Unfortunately for most Texans, the answer one hears  more frequently than not is “No”… And as a result, most displaced Texans sooner or later find themselves  making frequent trips back home to the “motherland” – and/or they start looking for ways to re-create their favorite  Texan foods in their own kitchens!

That is what took me down my rather well-known and semi-successful BBQ path several years ago (for those of you who don’t know, Venssa and I compete on a professional BBQ circuit each summer, and were invited to represent the state of Utah at the Jack Daniels World BBQ Championship in Lynchburg, TN in 2009 – one of only 2 teams ever to represent Utah at this prestigious event.) And in the past year, I have found my culinary interests now turning towards many of the foods indigenous to Texas, including “Tex-Mex” (our rather unique version of “Mexican food.”)

I have come across a simply fabulous cookbook that has become my new culinary “bible” of Texan foods aptly entitled The Homesick Texan by Lisa Fain. Lisa spent many years living/traveling throughout the state of Texas before eventually finding herself in New York City – only to discover that she couldn’t run out and grab a platter of chicken enchiladas or migas on just any ol’ NYC street corner. So she went to work assembling many of her favorite Texan recipes from friends/families/restaurants back in Texas, and then started a rather successful blog – which eventually led to a book  in Nov/Dec, 2011. Her blog & book have more or less has become THE culinary survival guide for countless numbers of “homesick Texans” – as well as for many other “adopted Texans” who have come to discover (and love) Texan cuisine via their business or vacations travels to the state. We have not cooked a single recipe in this book that the entire family has not devoured.

So, if you have missed out on one life’s finer and simple pleasures – namely a big ol’ bowl of pinto beans,  homemade “chow chow”, and cornbread – and/or if you are looking for a recipe for chicken enchiladas that will rock your world – this book is a “Must Have” in your kitchen (it is available through Amazon & Barnes and Nobles). My kids gave me this book for Christmas this past year – and I can already tell you it is going to be a gift I am going to treasure for a long, long time!

We are thrilled to report that we have now successfully treated 13 patients with 6 Month Smiles – the most of any other dental office in Utah – and the results have been fantastic! It has been simple – it has been fast – and yes, we have given these 13 patients the smile they  have always wanted… It has been a very rewarding experience for everyone!

6 Month Smiles is an orthodontic system for adults who basically want to improve their smile – and for whom the idea of going through “traditional” orthodontics is not appealing and/or is too costly. (Note – the 6MS system is primarily for improving smiles – it is not designed to correct “bite” issues).   6MS uses clear brackets and a white wire, so it is not as noticeable as the traditional silver wires/brackets – and it is significantly faster and less expensive than regular orthodontics or Invisalign.  No, not everyone is a candidate – but many adults who are simply looking to improve their smile are!!

Wonder if this might be something for you? Then click on the link below to watch a short video:

6 Month Smiles Video

SO – if you have found yourself becoming a little “embarrassed” to smile in photos or when around others – and/or if you have begun to notice your front teeth beginning to shift and become crowded –  and/or you have always dreamed of “straight teeth” – well, 6 Month Smiles just may be what you have been looking for…  Make certain to ask us about it at your next cleaning appointment – or give us a call for a free consultation!

Because everyone should smile with confidence!!!

As mentioned in an earlier blog this year, Drs.  Mike & Venssa will be going to Cleveland this summer to attend the 2nd annual American Academy for Oral Systemic Health convention (Dr. Mike is actually one of the founding members)… The subject of the connection between your oral health and your overall systemic health – what is now being referred to as the “oral-systemic link” – is a very hot topic both in medicine as well as dentistry currently. Connections between the health of your mouth and cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes, etc), diabetes, pre-mature child births, and alzheimer’s disease have now been well-established in medical journals. So dentistry has become a lot more than just about teeth these days!

We hope you will take just a moment of your time to watch this video interview with these 2 physicans. We think it perhaps may be one of the most important videos regarding your health that you may ever watch – and we hope it will change your perception of the importance “going to the dentist” forever…

Can A Healthy Smile Improve Your Overall Health?

Some of you may think we have lost our marbles when you first read this – but we hope you will give this blog some thought before you write us off as totally “looney”…

For a couple of years now, we have been watching with great interest the introduction of botox and dermal fillers into the practice of dentistry. At first glance, you might be thinking, “Huh?! Dentists & botox? What in the world do they know about that?”

Well – here is what dentists know about that (and it is a whole LOT more than you might think!):

• Of all the healthcare professions, dentists probably receive more education & training regarding the anatomy and musculature of the face/head/neck regions than almost any other medical specialty, including plastic surgery…
  
• When it comes to giving injections, we ARE the “Kings” & “Queens”… No one gives more injections on a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly basis than a dentist. And we learn to get real darn good at it – or we are soon out of business!

