How was my weekend? Thanks for asking! Well, on Saturday I schlepped over to the HEB for some zip-lock bags and other little household items. As a quick aside, zip-lock bags were the differentiator between primitive man and modern man. You ever see someone carry a sandwich in his or her bare hand? It looks pretty barbaric. I know this because I have a degree in anthropology. (Having serious regrets about that.) OK, enough about the zip-locks. My point is that on my way to the household goods aisle, I saw a huge display of Fall-scented Glade candles: Caramel Brulee, Spiced Apple Magic, Rich Pumpkin Dreams, Hated the Heat Harvest, Sweet Sigh of Relief My Child is Back at School, etc, etc… It reminded me that I’m an adult and I sometimes forget that Summer was even here, much less that it’s almost gone. Most of you are probably excited because your kids are going back to school and you can have more time for yourself. Want to watch Judge Judy on a Tuesday afternoon with a box of Franzia? You go for it! Want to make your overdue dental cleaning appointment without worrying about a scheduling conflict with swimming lessons/camp/vacay? Now you can!
Late August into September makes an interesting time for us in the dental world. It’s a time of the year when folks are getting their kids settled in school and getting back into serious work mode–so for us, it’s not really our busiest time of the year. The busy part comes in October when folks start thinking about using up their annual insurance benefits. And that’s fine! But here’s some things you might want to think about between now and then:
Sportsguards:
Do your kids play sports? Sportsguards can be incredibly useful in protecting your precious baby’s grill. Teeth cannot be regrown (yet) so we are huge proponents of everything preventative. Our toothy overlord, the American Dental Association, recommends protective guards for the following sports:
basketball, boxing, field hockey, football, gymnastics, lacrosse, martial arts, racquetball, roller hockey, skateboarding, soccer, volleyball, and wrestling.
Other experts include baseball and softball infielders on that list.
Also consider a Klutzguard™ if you or your kids are just plain clumsy. Story time! Back in high school, I was playing in the pep band at a basketball game when I crossed my feet (for no other reason than I was an awkward kid) and I tripped over myself and nearly crushed my saxophone under my ‘I-still-have-baby-weight-it’s-not-real-pudge’ frame. Sad. OK, Klutzguard™ isn’t a real thing.
Nightguards:
This is because you grind your teeth while you sleep. You clench and grind while dreaming of your fat, hairy boss and how he managed to get to where he is. You know you do all the work. Why is upper management not noticing you? Is it because you work too hard?
Night grinding can cause a lot of issues related to TMJ (which we will expand on in another blogpost). The constant pressure and friction of clenching and grinding can break teeth, leading to costly fillings and crowns that will inevitably damage your psyche. Incidentally, I love that you named your wallet ‘psyche’.
We know it’s a confusing time of year for you. Everything smells like pumpkin but you still have a tan… it’s weird. But September is a wonderful time to make a quick pit stop for a custom sportsguard or nightguard. You can always count on us to be there for you–before you take a fall, before you smash into an opponent on the field, or when you have a bad dream.