Tillman Smiles - August 2020

Tillman Smiles - August 2020

August 2020

TILLMAN SMI L E S Summer Fun (and Prizes!) at Tillman Smiles WWW.TILLMANSMILES.COM 817.678.5148

We’re Staying Positive With Vacations, Contests, and More

We’ve all had to give up a lot of things this year. Occasions like big social events and trips abroad have been put on hold, and that has been hard on all of us. However, even when times are tough, my staff and I are always looking for silver linings. This summer, we managed to squeeze in a few vacations close to home, while taking extra health precautions. We’re also running two fun contests at the office to keep things exciting! Staff Fun In The Sun On the vacation front, three of my employees — Yesenia, Jasmine, and Catherine —made time for quick trips this summer. Yesenia took her family to Disney World in Orlando, where they had a blast at the Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. Because of the pandemic, they all had to sanitize their hands before and after each ride, and keep their masks on during their time in the park. Still, Yesenia says that she and her family really enjoyed the trip. Her kids loved Disney, even baby J, who was on vacation for the very first time! Jasmine also traveled to Disney World this summer, although her trip was for her honeymoon, and they also spent time in Tampa. She says she really enjoyed bonding and relaxing with her brand-new husband after the stress of their wedding. Jasmine and her family go to Universal

Will You Help Us Name Our Fish?

Studios every year, but it was her husband’s first visit, which made the trip extra special. They’re already looking forward to going back! Like Yesenia, Jasmine and her husband wore masks in the park, and there were plenty of attendants on hand making sure they were wearing them correctly. Meanwhile, Catherine and her kids opted for a trip to Brazos River in Texas instead of a theme park vacation. They stayed in a private cabin with a big, beautiful porch, and Catherine says she spent a lot of time there relaxing and looking out at the water. They were in a pretty remote area, so they didn’t have to deal with too many COVID-19 restrictions. Catherine and the kids spent their days fishing, boating, and reconnecting with nature. It’s Not Easy Being Green! Speaking of nature, I wanted to give you an update on the bit of nature in the Tillman Smiles office: our fish tank! For the last few weeks, we’ve been fighting back a green algae bloom in our tank, just like the one Nemo and his pals caused in “Finding Nemo.” Luckily, ours doesn’t seem to be the result of a fish rebellion — just a filtration issue. We’ve installed two mean, green, killing machines to fight the bloom, and so far they’re doing the job. While I was working on this issue, though, I realized that We’re taking suggestions through Sept. 1, 2020! Just email us at [email protected] to put your favorite name in the hat.

Jasmine and her husband on vacation.

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my team and I never named the fish in our tank! We’re ready to correct that right now. Will you help us choose a name for our new baby fish? We’re taking suggestions for fabulous fish names through Sept. 1, 2020. Just email us at [email protected] to put your favorite name (or names) in the hat. We will announce the winning name and the creator of the name for our baby sickle fish at the beginning of September on our Facebook page. Go for the Grill While you’re at it, don’t forget to enter our Big Green Egg giveaway if you haven’t yet. There are three easy ways to enter our drawing for the grill:

1. Make a referral. For every friend who makes an appointment and gives us your name, you’ll get 10 entries.

Yesenia and family on vacation, and it’s baby J’s first trip!

2. Leave a review. For every review you write on Google, Facebook, or Yelp, you’ll get three entries. Please use your real name in order to be counted.

I am following in my staff’s footsteps and heading to San Antonio this month for some much-needed relaxation. It’s difficult to step back when things are tough, but sometimes it’s necessary for our mental health. I hope you’re making time to take care of yourself right now, too! I’m looking forward to seeing you when I get back.

3. Visit our office. Every time you come in before Wednesday, Sept. 30, you’ll get one entry.

On Thursday, Oct. 1, we’ll draw a winner and announce the results on our Facebook page. You can follow us there at Facebook.com/ DavidTillmanDDS for updates. Hopefully, these two contests will bring a bit of fun into your summer.

—David Tillman

Turn Your Entryway Into a Command Center Head Back to School Stress-Free

they needed towalk out the door each morning? Believe it or not, it’s possible! And it all starts with turning your home’s entryway into an organized command center. Get hooked on coat racks. Building an entryway command center starts with coat racks. You should have enough hooks for every member of your family to hang their jackets, backpacks, and purses. It’s also good to have some extra hooks just in case. Get your family in the habit of hanging their belongings in the entryway rather than trailing them through the house. Create a clever shoe solution. Keeping your shoes by the door ensures that on busy mornings, the left shoe isn’t in the bedroomwhile the right shoe somehow ended up in the playroom. However, shoes can quickly pile up into a mess of their own. If there’s space in your entryway, cubbies or labeled storage bins are a great solution to make sure each kid has a designated spot for

their shoes. If you don’t have storage space by the door, a wall-mounted coat rack is a great workaround. Install the rack close to the floor and have your kids hang their shoes on the hooks when they come in. To your battle stations, everyone! Make sure each member of your family has a designated spot to put their belongings in the command center, including you. Sure, you might not have homework to keep track of, but what about your keys? Your parent battle station can include a bowl for keys, a tray for newmail, and a calendar to help you monitor your weekly schedule at a glance. Organizing your entryway won’t magically make school mornings stress-free unless you consistently utilize the system. Kids will need to build the habits of leaving their shoes by the door and returning their backpacks to the hooks after they do their homework. So stick to the plan, be patient, and take it one day at a time.

