A Story That Will Make You Smile

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Copyright: Sasin Tipchai
Copyright: Sasin Tipchai

In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket. Their father was gone.

The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two.

Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared. Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds. He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries. Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either.

If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it.

I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress, loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job. The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town. No luck.

The kids stayed crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince who ever would listen that I was willing to learn or do anything. I had to have a job. Still no luck. The last place we went to, just a few miles out of town, was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in that had been converted to a truck stop. It was called the Big Wheel.An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of the window from time to time at all those kids. She needed someone on the graveyard shift, eleven at night until seven in the morning. She paid 65 cents an hour, and I could start that night.

I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people. I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night. She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be asleep. This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal.

That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers, we all thanked God for finding Mommy a job. And so I started at the Big Wheel. When I got home in the mornings, I woke the baby-sitter up and sent her home with one dollar of my tip money– fully half of what I averaged every night.

As the weeks went by, heating bills added a strain to my meager wage. The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again every morning before I could go home. One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and found four tires in the back seat. New tires! There was no note, no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires. Had angels taken up residence in Indiana? I wondered.

I made a deal with the local service station. In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office. I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.

I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn’t enough. Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids. I found a can of red paint and started repairing and painting some old toys. Then I hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning. Clothes were a worry too. I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.

On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in the Big Wheel. There were the truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state trooper named Joe. A few musicians were hanging around after a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the pinball machine. The regulars all just sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up.

When it was time for me to go home at seven o’clock on Christmas morning, to my amazement, my old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes. I quickly opened the driver’s side door, crawled inside and kneeled in the front facing the back seat. Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box. Inside was whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10! I looked inside another box, it was full of shirts to go with the jeans. Then I peeked inside some of the other boxes. There was candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous turkey for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes. There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was a whole bag of laundry supplies and cleaning items. And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll. I could not believe my eye’s!

As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude. And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning.

Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December morning. And they all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop….

THE POWER OF PRAYER.

I believe that God only gives three answers to prayer:

1. ‘Yes!’
2. ‘Not yet.’
3. ‘I have something better in mind…’

God still sits on the throne and the devil is a liar. You may be going through a tough time right now, but God will bless you in a way that you cannot imagine. I am living proof of that.

Let’s continue to pray for one another…

Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and internet friends reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Originally posted at: http://www.preparingforeternity.com/heartwarming.htm

DENTAL IMPLANTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

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Winning Smiles Dental Clinic in the Philippines

What type of implants does your clinic use?

The implants we choose to use in our clinic are meticulously researched and only those with at least 5 years of follow-up studies are considered. Also, we only use implants that have a US FDA approval and with a strong following in the USA. In this regard, we use the Korean brand Osstem (Hi-Ossen in the US) and Straumann implants in our clinic. However, we are able to use any other brand of implants if the patient has a specific request to use that kind of implant, provided that it is available locally.

Please give me a summary of the steps in the process of getting an implant at your clinic.

The first step for any dental procedure in our clinic is always patient information gathering, clinical diagnostic examinations and treatment planning. If the patient is not physically present, a panoramic x-ray or full mouth xrays will help us to make a preliminary diagnosis and aid in formulating a tentative treatment plan. Note that because xrays are 2-dimensional in nature, the treatment plan we make based on the xrays alone may change considerably once we see clinically the patient’s oral condition.

Winning Smiles Dental Clinic Treatment Room

Winning Smiles Dental Clinic Treatment Room 2

Get a free consultation with Winning Smiles Dental Clinic.
Free Consultation

Implant surgery is basically an extraction but done in reverse. Instead of taking out a tooth, we insert a root form metal (implant) into the patient’s mouth. This involves opening up the gums, drilling and enlarging a hole into the patients bone and inserting the proper diameter and length of implant. To the patient, this may sound like a very painful procedure. But in truth, implant surgery is less painful than taking out a tooth. This is because with implant surgery, we are using precise equipment to sequentially enlarge the hole (called an osteotomy) and with just a few drills, we are able to finish the osteotomy and place the implant. The actual time it takes to place an implant from anesthetizing the patient to closing it up is about 30 minutes.

How much do your procedures cost?

Implant surgery costs P55,000 ($1,272) and the implant crown costs P30,000 ($530) for the Osstem implants. For the Straumann implants, implant surgery costs P80,000 ($1,696) and the implant crown costs P40,000 ($848). The discrepancy in prices is due to the big discrepancy in cost for the different systems.

How many surgeries/appointments are required?