So – when you really get to thinking about it – maybe a dentist IS a great choice when it comes to “smoothing out the past!”…

In the past 2 years, several states across the US have begun to allow the administration of botox & dermal fillers by dentists – and just recently (November, 2011) the state of California passed legislation allowing dentists to use botox & fillers in their practices. This decision will most likely “open the flood gates” for dentists in many other states now, too (the state of Utah has been judiciously allowing dentists with proper training to administer botox & fillers for about 1 year now.)

With all of this said, Dr. Venssa most recently completed a very rigorous didactic & hands-on educational training program in the use of botox & dermal fillers in San Diego through the American Academy of Facial Esthetics (AAFE). The AAFE is one of the premier institutes in the country in providing esthetic botox & dermal filler courses to physicians, dentists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals – and the program is taught under the close supervision of highly skilled MD’s and dentists.

Dr. V is in the process of finalizing some required paperwork – and once that is completed, we will begin making botox and dermal fillers available for applications in the head & neck region here at Pinebrook Dental! Just think about it – you can come in to get your teeth all bright and shiny – and while here, Dr. V can quickly and easily knock out a few of those wrinkles for you to boot as well!! Talk about your “one stop shopping…”

Be watching for an announcement regarding the availability of these treatments via email sometime in April!!

Since 1998, the Crown Council has sponsored a wonderful program called “Smiles for Life“. Through this program, monies are raised for seriously ill, disabled, and underprivileged children in local communities as well as from around the world. To date,  “Smiles for Life” has raised over $30 million dollars – and 100% of all monies raised go directly to the children’s charities! 50% of the donations are earmarked for each Crown Council practice’s local charity partner, and the balance goes to the “Smiles For Life Foundation” to be distributed to worthy and approved children’s charities across the U.S., Canada and worldwide. Participating children’s charities include Children’s Miracle Network, Children of Romania, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, CURE (in Cambodia), Smiles For Hope, and the Kids Cancer Care Foundation.

Pinebrook Dental is very proud to partner with the Crown Council in 2012 in the “Smiles for Life” program. Our local charity partner this year will be The Peace House. Peace House is a local charitable organization dedicated to  helping victims of domestic abuse, including children, and to ending family violence and abuse in the community through education, outreach, support services, and shelter.

Donating to the “Smiles for Life” program could not be easier! Simply text Smile 904 (make certain to leave a space between “Smile” and “904”) to “84465“.  That’s it!! A $10 donation to the Smiles for Life Foundation will then show on your next wireless bill. Simple – easy – painless – and best of all, most helpful to children in our community as well as around the world!!

Won’t you please join us – and text Smile 904 to “84465”  right now?

Thanks – from your team here at Pinebrook Dental Group!!!

But there may be a lot more of a health concern regarding soft drinks than just cavities. A recent article I came across is well worth sharing with everyone. Please take the time to click on the link below. It is definitely a worthwhile read, not only for your teeth but for your overall health as well:

3 Surprising Reasons to Give Up Soda

Well – another New Year is now with us!! We hope 2011 was a good one for all of our patients & friends at Pinebrook Dental Group – and that 2012 will be even better!!

2012 already promises to usher in a lot of great and exciting new “happenings” here at Pinebrook Dental:

1. We are excited to have teamed up with Lesley Christoph & Flashpoint advertising agency to re-work our website and help us with marketing activities here in the Park City area…
2. We will be launching a brand new technology called CariFree at your cleanings in 2012 that will help us scientifically assess your risk for getting new decay – and then help you head off a trip to the dentist long before anything ever starts!… This is a new “first” in dentistry, and Pinebrook Dental is proud to be on the technological forefront in offering this new technology to our patients…
3. Dr. Venssa will soon be off to San Diego for training in an exciting new area in dentistry (more to come on this exciting news very soon!!)…
4. We have recently been invited to become a member of the prestigious Crown Council, an alliance of some of the top dental practices in the US who are also passionately committed to promoting oral health and serving their communities and the world through charitable work. We will be helping them kick off a wonderful children’s charity event called “Smiles For Life” in March, so be watching for those details…
5. We will soon be offering a brand new “dental plan” concept called Quality Dental Plan that promises to be a great option for those patients without any dental insurance and/or those who would prefer to find a better option compared to their current PPO. We will be the first to introduce this to Utah, and we are excited for the possibilities it will bring to many of our patients…
6. We have had phenomenal success to date with our 6 Month Smiles adult cosmetic orthodontic system that we introduced in 2011 (Dr. Mike is the premier provider of 6MS in Utah, having launched and successfully completed more cases than any other dentist is the state!), and Dr. Mike will be attending an advanced 6MS conference in Boston early this summer…
7. The doctors will also be attending the 2nd annual conference of the American Academy of Oral-Systemic Health in Cleveland this coming summer, and will be implementing some exciting new protocols of that emerging and critically important new area in dentistry into our practice later this year (Dr. Mike, BTW, is one of the founding members of the AAOSH)…
8. Dr. Venssa will be continuing her path towards accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (Dr. V is the only member of the AACD in Park City – and hopes to become the very first dentist in Utah to achieve her accreditation status with the AACD!)

