Robinson Dental - February 2022

Robinson Dental - February 2022

Dental Digest WAYLAND •899 Reno Drive •Wayland, MI •49348 •269-509-4155

COOPERSVILLE •502 W. Randall St. •Coopersville, MI •49404•616-384-4129

FEBRUARY 2022

Meet Tiffany, Our Dental Assistant With 12 Years of Experience! Living My Best Life as a Dental Assistant

Hi everyone! I’m Tiffany, a certified dental assistant at Robinson Dental. Ever since I started working here three years ago in March, my role has been to ensure all patients are taken care of, from the moment their appointment starts to the moment it ends. I’ve been working as a dental assistant for over 12 years now, but with my original career path, I would have never expected to work in dental. I went to college to study psychology and worked as a waitress at the same time. I liked taking care of people — but then, a friend told me about how great her internship was for a dental practice. I had dental fears and anxiety, so I’d never even considered working in a dental practice myself.

However, I applied, and once accepted, I realized this career was both different from anything I’d ever done before and better than I’d ever expected it to be. When I took my first class, the instructor expressed so much inspiring enthusiasm for this field that I quickly understood why. I fell in love with my new career then and there. While dental assistants certainly assist the doctors, it’s also a highly independent job. We greet the patient and work with them to perform their teeth cleaning, catch up on their current health, and hear about all the new exciting things they’re looking forward to or maybe even the stressful things they need to vent about. In many cases —

Not long ago, I had a new patient come to us with the goal of having a beautiful smile in time for her wedding anniversary pictures with her husband. When she first came in, she was crying and afraid for the treatment she needed. When COVID-19 hit, I gave her my number and we texted about anything she needed, especially emotional support during her most fearful moments in the lockdown transitions. Now, as a regular patient for cleanings with finished implants, she’s so happy with her results as well as excited to come in and see me!

“As someone who had dental anxiety in the past, I love helping patients work through their fear and sources of anxiety so we can keep their oral health and overall health in the best condition possible.”

Patients like her make me really love my job. Outside of work, however, I also love spending

especially those with fear of dentists — it can be easier for patients to open up to a dental assistant than a dentist, simply because they spend a longer period of time with the assistant. I’ve been amazed these past 12 years just how rewarding our work as dental assistants can be. As someone who had dental anxiety in the past, I love helping patients work through their fear and sources of anxiety so we can keep their oral health and overall health in the best condition possible. I’m also thrilled to work at Robinson Dental, where our commitment to quality service is truly patient-first. Staff are always happy to help and accommodate patients, and they’ve created a dedicated work environment where staff feel heard and supported in whatever they do for our patients.

time with family! My high school sweetheart and I have been married for 25 years, and we have two daughters, a 19-year-old and a 6-year-old. We moved back to my hometown in 2020 and now live on a farm with some animals. Our goal is to become more self-sufficient in 2022 and go to the grocery store less and less for our daily food needs. Being in the dental field and enjoying my family in our new farm life, I feel like I’m happily living my best life. I couldn’t be more grateful to Robinson Dental for taking me on! Thanks for reading, and don’t be shy to say hello if you see me around!

–Tiffany Lewis

1

616-384-4129

To Bring Peace to Your Kitchen 3 FRIDGE HACKS

We all have our favorite ways to organize, but there may be one thing you’re organizing completely incorrectly: your refrigerator. It’s not just about aesthetics! A properly organized fridge can prevent food from spoiling, help you find items faster, and allow you to store more. Try these tips for fridge success. Store produce properly. There are a lot of myths surrounding what you should or shouldn’t do to properly store your produce, but there are a few basics you can abide by. For starters, store your fruits and vegetables separately. Fruits emit a gas that can cause vegetables to spoil faster. Furthermore, store these products near the front of your fridge or in a place where you will regularly notice them. This will encourage you to use the products faster — and prevent you from forgetting about them. Remove products from packaging. Individually wrapped products make packing lunches easy, but they can be a hassle to store in the fridge when kept inside bulky boxes. Instead, line up your yogurts, string cheese, hummus, juice boxes,

