Briarfield Dental Care - October/November 2021

Briarfield Dental Care - October/November 2021

Oct/Nov 2021

Dr. Stuckey Reflects on Beloved Children’s Shows What Did You Watch Growing Up?

“Sesame Street” debuted on Nov. 10, 1969, and after more than 50 years, it’s still going strong. While the show was a little too late to make it into my own rotation of childhood television favorites, there’s no denying its cultural significance, and my daughter was a big fan. It got me thinking about my own favorite TV shows from when I was a kid. “Captain Kangaroo” was probably at the top of my list. In addition to the Captain, the show featured Mr. Green Jeans, Mr. Bunny Rabbit, and the Banana Man. Captain Kangaroo had a pageboy haircut and a moustache, and he was a bit of a character. The show felt pretty freewheeling, and you never knew quite what you would get when you tuned in. I also watched a lot of public access. One show, called “The Uncle Al Show,” broadcast out of Cincinnati. Uncle Al played an accordion and sang, and he had a very attractive sidekick named Captain Wendy. As a result, my dad kind of liked watching that show, too. Later on, I enjoyed a daily after-school program (out of Dayton, Ohio) called “The Uncle Orrie Show.” They broadcast it live with lots of kids in the audience. Once, as a Cub Scout, I visited one of the live tapings. I was pretty disappointed to learn that the real Uncle Orrie was a grumpy old man who

didn’t seem to like children very much, but once the camera came on, Uncle Orrie was the best.

I loved another local show called “Clubhouse 22,” which featured a young man named Malcolm as the host, a giant dog, and a puppet named Stan the Man whose head looked like a hamburger. What can I say — it was the 1970’s. Looking back, Malcolm was probably stoned most of the time, and Stan would get him laughing so hard that he couldn’t speak and would need to cut to commercial. Seeing how the hamburger would make Malcolm lose it was my favorite part of the show. Once I had kids of my own, their TV shows had a constant presence in the household. When they were little, they loved “Eureeka’s Castle,” and I got a bit of a kick out of it, too. Eureeka was a sorceress in training, and her sidekicks were Batley the bat, Magellan the dragon, and Bog and Quagmire the “Moat Twins.” The kids’ favorite was probably “Blue’s Clues,” which was a great show and a cultural touchstone for many. We still sing the “we just got a letter” line sometimes, and it always brings back memories. As they got older, the boys got into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Power Rangers, and of course, Pokémon. My favorite of their shows was the cartoon “Animaniacs.” The show seemed actually fairly adult, but the kids loved it, and they had stuffed animals of the main characters: Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. I enjoyed sitting down and watching that one with the kids (though not for the same reason my dad liked “The Uncle Al Show”). Pretty soon, my wife and I will get to learn all about a whole new generation of children’s entertainment, because we’re expecting our first grandchild! The baby is due in March, and we couldn’t be happier for our son and daughter-in-law, Kevin and Kaity. We’re looking forward to becoming grandparents and spoiling our grandchildren — and then, thankfully, giving them back when we’re done. Who knows what their favorites will be? Will they love “Sesame Street” or become huge fans of “Frozen”? Maybe they’ll be into superheroes or some new show that hasn’t even started. Whatever it is, I can’t wait to find out.

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Self-Help Books Can’t Do It All

How Reading Fiction Can Benefit You

Less Stress and Better Sleep When we read fiction specifically, we tend to disengage from the world — and that’s a good thing! Our brains can’t always be functioning at their peak capacity. We need breaks, or else we’ll stress ourselves out and negatively affect other areas of our lives. Stress tends to keep us from sound sleep, but reading fiction before bed engages the imagination, taking us away from the stresses of everyday life before we drift off. More Comfort With Uncertainty Even though many stories (particularly those portrayed in popular movies) have nice happy endings, most people would agree that life sometimes leaves things a little more open- ended. While this fact might stress out some people, researchers have discovered that fiction readers don’t need “cognitive closure” as much as nonfiction readers.