And that just gets us into June!!

Here’s wishing each & everyone one of you a “Happy New Year!!” 2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year in our practice. Just a few more reasons why we say, “It’s just good to be a patient at Pinebrook Dental!!”

Wow – were we ever surprised with what we found in terms of protection as well as actual performance enhancement with some of the “next generation” products now out on the market!

Let’s look at protection first… With an increasing number of sports-related injuries to the head/face/ mouth now occurring each year (an estimated – and astounding – 3,800,000 total sports brain injuries each year!) that affects all athletes ranging from “weekend warriors”  to collegiate/professional athletes,  several companies have taken the initiative in the last few years to develop mouthguard products that not only protect athletes  from dentoalveolar injuries – but that also appear to be helping significantly reduce the incidence of head concussions that are the result of a violent slamming together of the upper and lower jaws!

This is an important development for all athletes at all levels… And if you and/or anyone else in your family participates in downhill skiing, snow boarding, biking, soccer (the #1 sport for concussions!), lacrosse, baseball/softball, football, basketball, rugby, and/or any other sport where the jaws can accidentally be slammed together, along with any protective headgear you are already using you also need to be wearing a mouthguard to not only to protect your teeth but to possibly help in preventing a concussion!

Do the math… A broken tooth from a sporting accident can run upwards of $2k… The replacement of a tooth that is “knocked out” – upward of $4k… An MRI due to a concussion – $2+k… Not to mention the pain, time in an emergency room/ hospital/dental office, additional medical/dental charges, and/or the loss of time at practice/school/work…

Secondly, let’s look at athletic performance… Whether you participate in a contact sport or not, a growing body of evidence and independent research is beginning to support claims that some of these newer generation mouthguards are also yielding improved athletic performance.  By slightly separating the jaws, some of these mouthguards are being shown in independent studies to relax the muscles of the head and neck region (less athletic stress & cortisol release) – as well as improving breathing ability (up to a 29% increase in oxygen intake) – which in turn is yielding better athletic performance (up to 20% stronger), quickness (up to 12% faster), and endurance (up to 25% less lactic acid). Athletes such as Lindsey Vonn, members of the US Men’s Ski Team, Adrian Peterson, David Ortiz, and Chris McCormick are but a small cross-section of skiers, triathletes, snowboarders, football/baseball/basketball players, soccer/rugby/lacrosse players, golfers, and tennis players  both recreationally and professionally who are now using these next generation mouthguards not only for protection but for enhanced athletic performance as well.

This summer, Pinebrook Dental Group was proud to become an authorized provider for the Under Armour  Performance mouthwear products. The company behind the research & technology of the Under Armour product – Bite Tech (www.bitetech.com) – is by far the leader in this field at the present time. Their products are being used by numerous collegiate and professional athletes, and they have an increasing number of independent, peer-reviewed studies that are backing up their claims of protection and athletic performance enhancement.  They will also be offering the world’s first “impact detection system” sometime in 2012 that will help coaches and trainers more accurately assess the impact of blows to the head region in contact sports (the Stanford football team will be testing the product during the upcoming 2011 season.)

If you or anyone in the family is active in a sport (and who isn’t here in PC?!!), please make certain to ask us about the Under Armour Performance mouthwear products at your next visit. We have both contact and non-contact models available for all sports.  Not only might these next generation products help prevent a serious head and/or dentoalveolar injury – but they just might give you that little extra “edge” when out playing your favorite sport!!

She will also spend time while there working on her Accredited Member status with the AACD.  Dr. V is the only dentist in Park City who is currently an active member of the AACD, and is one of only a couple of dentists in Utah who is actively pursuing the Accredited Member status with the AACD. To date, no dentist from Utah has achieved this honor – and Dr. V hopes to become the very first! Achieving this honor requires passing a very comprehensive didactic exam, along with presenting/defending 5 actual clinical cases before a review board, and then finishing the  accreditation process with an oral exam.

Pinebrook Dental Group is very proud of Dr. V and her professional accomplishments. She has truly taken her skills and expertise to a level that very few dentists ever achieve – and she has done this in order to provide her patients with the very best dental care possible. Make certain to ask her about this trip & meeting the next time you see her!

Hoochie-Que had a 4th place in chicken, 9th place in ribs, and a 2nd place in brisket to grab 4th place overall in the event – and just 1 point out of 3rd place. Considering this was our first competition of the year, and that we have not cooked competitively in nearly a year, we were more than pleased with our results! Some excellent teams from Utah, Texas, and California grabbed the top 3 positions – but we were hot on their heels…

Our next stop will be in Boulder City, NV for the Best Dam BBQ competition over Memorial Day weekend…