental. We’re more than happy to help!

You might be surprised to learn that heart disease and arthritis have something in common — links to your oral health.

In recent decades, the mouth-body connection is becoming more and more understood within the dentistry field, and this reveals that your oral health has a big impact on your body’s health. When you have acids in your mouth (whether from poor oral hygiene, an acidic or unhealthy diet, conditions like GERD or bulimia, or other reasons), you lose calcium and phosphate on your teeth, weakening them. As harmful bacteria builds up, it leaves your teeth more prone to infection. These infections can develop into periodontitis, a disease that continues to break down your gums and bones.

Unfortunately, that infection can spread to other parts of your body, too.

Heart disease can develop due to the infection of your gums, causing inflammation in your blood vessels. The Mayo Clinic has reported that over 90% of patients with heart disease also have gum disease — potentially due to the fact that they’re both linked to other risk factors like smoking, unhealthy eating, and being overweight.

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Meet Bianca! Her Resume? Administrative Assistant, Fashion Designer, Dog Breeder Staff Spotlight:

Our Best Patients Refer Our Best Patients

“I couldn’t have asked for better. It had been a while since I had been to a dentist. Faith was my hygienist — to say she was talented is an understatement. As a whole, I thought the experience was extremely positive, and I feel lucky to have been referred by my friend.” —Jody White

If you’ve called or walked into our office lately, you’ve likely met Bianca Miller, our administrative assistant! Since the end of January, Bianca has worked at the front desk, answered calls, confirmed appointments, and taken on many other responsibilities to keep the office running smoothly. What you might not know about Bianca is that she’s not only a wonderful part of the Flax Dental team, but she’s also a fashion designer and dog breeder! While Bianca was good at math and science in high school, she always knew she wanted to be creative. Bianca made those dreams a reality by attending Georgia State University for her bachelor’s degree in business, then later attended San Francisco State University for fashion design. For three years, she worked on women’s wear before switching to kids’ fashion. Bianca realized that, beyond stars and stripes, there wasn’t a huge variety for kids. To learn more, she did an internship in New York for nearly a year before coming back to Atlanta. Wait , you’re wondering, what brought her to Flax Dental ? Fashion can be very seasonal, inconsistent work, and while Bianca is still very much hustling in fashion today, she looked for some stable work for the daytime. Her curiosity in science and knowledge of business brought her here! “[Then], I think just learning dentistry was super interesting to me. I didn’t know anything about teeth. Actually learning about implants, different terms, and all the things you can do — especially when you see the patient’s transformation — is amazing,” Bianca tells us. Her constant learning experience at Flax Dental is among her favorite things about being here. Besides fashion and administrative assisting, Bianca and her husband also breed doxin (also known as dachshund or doxen) dogs! In Bianca’s house, they have a whopping 14 dogs. Almost all of them, not counting one German Shepard and a Rottweiler, are beautiful doxins. Bianca is considering starting a pet fashion line to showcase her doxins, considering their unique, long body shape. If you’re stopping by our office or calling in, don’t forget to say “Hi” to Bianca and maybe ask for some dog pictures. Thank you so much for everything you do at Flax Dental and for sharing your fascinating, busy life with us, Bianca!

Spooky

Strawberry Ghosts

These adorable chocolate-dipped strawberry ghosts will be the stars of your Halloween party!

Ingredients

• 16 oz white chocolate, chopped • 24 strawberries • 1 package mini dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the white chocolate at 50% power for 30 seconds. Remove it and stir, then repeat the process until melted.

2. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper.

3. One by one, dip the strawberries into the melted white chocolate and set them on the parchment. Allow the extra chocolate to pool to form a “tail” effect. 4. Before the chocolate coating fully cools, add three mini chocolate chips to each berry to form two eyes and a mouth.

5. Let chocolate set, then serve your spooky snacks!

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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

5673 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd. Ste. 430, Atlanta, GA 30342 404-255-9080 www.flaxdental.com

Want a Brighter, More Confident Smile? Don’t Know Where to Start? Send in Your Pictures and Have a Personalized Zoom Call With Dr. Flax With a FREE Virtual Smile Consultation! Visit: www.flaxdental.com/smile

Inside

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Obsess Over Your Dreams

The Best Mental Health Apps You Can Use From Home

Brushing Helps Protect You From These 4 Common Health Complications

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Meet Bianca!

Spooky Strawberry Ghosts

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When ‘Star Wars’ Invaded Halloween

The Spooky ‘Star Wars’ Shortage of 1977

Wars” costumes than pumpkins. Kids who got their hands on an authentic Han Solo or C-3PO costume were considered lucky. But kids who arrived at the store to find the costume shelves empty didn’t throw in the towel. Instead, they went and found some brown towels to make their own Chewbacca costumes. In the current age of cosplay, homemade costumes based on movie characters are commonplace, but in 1977, this was uncharted territory. Kids searched for white dresses to be Princess Leia and bathrobes they could cut short to mimic Luke Skywalker. Moms everywhere broke out their sewing machines and created costumes using only action figures for reference. It was grueling work, but it showed how much kids wanted to spend Halloween in a galaxy far, far away. The “Star Wars” costume shortage marked a new era for Halloween — one where making your own costume was just as cool, if not better, than buying it.

A long time ago … in October of 1977 to be exact, Halloween was fast approaching and many parents faced a major dilemma. That year, kids didn’t want to go trick-or-treating dressed as vampires, witches, or ghosts. The classic costumes simply wouldn’t do. That Halloween, almost every child in the United States wanted to dress as their favorite character from the new hit movie, “Star Wars.” Today, you can walk into a Halloween City on Oct. 30 and easily pick up a costume for Rey, Darth Vader, or Princess Leia. But in 1977, less than five months after the release of the first movie in the popular franchise, getting your hands on “Star Wars” merchandise was a bit more difficult. Ben Cooper, a costume company in Brooklyn, had the foresight to license “Star Wars” for costumes right after the movie came out. Unfortunately, they didn’t foresee how great the demand for these costumes would be.

Retailers across the country were selling out of “Star Wars” costumes as fast as they came in. Some stores reported selling more “Star

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