Greater Happiness Even if none of the benefits of fiction interest you, everyone wants to find ways to make themselves happy — and for many, that is reading fiction. According to one survey, 76% of participants said that reading makes them feel good and improves their lives. So, what are you waiting for? Dust off that novel you’ve been meaning to read and crack it open!

Many CEOs and other successful individuals continually espouse the benefits of regular reading. Many times, leaders read self-help books to improve their leadership skills and become more successful. This is all well and good, but even the most successful people in the world could be missing out on the unique benefits that come specifically from reading fiction. But what are those benefits exactly? Greater Empathy When a psychologist analyzed 86 functioning MRI (fMRI) studies, he found that the same parts of the brain that fire up when reading fictional stories also fire up when we’re seeking to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. That’s because when the characters in the book we’re reading are thinking or feeling a certain way, we tend to think or feel that way with them.

DENTAL INSURANCE Use It or Lose It

Believe it or not, the end of the year is almost here. For most people, that means the end of their yearly health plan as well.

Most dental insurance plans expire on Dec. 31, so you’ve probably got limited time to use your benefits. While you likely plan to remain covered next year, that doesn’t mean you should let your current benefits expire without taking advantage of them. Here are four good reasons to use your dental insurance before it’s too late. Yearly Maximum Benefit: It’s your insurance, and you’ve paid for the premiums no matter how much or how little usage you’ve gotten. Since you’ve already spent the money, you might as well get what you paid for. Whether it’s a cleaning, X-rays, or a more-involved procedure you’ve been putting off, get your money’s worth by using as close to your maximum benefit as possible. New Deductible: If your dental plan has a deductible, you have to pay that amount before your insurance starts paying for any of your care. Next year, you’ll be back at square one and need to meet the new deductible all over again. If you’ve already met your deductible this year, now is the perfect time to get any treatment you need — before you have to pay more out of pocket. Premium Increases: Unfortunately, insurance costs tend to go up year after year, and deductibles and copays often increase with them. That means you will end up paying more as time goes on. See a dentist now, before your costs go up. Flexible Spending Account : If you have a flexible spending account (FSA), you probably know you need to use all the money you’ve put into the account before the end of the year, or it’s gone forever. If you’ve still got a few dollars burning a hole in your FSA, dental care is a great way to do something for your wallet and your health at the same time. If you have benefits to use before the year is up, please give us a call as soon as possible. Appointments are limited, but we would love to get you on the calendar. Let us help you get the most out of your insurance — and improve your smile all in the same visit.

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Without Taking Away Their Candy How to Protect Your Child’s Dental Health on Halloween

Almost anyone older than the age of 5 could probably tell you that eating too much candy isn’t good for your teeth — and what is Halloween if not a day solely devoted to giving kids way too much candy? Now, simply telling your child they can’t eat any candy at all wouldn’t be any fun, and it’s also an unrealistic expectation to have for Halloween. But if you want to keep your child from getting cavities and still let them enjoy their trick-or-treating spoils, here are a few tips. Eat dinner before trick-or-treating. If you want to prevent your kids from eating their way through most of their candy all on Halloween night, eating dinner before heading out into the neighborhood is a great way to curb Don’t Miss Kids’ Day Have you heard about Kids’ Day? Once a month, Briarfield Dental Care throws a special celebration focused exclusively on our youngest patients. The office is transformed with fun decorations, and there are lots of prizes for kids who come in to join the fun. Plus, we have special spin brushes and offers on sealants and mouthguards only available during Kids’ Day. Oct. 28 Halloween Nov. 18 Football: OSU vs. MI Dec. 29 New Years’ Party Jan. 17 Winter/Disney’s “Frozen” Feb. 21 Western: Cowboys and Cowgirls

their appetite. If they’re not super hungry, they probably won’t eat as much candy.

you make your kids wait to eat their candy until mealtime, the production of saliva will help wash away the sugars that would otherwise harm your child’s teeth. Avoid certain candies if you can. All candy has a lot of sugar, but certain candies tend to stick on the teeth and cause more problems than others. Taffies, caramels, and hard candy can linger on the teeth for much longer than chocolate, so if you want to limit your child’s candy, taking those out of their stash would be a good move.