“Has anyone seen my backpack?”

“Dad, did you sign my permission slip?”

“Mom, I can’t find my shoes!”

This is the household anthemheard on school mornings across the United States — a chaotic rush of tracking down shoes, throwing together lunches, and racing to the bus stop. What if there were a stress-free way tomake sure everyone in your family had everything

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Today, dental treatments are faster, easier, and less invasive than ever before. But according to Dental Economics and Healthcare in America, the gains dentistry has made so far are just the beginning. New advances in technology are coming that could revolutionize the field in the next 30 years — including the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI). Today, dentistry is human-centric. Patients rely on their dentists for the most important parts of treatment, including spotting any problems with their teeth. In most offices, it’s also up to the dental staff to get patients scheduled, sort through files, pull up X-rays, and catalog patient information. If you want a second opinion on something, you need to seek out another dentist. In 2050, that might not be the case! Step out of 2020 for a minute. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and leap forward three decades. Cars probably aren’t flying yet, and maybe there isn’t a colony on Mars. But one place you can see change is in the treatment chair. In this futuristic world, you book your appointment with your dentist’s AI software. It networks with your own AI to find the perfect time slot. When you arrive, you’re immediately shown to your treatment room. Real people scan and clean your teeth, but every bit of information is cataloged by a computer. AI programs review your scans, identify and diagnose problem spots, and alert your dentist so they don’t miss them. When your dentist wants to review scans with you, they ask the AI to pull up a certain image, and it does it as quickly as Alexa zeroes in on a song. If you want a second opinion, your dentist can ask their software to check your X-ray readings against those of other dentists around the world. Companies are already creating AI platforms that can do all of these things and more. In fact, this kind of high-tech dental appointment could happen long before 2050! AI will never replace dentists, but it’s an effective tool to help them diagnose patients, and it can also act as a safety net when they’re overworked. If you’re curious about new technologies being explored in the dental world, ask on your next visit — the answers might surprise you. What Will Dentistry Look Like in 2050? How Artificial Intelligence Could Change Dental Visits

Weeknight Curried Apple Pork Chops

Inspired by The Primal Desire

Ingredients

• • • •

2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee

• • •

1/2 cup water or apple juice 2 tbsp hot curry powder 3 cups diced apples (peeled or not, your choice!)

1 cup onion, diced

1 tbsp garlic, crushed 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped

• •

6 pork chops

•

1 tsp salt

Cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions

1.

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large pan over medium heat, melt coconut oil or ghee. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and salt. Sauté for 10

5.

In an oven-safe dish, arrange pork chops, cover with sauce and apple mixture, and cook for 20 minutes (if using bone- in chops, cook for an additional 10 minutes) or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 F.

2.

3.

minutes or until onions are soft andmixture is fragrant. 4. Mix in water or apple juice

and curry powder. Then add apples, ensuring they get coated in sauce.

6. Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!

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Inside

This Issue

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Will You Help Us Name Our Fish?

3 Organization Tools for Stress-Free Mornings

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What Will Dentistry Look Like in 2050? Weeknight Curried Apple Pork Chops Are Your Thrift Store Donations Being Thrown Away?

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Are you thinking about donating your kids’ old clothes or that slow cooker you haven’t used in months? Though donating your unwanted items is a great thing to do, amid the pandemic, many people have not considered the future of secondhand shopping and charity-based thrift stores like Goodwill. In 2018, Goodwill funded nearly $5.3 billion in charitable services, like educational assistance, job training, and work placements. But now, Goodwill and similar organizations are facing a unique problem: They’re receiving too many donations. To prevent your items from ending up in a landfill, consider the following before you donate. Under the circumstances, this situation is understandable. Thanks to nationwide stay-at-home orders, many took advantage of their newfound spare time to spring-clean and subsequently donate unwanted items to charity. However, with the confusion about how long the COVID-19 virus can live on clothing, secondhand shoppers have been staying home, worried about the health risks of buying used goods.

Goodwill’s merchandise, for example, isn’t sold in their stores. Instead, it’s sent to discount outlets and then into global markets. However, Mexican traders, who account for 30% of business at thrift stores close to the U.S. southern border, and Kenya, the world’s largest buyer of unsold secondhand clothes, have stopped buying during the economic shutdown. Meanwhile, some good-intentioned Americans are leaving their goods outside thrift stores’ front doors, not realizing that without enough space to house the excess donations, many of these thrift stores will have to pay disposal fees, costing the business potential revenue and sending your items into local landfills. However, Goodwill still wants your donations! You just might have to hold on to your items for a little bit. Check to see if your local thrift stores are open for donations. Many recommend waiting until the influx slows down, but others have expanded their inventory storage and are ready to keep up. Just make sure to follow their guidelines on acceptable items because any broken or worn items only add to their costs. Happy donating!

Are Your Thrift Store Donations Being Thrown Away?

How to Keep Secondhand Shopping

Eco-Friendly in Changing Times

Famously, thrift stores still keep unsold goods out of landfills. Up to 75% of

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