sodas, and other individually wrapped products along the shelves of your fridge or in refrigerator bins. This will eliminate the clutter of the packaging from your fridge and provide more space. Pro Tip: For a more eco-friendly option, stop buying individually packaged items! Opt for bulk or larger products instead and measure out serving sizes into small glass or reusable containers. Arrange these like you would the other products! Invest in refrigerator bins. Storage bins for your fridge are all the rage right now, and there might be a reason for that. Refrigerator bins are clear and rigid in shape, which means items store and organize easier in your fridge. You can fill one with yogurt, another with eggs, and a third with fruit without worrying how the shapes of these products will fit into your fridge space. This allows you to have more control over your refrigerator. If you want to get more out of your fridge, check out the manual! It will include proper ways to utilize your refrigerator storage and settings.

Do Wisdom Teeth Affect Your Oral Health? YES — HERE’S A SHORT GUIDE ON WHY

HowWisdom Teeth Impact Your Oral Health Most wisdom teeth don’t form until around the age of 10 and don’t emerge until early adulthood. This means our dentists will have plenty of time to monitor the angles of each individual wisdom tooth and determine whether there’s enough space in your jaw to accommodate the extra teeth. When wisdom teeth don’t have room to properly emerge through the gum line, they can come in at odd angles or even horizontally. In other words, crooked wisdom teeth can cause a lot of damage to your smile and undo years of orthodontic or cosmetic dental work. They can also cause pain and infection. A crooked wisdom tooth must be removed as soon as possible. If your jawbone is too small to accommodate them, these teeth may become trapped under the surface of the gums or may only partially erupt. Thankfully, our dentists will recommend wisdom tooth removal before this happens! However, each patient’s dental history is unique, and not everyone will grow crooked wisdom teeth or require extraction. So, if you’re concerned about your wisdom teeth, give us a call and get them removed if needed before the spring and summer fun gets started!

Wisdom teeth are the large flat teeth at the very back of your mouth. They’re the third set of molars and the last teeth to come in. Did you know that some people never actually develop them? Everyone else will most likely get theirs pulled sometime in their teenage years or their early 20s.

But why do they need to be pulled at all? What effect do they have on one’s oral health?

The History of Wisdom Teeth The most popular theory looks to the food our distant ancestors ate for answers. Our ancestors ate a much different diet than the soft foods we eat today. They lived off mostly roots, raw meat, and tough plants. To help them grind these tough foods, they had a third set of molars and larger jaws to accommodate the extra teeth. Today, humans have smaller jaws and eat much softer foods. However, despite not having the space for them, our genetic code still produces wisdom teeth.

2

RobinsonDental.org

To Our New Patients:We Appreciate You!

Kiara B. Ross B. Cody C. Richard D. Molly G. Crystal H. Nancy H.

Riley J. Andrew K. Alivia W. Kenneth A. Jennifer C. Sullivan C. Jodi D. Kevin D. Gary H. Maritza H. Nancy J. Christina K. Ezra K. Isaac K. Nathan N. Mary N. Nicole S. Emily V. Sarah W. Henry A. Ella B. Jacob B. Ember B. Lawrence B. Victoria C. Michael C. Rae C. Mason E. Kathy H. Mark O. Alexis S. Melissa W. Amariana C. Ezekiel C. Dan D. Shayla F. Ryan G. Jeremy M.

Austin M. Merary P. Bruce P. Bianca S. Alma V. Andrew V. Karter W. Kole W. Dawn B. Emilee F. Deptree H. Martin L. Daniel M. Keegan S. Suellem S. Austin A. Gidi B. Aiden E. Nolan E. Pam H. Amethyst K. Emmett K. Kiersten M. Adam M. Rozalin T. Scott V. Justin B. Melanie D. Kenneth F. Mendie H. Ashlin H. Brittin H. Kailey L. Larry L. Antoinette M. Jaiden R. Ava S. Beau S.