Ration out the candy. Even if your kids don’t eat all of their candy on Halloween night, that means they could just eat it all on another day. So, it might be a good idea to limit their daily candy count; let them take a few pieces of it with them to school as a part of their lunch or let them have some as dessert with their dinner. Have them eat their candy with meals. When you just eat candy by itself, the sugar has more opportunities to stick around, causing tooth decay and plaque to grow. However, if

We hope you’ll have a fun, safe Halloween that’s good for your smile!

Dr. Stuckey’s Playlist

My Top 20 Albums As you know, I generally use my playlist to highlight one of my favorite artists. This time around, I thought I’d throw a curveball and share my all-time favorite albums instead.

#20 Snow Patrol, “Eyes Open” #19 Counting Crows, “August and Everything After” #18 Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, “Spirit of Music” #17 Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Stadium Arcadium” #16 AC/DC, “Back in Black” #15 Hootie & the Blowfish, “Cracked Rear View”

I listen to a wide variety of music, and I have countless records, cassette tapes, and CDs. My original plan was to share my top 10 albums, but I couldn’t choose only 10. My first attempt to compile this list had 42 entries; in the end, I narrowed it down to 20. These are albums that I can listen to over and over again without skipping any songs. Without further ado, I present the second half of my favorite LP list.

#14 Sonia Dada, “A Day at the Beachl” #13 Jackson Browne, “The Pretender” #12 Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” #11 David Bowie, “Let’s Dance”

Make sure to check out our next edition, where I’ll share the fist half, 1–10. You may wind up being surprised by my all-time favorite selection — my entire family sure was.

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3550 Briarfield Blvd, Suite 100 Maumee, OH 43537

Congratulations on winning the Zoo contest, Ridge Miller and Breanna Vrooman!

Dr. Stuckey’s Childhood TV Favorites

The Unique Benefits of Reading Fiction Dental Insurance: Use It or Lose It

How to Protect Your Child’s Dental Health This Halloween

Dr. Stuckey’s Favorite Albums

Want to Win Toledo Walleye Tickets?

Refer Your Friends and Family

And Enter to Win Rinkside Toledo Walleye Tickets!

If you ask us, winter in Northern Ohio just isn’t the same without going to a Toledo Walleye game. The sights and sounds of a hockey game are something every kid should get to experience at least once, and adult fans know there’s nothing else like the buzz of a live game. Since the league

•

Two replica Toledo Walleye jerseys

• $50 in Walleye Money to redeem at any fanwear or food and beverage location • Video board recognition during the game • VIP transportation to and from the game (within a 15-mile radius of Huntington Center)

took a break last year due to the pandemic, we expect that this season will be extra special for all the fans who are going back to the arena. Briarfield Dental Center has decided to get in on the fun, and if you win our latest referral contest, you’ll receive rinkside seats to a local game! Even better, the prize doesn’t stop at your admission. You’ll get a whole VIP experience — including transportation, swag, and your name on the board. Because if you’re going to the game, why not do it in style?

How do you enter? To enter our referral contest, start promoting Briarfield Dental Care to your friends and family. Any time a new patient gives us your name, you will receive two entries into the drawing. The more people you refer, the better your chances of winning! We’re also offering one entry for reviews submitted on Google or Facebook.

We’ll accept drawing entries until Nov. 30 and draw the winner on Dec. 1. Don’t miss out on your chance to win! Refer your friends and family today!

What do you win? •

Two game tickets for Jan. 15, 2022 — on the glass, right between the team benches

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