Winning Smiles Dental Clinic Reception
For straightforward cases, meaning no bone augmentation is required, the patient needs only to come to the Philippines twice: the first for placing the implants, and the second is for fabricating the implant crown. During the 1st visit, we require the patient to be in the Philippines a minimum of 4 days for proper post-operative follow-up.

For the second visit, we require the patient to stay a little bit longer because the fabrication time for the implant crown depends mostly on how long the lab will take. Because we only send the cases to laboratories who have the proper know-how of fabricating implant crowns, this may take between 1-2 weeks to finish. In cases where we need to do a sinus augmentation, it may be possible (case-to-case basis) to do implant placement simultaneously. However, we do require that the patient stay a little bit longer, a minimum of 10 days just to make sure that there are no surgical complications

What is the healing time required?

The downtime for the surgical procedure for straightforward cases is usually just 1-2 days. Most of our patients don’t even report of any post-operative pain after the procedure and have no need for any pain medications. Healing for the surgical site usually takes about 7 days, meaning the site is fully closed by then.

What is your success rate?

The implant integration rate of modern implants are now pegged upward of 95%. Because of this, if the implant does not integrate properly (within 3 months of placement), we will replace the implant at no cost to the patient. Alternatively, if they choose to have it managed in their home country, we can provide their attending dentist with all the details of the treatment (what type of implant was used, what diameter and what length). We will also be available to correspond with their attending dentist if necessary.

Free Consultation

Winning Smiles Dental Clinic
Suite 607-608 The Medical Tower, Rufino Street, Village, Legaspi, Makati, 1229 Metro Manila, Philippines

Hours:
Mon-Sat: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Sun: Closed

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT: 

Winning Smiles Dental Clinic in the Philippines

Dental Veneers — Making Your Teeth Beautiful

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Dental Veneers — Making Your Teeth Beautiful

Dental veneers are thin shells of porcelain that are bonded to the front of the teeth, providing a natural, attractive look. They can be used to fix chipped, stained, misaligned, worn down, uneven or abnormally spaced teeth.

Types of Dental Veneers 
The two most common materials used in dental veneers are composite resin and porcelain. Both types of veneers can be fabricated by a dental technician in a dental laboratory. Dental veneers that are fabricated in a dental laboratory are bonded to the teeth with resin cement. Porcelain material is brittle; however, when it is firmly bonded to the tooth it can become very strong and durable. Composite veneers can also be fabricated by the dentist inside your mouth at a dental office.

How are Dental Veneers Placed? 
The dentist would remove a small amount of the tooth surface to permit placement of the veneer. An impression is taken of the tooth and sent to the dental laboratory. The dental veneer is then made to fit the tooth and mouth. The veneer is bonded to the tooth with resin cement.

Cleaning Your Dental Veneers 
Dental veneers should be cleaned like your own teeth. Flossing once a day and brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste will help to remove food debris and plaque bacteria. Consult your dental professional about the oral care products they recommend to maintain the longevity of your dental restorations.

© Copyright Colgate-Palmolive Company 2010

11/15/2010

Originally posted at: http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral-health/cosmetic-dentistry/veneers/article/dental-veneers-making-your-teeth-beautiful

That Winning Smile

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DCIM101GOPRO
DCIM101GOPRO

I met Doc Marion Hazel Isip thru our friend, Isa. She asked me to make a website for her and her team, and eventually referred me to create one for Doc Marion. So after a meeting and a few email exchanges, I started creating a website for Winning Smiles Dental Clinic. Oh, and I even made a logo for her! 😀

ws-jan1916

Anyway, so much for the website development part. Doc Marion told me months ago that my husband and I should come over and she’ll do our teeth cleaning. Prophylaxis normally goes for P1,500. My husband had his teeth cleaned last January and it was P2,500! Jusmiyo.

We finally scheduled an appointment and what better way to do it than to test the appointment feature on the website that I made. Haha!
To book an appointment, just go to the APPOINTMENT tab, select the service that you want on the dropdown, and select Doc Marion’s name. Well, by default it goes to her, but they do have other dentists in the clinic. Select the date that you plan to visit. Light blue means that the date has passed, pink means the schedule is taken, and green is free. Doc Marion will then receive the email on her end and you will get an email once she confirms your schedule. I’m quite impressed with this thing that I made. Hahaha!

Winning Smiles Dental Clinic is perfectly situated on the 6th Floor of Medical Towers along Rufino Street in Makati. There are a lot of dental clinics in that building (which is weird because the name is Medical Towers), but don’t go there. Go to Doc Marion. Haha!

