Having “A Look under the Hood,” or What to Expect from a Dental Exam!

            It is simple human nature to put off anything we don’t like.  Many people who faithfully change the oil in their car on a regular basis will avoid scheduling routine dental healthcare for themselves.  But maintenance of your very own mouth is one of the most important routines you can establish! It’s one of the basics of overall health: as we mature, it can become the deciding factor in maintaining health and even life itself.  How should you get started?      

         First, find a dentist whose philosophy makes a difference to you, based on such criteria as experience, education, overall expertise or approach to medicine.  Choose a practitioner who makes you comfortable about asking questions, who encourages you to understand the mechanics of your mouth.  Just like we invest time in selecting the car that will dependably take us where we need to go, we should give thought to our choice of who is providing our healthcare.         

        A thorough exam enables your dentist to make the best recommendations for you as an individual. After all, no two people are the same, and good dentistry takes that into account. There are several key elements to look for in an exam, starting with a detailed review of your personal medical history and lifestyle.  For example, many conditions such as diabetes or heart problems are strongly linked to your dental health.  Pregnancy can be profoundly affected by the condition of the mother’s mouth.  Your diet, allergies, medications, activity level and other lifestyle choices also influence your teeth and gums.           

       The dentist will make a visual evaluation of your mouth, too.  Besides making notes on any build-up of tartar and obvious cavities, the dentist will be looking for suspicious-looking areas that might be precancerous or need further tests.           

        Next, a full mouth set of x-rays, usually 18 different views, will be taken.  These show the teeth above and below the gumline, as well as a portion of the bone in the jaws.  This creates a picture of the extent of any cavities or other defects.  If the dentist sees any reason for concern, other x-rays may be in order.  What we are looking for, however, is the underlying cause of any problems you may have.           

        A thorough exam also includes impressions of both the upper and lower teeth and gums in order to see how the teeth work together.  Just stacking the resulting models together won’t tell the whole story, so the models are mounted on a tool called an articulator to demonstrate the true interaction of your jaws.  Measurements taken with a device called a face-bow, when paired with the models on the articulator, can accurately show just how your unique dental and cranial anatomy functions.  This is very important, for example, if you have frequent or chronic headaches.  Knowing how your teeth and jaws fit, and if there are any flaws or problems that need correction, can reveal key solutions to decades of discomfort!  Just imagine the bumpy ride you’d have if you had three wheels of one size on your car, and another one of a different size.  You’d change that off-size tire, wouldn’t you?           

       Intraoral photos taken during the exam will show you, as the owner of your mouth, just what the dentist sees and if there is cause for concern.  When all of the pieces of information are fitted together, a treatment plan is made, which is a roadmap of care created just for you.  Maybe routine maintenance care is all you will need; if problems need to be fixed, now you have a plan of how to fix them.  You can hit the road with confidence knowing that you are taking the best route to good health! © 2009 Tor Gotun                                                                                   

Tor Gotun, DDS, MAGD, Cand.Odont.    info@austinsmilecreations.com  512-329-5555     

You need to have an advocate!

You need to have an advocate!

Here’s a story and why you need allies in life and your business. When my father was in the hospital for a kidney transplant and died due to complications, I told my mother not to pay “any” bills till we were able to review them. My dad spent the last 21 days in a hospital, and was billed 500K. The hospital sent my mother a bill for 93K dollars. We can say we were in shock, since my father had health and supplemental insurance.

I spoke to one of my clients with Your Local City, Lynn and Harry Shank. They are with Texas Assurance Care, and they have been handling my mother’s assets and investments. The first thing they told me after I explained what was going on, was for her to send them the invoice and all paper work that the hospital received for payment from the insurance company.

They knew something was wrong, and reviewed how the invoice was keyed into the system and rekeyed into the hospital system. There is some method where accounts payable and accounts receivables are key. Is it for efficiency? Is it that each system doesn’t understand the nomenclature of the other? Or is it to cause confusion for the client?

Because of the hard work from Lynn and Harry, that bill of 93K went down to $5.50.

I’m not kidding in the least bit. Lynn and Harry always say, their clients are lifelong clients and that they are advocates to their clients.

My amazement and disgust of this type of insurance practice has be speechless.

Protect your self.

Call Lynn and Harry for your investment and retirement needs. They deal in Long Term Care and Annuities, so that your estate is at minimum risk and that you keep as much of your assets as possible. They have become good reliable friends and really have been there for my family at my greatest need.

Texas Assurance Care

Lynn and Harry Shank

512-343-5400

txassurancecare.com

Michael Hofmann

CTO Your Local City

Dancing for Exercise Equals Less Stress

The same regular dance routines that will help you build muscle and prevent disease can also help you manage stress.  According to the Mayo clinic, regular dancing activities bump up the production of your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins.  Although this function is often referred to as runner’s high, dancing can also produce this same feel good feeling.

Dancing is meditation in motion.  After a good dance exercise you may find that you’ve forgotten the day’s problems and irritations because you are concentrated only on your body’s movements and the music.  As you begin to regularly shed your daily tensions through the movement, music, and physical activity, you may find that this focus on a single task, and the resulting energy and optimism, can help you remain calm and clear in everything you do.

Dancing also improves your mood.  Regular exercise can increase self-confidence and lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety.  Going out to dance regularly can ease your stress levels and give you a sense of command of your body and your life.  It has huge social benefits.  Most often the physical activity of dancing involves others and gives you a double dose of stress-relief with the combined benefits of exercise and fun with friends.

