Elkins Dental August 2018

Elkins Dental August 2018

FOR A BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY SMILE

ELKINSDENTAL.COM AUGUST 2018

EARLY ATTEMPTS AT GOLF

Chronicles of My Days in Nevada

on the other side. I crossed the stream and approached the waist-high fence to retrieve the ball. As I reached out to grab the fence to jump over, I felt a ZAP! It was electric! From that day on, the golf balls behind that fence were left to the cows. My dad was stationed in Nevada for several more years, and though we eventually gave up our golf endeavors, the community there treated us well. I made a lot of friends during that time in my life. Some went to the same college as I did, and I’m still in contact with a few. In fact, I’ll be visiting one of them with my son, Russell, when we go to New York. I’m looking forward to reconnecting and maybe drumming up a few more memories of my childhood in Nevada.

In fact, it worked out to be a doubly good deal for us. As we cleaned out the garbage, we collected all the aluminum cans tossed in there and turned them in for some extra pocket money.There was also a river — really a wide stream, but it felt bigger to us at that age — that ran through the golf course. It was fairly shallow — only about waist deep — and for one of the holes, your golf ball had to fly over the stream to get to the green on the other side. Many a ball would land in the stream, so my brother and I would wade into it and collect the stray balls.Then we’d sell them back to the golf course. For two kids willing to go in the river, that extra cash was well worth it. We did manage to get into a little trouble here and there.The property that bordered the golf course had cows, and the golf course allowed them to drink from the stream on their property. Well, we learned pretty quickly to let stray balls on that side of the fence stay where they were. One day, a ball went over, landing next to a cow

It seems like it was just yesterday that I played my first round of golf for the season, and now summer is almost over! Well, at least for the kids who have to get back to school — we’ll likely enjoy a couple more months of warm weather here in the Treasure Valley, and I’ll get a few more chances to shake the rust off my swing.That first game after some time off is never going to be the best, but it’s still fun. Getting out on the green took me back to my childhood and our years living in Nevada. We lived just down the road from a golf course, and my brother and I, with our young entrepreneurial minds, worked out a special deal with the owners. We would empty out the golf courses’ garbage cans and clean up the green, and in exchange, they let us golf for free. From age 9–12, I don’t think I ever paid for a golf game. It felt like a great deal to us, and it was probably better than the trouble two young restless boys without stimulation would find themselves in. For a couple summers, we did pretty well for ourselves.

–Dr. Elkins

Elkinsdental.com | 1

JOURNEY TO THE GREAT BACKYARD

and a cooler of food with snacks and dinner. Treat this like a “real” camping experience right from the beginning! FIGURE OUTTHE CAMPFIRE. Don’t have an in-ground fire pit? No worries! You can still enjoy hot dogs and s’mores with a charcoal grill or a store- bought fire pit. If you have enough room in your backyard, you could even try building a bonfire. Just make sure to check your city ordinances and get any necessary permits first. You can find advice for building the perfect campfire at REI.com/learn/expert-advice/campfire-basics.html. REMEMBER: IT’S OKAY TO CALL IT A NIGHT. For kids, the most exciting part of camping in the backyard is getting to sleep in a tent — that is, until they actually have to sleep. After stargazing, some kids will want to stay up all night whispering and giggling in the tent, and that’s great! But other kids might decide they’d rather sleep inside, and that’s okay too. Your camping trip isn’t a failure because everyone spent the night in their own beds. It’s not about where everyone sleeps; it’s about how much fun your family had together before bedtime. The best part of backyard camping? It doesn’t take a lot of planning. Just grab your gear and your family and hike out into the great backyard.

Summer is drawing to a close, but there’s still time to make some great memories. Camping trips are a summer staple. Fortunately, you don’t have to drive hours into the mountains to find the perfect campsite. Your backyard is right there waiting for you! Here are a few tips to help your family say farewell to summer with a perfect backyard camping trip. PACK FOR AN AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE. Your back door is literally a few yards away, which can be great in the event of an emergency. But if the kids are running in and out of the house all night long, they might end up deciding they’d rather be inside playing video games after only an hour. Be sure to pack everything you would need if you were really going into the woods for the night so no one is tempted to go back inside.This means tents, sleeping bags, flashlights, pajamas, books, binoculars, a compass, water bottles,

A Word From

Kalie and Caryn

care. Learning about your health history and having an open, honest conversation is good for everyone! As your dental team, we definitely care about your oral health, but we also care about your whole health. Your oral health can even give us clues about other issues. For example, if a patient hasn’t been diagnosed as diabetic, and we observe oral signs of diabetes, we’ll mention it to you so you can talk to your doctor about what’s going on. It’s why we want to be aware of the comprehensive health history of each of our patients. We often find that when we ask a patient if anything has changed in their health history, they’ll say, “Nothing that affects my teeth.” You may not automatically see the connection between your oral health and your overall health, but it’s there! We really do want to know about your whole health so we can tailor your treatment around it and adapt each reservation to you.

The kind of care we provide often depends on your health history. Medications, medical issues, certain conditions, and even surgeries can determine the type of treatment that’s best for you. The safest dental treatment starts

with an updated medical history. During your very first appointment, our team helps establish this by talking through your health history, including past surgeries, artificial joints, medications, and antibiotics you’re taking. You’ll be actively involved in this process because it’s all about you! We start your dental treatment with all the necessary information in the same way that scientists make decisions based on the >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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