DCIM101GOPRO
DCIM101GOPRO

That’s Doc Marion manning the reception. Hello, yaya! Wait ka lang dyan. 😀 Yaya, Taglet, and Jeff in the reception area.
I must admit, I’m afraid of dentists. I just went because Jeff told me he feels like he needs to have his teeth cleaned again. So I let him go first. Haha! Which is also why this blog post is full of his photos. 😀

 

 

DCIM101GOPRO
DCIM101GOPRO

Doc Marion started by telling us the process of how they sterilize their tools. She mentioned that they put it inside a pouch and sterilize them in the machine (that looks like a microwave oven haha!), then they keep it afterwards. I remember the tools in our dentist’s clinic before was just in a canister on the table. Eeep! She also showed me the infrared sterilizing machine that they have. So cool! Everything was also covered in plastic, especially those that gets in contact with the hand. Hygiene is an understatement in her clinic.

DCIM101GOPRO
DCIM101GOPRO

You will see on the far left of the table, the tools are inside the pouch. They don’t touch it until it gets opened again for the next patient. That round machine is the infrared sterilizer. Covered in plastic. It’s fantastic! (weh, kinanta mo noh?)
So she started cleaning Jeff’s teeth and I started taking photos. Haha! The session lasted for about 30 minutes or so.
It was my turn after Jeff. It’s been quite a while since I had my teeth cleaned, so I thought it would be bloody, painful, and would take long. My teeth are very sensitive so I thought there’d be so much ngilo, but surprisingly, nothing! (Believe me I even googled the English term for ngilo, but apparently, there’s no direct translation. It’s just ‘teeth sensitivity’.) This by far would be one of the few pleasant dental appointments that I’ve had in my life. (Trust me I’ve had some dental horror stories like when I had a botched root canal and my face swelled up a week before my college graduation. A WEEK BEFORE MY COLLEGE GRADUATION! My dad almost sued and punched that dentist in Antipolo, who I won’t name haha!)

Doc Marion is the head dentist in Winning Smiles Dental Clinic, together with Dr. Lallaine Lucas-Gogna, Dr. Melanie Karganilla-Frange, and Dr. Greg Doronila. They specialize in cosmetic dentistry and dental implants. I also heard that they do make great veneers. If only I were rich, I’d to veneers haha!

It looks like I’ll have a series of appointments with her again because I asked her to fix some of my dental problems. We started with teeth whitening, which I am now doing here at home. She gave me the Oral B 3D White Whitestrips that I should do for 14 days. It’s the cheaper version since I can’t afford the P20k-ish bleaching hahahaha!

Winning Smiles Dental Clinic

Unit 607-608 Medical Towers, Rufino Street, Makati City

(02) 892 8189

Originally Posted at http://www.misistagle.com/that-winning-smile/

Common Wisdom Teeth Problems And Smart Solutions

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Portrait of a woman with a white teeth and perfect smile outdoors

When you’re a young adult, the last four permanent teeth to appear in your mouth are the third molars, also known as wisdom teeth. But rather than giving us the wisdom we would like, they often become problematic – even for those of us who have the best oral health. When wisdom teeth problems arise, dentists often recommend removing them, and there are a few reasons this may be the smartest thing to do.

Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth could be as useful as any of your other teeth, but because they are in the very back of the mouth, they often don’t have enough room to grow in. It’s not unusual for wisdom teeth to be positioned crooked or sideways in the jaw, keeping them from erupting into the mouth properly. This is referred to as an “impacted” tooth, and according to the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), nine out of 10 patients have at least one.

Why Remove Them?

There are four unhealthy circumstances that might prompt your dentist to recommend removing your impacted wisdom teeth:

  • Healthy teeth can be damaged as impacted wisdom teeth push against your neighboring second molars.
  • Impacted wisdom teeth often become decayed or infected because they’re hard to reach with your toothbrush.
  • Bacteria around the impacted tooth can lead to gum disease and enter your bloodstream, adversely affecting your heart and other organs of your body.
  • Fluid-filled cysts or tumors occasionally form around the bottom of an impacted wisdom tooth, causing damage to the jawbone, nerves in the area and nearby teeth.

The Best Time to Remove Them

Whenever your dentist detects problems or feels that your wisdom teeth have the potential to create complications in your mouth, he will most likely suggest that you have one or all of your wisdom teeth removed – even if they aren’t causing you problems at the moment. Wisdom teeth are also easier to remove when you’re younger than when you are older, according to the AAOMS, because the roots are not completely developed and the bone around the teeth isn’t as dense. This means there is a slimmer chance of damaging surrounding nerves, teeth or bone during removal.