Sarah S. Joshua Q. Jenna A. Samantha D. Jayla K. Melissa M. Alexandria N. Calleigh P. James P. Levi S. Shelley S.

Colleen K. Cynthia R. Christine S. Lori S. Sierra T. Ryan M. David K. Aubrey G. Jamie D. Randy D. Marcus D. Jaylah T. James R. Elhyssa R. Kymberli N. Chad M. Garry M. Joshua C. Stacey C. Time M. Anthony N. Richard P. Shasta R. Bryan S. Justin S. Logan W. Amanda A. Merleen B. Audrey B. Mckenzie B. Wyantt B. Caleb C. Jacob C. Asher D. Nicholas F.

Janet R. Melissa S. Keira C. Stephanie D. AmeriDesean J. Willow K. James L. Eimy M. Michael M. Claira P. Joseph P. Christina W. Jared K. Courtney J. Emilia G. Cassandra C. Benjamin S. David K. Timothy H. Cathy H. Audreanna S. Isbella M.

James I. Todd K.

Susan M. Allyssa P. Robert P. Vanessa R. Lisa S. Breale S. Cyrus S. Douglas U.

Kristen T. Frandk B. Amelia D. Crystal D. Erik D. Bruce D.

Daniel A. Kaylee C. Sophia F. Benjamin J. Rosemarie M. William M. Marly N. Larry R. David S. Beth T. Carol W. Gary W. Holly W. Benjamin C. Josiah C. Tina C.

Meghan F. Hannah J. Nathan J. Brandon M. Corrine R. Heather S. Erica W. Ryan W. Eason F. Emma F. Breanna G. Wyatt G. Bobbi H. Ethan H. Travis M. Brett N. Fernando O. Zackery D.

Elliana J. Corbin J. Ryley F.

Ayden F. Brady C. Yoheli V. Edwin V. Gretchen V. Jaclyn S. Ann K. Katelynn H. Dereck S. Adelynn S. Quinn P.

Brnedon D. Timothy H. Heath H. Al H. Allison J.

Kelly D. Laykin J. Ryker J.

Aaron J. Kayla K. Schott L.

3

616-384-4129

502 W. Randall St. Coopersville, MI 49404 RobinsonDental.org

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

Inside THIS ISSUE How One Dental Assistant Leads Her Best Life

1

Properly Organize Your Fridge Why Wisdom Teeth Affect Your Oral Health

2

We Appreciate Our New Patients!

3

Celebrate Valentine’s Day With Your Kids

4

Celebrate Valentine’s Day WithYour Little Sweethearts

Bake Valentine’s Day goodies together.

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for adults. Let your kids know they are the most important loves in your life with these sweet, inexpensive ideas that the whole family can enjoy! Your children will remember these traditions for years to come. Make a special Valentine’s Day breakfast. Guess what? Pink pancakes, pink milk, and even pink eggs are a thing! With strawberry milk, food coloring and strawberries in the pancakes, and food coloring in the eggs, you’ll have an effortless and special breakfast for the little ones.

What’s better than baking with your little ones? If you are short on time, you can find premade dough, usually with a Valentine’s Day theme. Or, you can try out your skills with heart-shaped cookie cutters and sprinkles. It can get messy, but it’s certainly worth it! Wrap up a small Valentine’s Day gift. Whether it’s a Valentine’s Day outfit, candy, a teddy bear, or a necklace, it doesn’t have to be big or costly! Your children will enjoy feeling the love, and they’ll be excited to get something new. Don’t forget to have fun with the wrapping! Most stores have Valentine’s Day gift bags and wrapping paper around this time of year.

Tip: Set the table the night before after the kids go to bed to make serving Valentine’s Day breakfast easier the next morning.

Create Valentine’s Day cards for each kid. Tell your children all of your favorite things about them with their own personalized cards. There are so many ways you can get crafty with construction paper and glitter. Your kids are sure to love getting mommy-made or daddy-made one-of-a-kind valentines.

Your baby valentines have stolen your heart — make sure they know it by spreading the love! Happy Valentine’s Day!

4

RobinsonDental.org