A dance studio is the perfect environment to be in at the end of the day.  Dancing just a couple of times a week to start can begin to increase your energy levels and allow you to be less tired throughout your day.  Local dance studios offer beginner’s classes almost everyday of the week.  Set aside time in your schedule and try to stick with the plan.  Commit to taking a once weekly dance class alone or with a partner for a month, and see how you feel.  Dancing your way to a better physical and emotional you can be one of the best new things you’ve ever tried!

Jim Stein enjoyed a twenty year career as a dancer with Boston Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Ballet Austin.  He is the Fitness director at the Dance Institute located on 6612 Sitio Del Rio in the Four Points area.

danceinstitute.com

The Law of Subtraction

How many years, how many times have I asked GUS (That’s God/Universe/Higher Self) to help me lose weight? Only all my life!

I’ve never actually been very much overweight, living most of my life at the higher end of “ideal”. But a few years ago, I gained 15 pounds suddenly and for no apparent reason. I was only 38, and doctors were unwilling to blame it on pre-menopause or a thyroid problem, just a need to move more and eat less as I got older. Hmph. I wanted to pinch them.

I tried to lose this pesky weight that had snuck up and accosted me so unfairly. I ran. And I mean, I RAN. I ran at least 4 times a week for over four months. Nothing.

I tried one of those herbal weight-loss products. Double nothing. Although I have to say that maybe one or both of these attempts kept me from gaining. Who knows how fat I may have wound up?

The Law of Subtraction - How the Universe Taught Me to Lose Weight

When it was all said and done, by 2007, I was about 30 pounds over where I wanted to be, which would be “not too skinny, still feminine, pleasantly slender”. So I asked GUS yet again, “Will you please help me lose weight?”

One day, without even thinking, I went for a walk. I didn’t have anything in mind, just maybe some fresh air. The next day, I went for another walk. Before I knew it, I was walking every day, rarely even taking a day off. Nothing special, just walking for about 35 minutes.

After 6 or 8 weeks, the scale suddenly showed a slightly smaller number. Over the next few weeks, the number-and my body-continued to shrink.

Hallelujah!

How did this happen? I wondered if I had changed any of my eating habits along the way, so I started analyzing (I like to analyze) and sure enough, a few things had changed. Subtly, slowly, my habits had changed as if by MAGIC, or at least by instinct. My body and soul had spoken and I had listened!

As of this writing, I am down by that sneaky 15 pounds and two sizes! I have purged my wardrobe of the bigger items that are now much too big, and renewed space in the closet for those items that used to be tight. When I shop, I flirt with even the next size down!

Here’s how I have done it, almost without thinking:

WALK: I walk every day for about 35 minutes, sometimes more. I give myself a break occasionally, but I usually really don’t mind going. In fact, I almost crave it.

NOTHING IS OFF-LIMITS: I eat what I want, but I don’t want as much as I used to. If I want M&Ms, I eat them. But I don’t want a lot of traditionally fattening things.

SODA: Okay, maybe soda is off-limits. I know myself and, left to my own devices, I would drink Coke every day. I love it. And none of that diet crap, either. But I know it’s fattening for me (It apparently is not fattening for everyone.), so I do limit Cokes to “on occasion”.

ALCOHOL: I’ve never been much of a drinker, but I do enjoy the occasional glass of red wine. It’s supposed to be good for you, too, so if I want it, again, nothing’s off-limits. Most other alcoholic drinks are very rare for me.

BREAD, PASTA, POTATOES: I think I eat less of these now than I used to, but I still eat them if I want them. If I eat potatoes, I remind myself of all the nutritious value they have, along with fiber. It’s all good!

SALAD: I try to eat salad every day. I make a great salad, plus the dressing I really like just happens to be “lite”. I don’t know if it’s low-carb, low-fat or what, and I don’t care. I eat what I like, and I like to eat raw veggies and greens every day. My granddaddy is 96 and in great shape, and he has eaten salad twice a day for as long as I know of.

FRUITS AND VEGGIES: I have always eaten a lot of these. Nowadays, every time I turn on Oprah, Dr. Oz is on there, talking about scrubbing your colon. So I eat fruits and veggies (they have lots of fiber). Can’t hurt. I also eat red meat, chicken, fish, and whatever else I like. Remember, nothing is off-limits for me.

TIMING: I go for my walk after supper and I usually don’t eat anything between then and bedtime. Unless I really, really want something or feel very hungry. I generally eat when I am hungry and I stop when I am satisfied, not full. That’s another thing I’ve done for years, so I guess GUS got through to me early with that!

HAPPINESS: I was pretty happy with my weight and my body before, except when I saw myself in pictures. Then I would say, “I didn’t know I was that fat!” I’m pretty happy with where I am now, 15 pounds lighter. And if I lose more weight, I’ll be happy there too. Maybe even a little happier. Happiness helped me lose weight, along with a lot of other good things.

LOVE: I eat with love. If I choose to have ice cream, I say, “I love myself and this ice cream is good for my soul!” So I recommend that you love yourself, love your food, and love the life that makes all this possible!

I can’t say whether these methods will work for you, but hey, there’s some reason you’re reading this article right now. My advice is to listen to your own body and soul, and do what they want you to do. It worked for me.

Now I think I’ll see where GUS leads me when I ask for more money.

Susan K. Morrow is a psychic medium, medical intuitive, and spiritual teacher based in Austin, TX. In her practice, she provides readings and coaching for individuals and groups, helping people learn about the ways of the Universe and the ways of their own lives. Visit the website and subscribe to the newsletter to receive her FREE report “12 Woo-Woo Tips You Need for Living in the Real World”. http://www.SisterMystic.com