Keeping Them

You may be lucky enough to have a “big mouth,” which allows your wisdom teeth to fully erupt without interfering with your other teeth. But before you’re in the clear to keep them, your dentist will want to make sure that they are functional and not affecting your bite. They should also be cavity-free, surrounded by healthy gum tissue and not causing you any pain.

However, to keep your wisdom teeth for the long haul, you’ll need to focus on good oral care at home – flossing and toothbrushing regularly with fluoride toothpaste and getting your toothbrush back far enough to clean thoroughly. It can also help to use an antibacterial mouthwash like Colgate® Total Advanced Pro-Shield™, which can reduce lingering bacteria in your mouth.

To help you avoid wisdom teeth problems, your dentist will want to monitor these four teeth for any changes, by taking x-rays during regular checkup appointments. So, if you have reached “the age of wisdom” and are wondering “should they stay or should they go,” you can rest assured there are options that can lead to a smart solution.

ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE:

http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral-health/conditions/wisdom-teeth/article/common-wisdom-teeth-problems-and-smart-solutions-1014?thumbparam=wisdom-teeth/184997958

I Can’t Stop Smiling- I love my Veneers!

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Porcelain veneers are becoming popular as more and more people are becoming conscious of how they look. With the advent of selfies, people realize how having whiter and evenly proportioned teeth can make a smile more beautiful.

EMAX VENEERS

WHAT EXACTLY ARE VENEERS?

Porcelain veneers are thin pieces of porcelain that can be applied on the surface of the teeth to make slight position alterations, or to change tooth shape, size, and/or color. It recreates natural looking teeth, while providing strength. It can enhance your look by providing evenly shaped and coloured teeth.

DO I NEED VENEERS?

Porcelain laminate veneers consist of a compilation of several thin ceramic layers which replace original tooth enamel, and an adhesive layer. A thin amount of the labial tooth enamel is removed to create room for the porcelain veneer to fit within the mouth and accurately restore tooth function while creating an even better appearance than the original tooth.

The veneer is cemented using a dual cure cement that creates a bond between the teeth and the undersurface of the veneer.

Porcelain Veneers are a very successful option in situations where the original teeth have gaps, slight malposition, poor color, fracture or minor bite-related problems. It is also the best option to permanently whiten teeth.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?

Since veneers are individually sculpted for each patient, it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between a veneer and a natural tooth. Unlike natural teeth, custom-made veneers resist coffee and tea stains, and cigarette smoke because they are made of high-tech materials.

With veneers—as opposed to crowns—your natural teeth remain largely intact with only a minimal amount being altered to fit the veneer.

For teeth that resist whitening, veneers can make even the darkest teeth appear bright white.

Dentists may also recommend veneers to quickly fix minor twists, overlaps, and small gaps.

ARE THERE DISADVANTAGES?

Once veneer is placed on the teeth, the process is irreversible because the surface of the teeth will be reduced to accommodate the veneer. Although adjustments and even new veneers can be made, you cannot return to the original condition of the tooth.

Porcelain veneers are fabricated in the laboratory. Hence, it would take at least 7-10 days before it can be installed.

Some patients may experience sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures after veneer installation. This is perfectly normal as a thin layer of enamel was removed during the process. This typically disappears within a few days. In a healthy mouth properly treated with porcelain veneers—and where destructive forces are minimized or eliminated—a patient should be able to use porcelain veneers like his or her own teeth. Although they’re very strong, veneers are also brittle. You should avoid the same excessive stresses you would avoid with non-veneered teeth: don’t bite your fingernails, chew ice, or open beer bottles with your veneers!

HOW DO I MAINTAIN THEM?

Maintaining porcelain veneers is actually quite simple: Treat them as you would your original teeth, with routine brushing and flossing. Using non-abrasive fluoride toothpaste is best.

A post-operative follow up is scheduled so the dentist can check and evaluate how your mouth is reacting to the veneers. Adjustment may also be made to correct minor bite problems. If you have a habit of grinding or clenching your teeth, your dentist may ask you to wear a night guard so you do not damage your veneers.

Regular dental visit twice a year is recommended so the dentist can do scaling and polishing and check for any sign of potential failure.

Porcelain Veneers are available at Winning Smiles Dental Clinic. Be one of our many patients who can’t stop smiling because of their whiter, nicer teeth.IMG_6084