Office Newsletter

Past Newsletter
Dr. Oman's Almanac Summer 2010
Doctor Talker
Dr. Oman’s Reading List
Molar Mania

Dr. Oman's Almanac Summer 2010

There is not doubt we are entering the solstitial season. The daylight hours are getting a lot longer and the nighttime hours are a lot shorter. That means we can do more stuff. But what stuff? Stuff could be mowing lawns, pulling weeds, grooming gardens and taking care of fruit trees. It could include riding bikes, going for walks, playing golf, fishing, hiking, boating or sitting on the patio in the cool of the early evening reading a book, talking with family or friends, sipping a cold drink. This is my favorite time of the year, especially through June and July. It seems like the day can be spent at work and then there is still enough time with the sun up to enjoy every single evening. The cool, wet Spring has made a nice warm Summer more sought after and hoped for, there is no doubt about that. This summer we all look forward to some fun family time. For us it includes some time at Bear Lake, a day or two at Lagoon with the grandkids, some cook outs with family and friends and quite a few wedding receptions on Friday and Saturday nights. With all this going on don't forget your oral health; visit our office for an exam and cleaning.

Dr. Oman’s Reading List

Gridlock by Randal O'Toole ♥♥♥
Shakedown by Ezra Levant ♥♥1/2
From Poverty to Prosperity by
Arnold Kling and Nick Schulz.
♥♥1/2
61 Hours by Lee Child ♥♥♥♥
The Age of Reagan by Steven F.
Hayward ♥♥♥1/2
Courage and Consequence by Karl
Rove ♥♥♥
Scientific Discoveries by Dan
Neville ♥♥♥
The Confessor by Daniel Silva ♥♥♥
The English Assassin by Daniel
Silva ♥♥♥
The Blind Side by Michael Lewis
♥♥♥1/2
One Eternal Round by Hugh Nibley
and Michael Rhodes ♥♥♥
No Apology by Mitt Romney
♥♥1/2
Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One
by Zev Chafets ♥♥♥
How the Left Swiftboated America
by John Gibson ♥♥1/2

My Judging Criteria:
Substance and Story
Editing
Enjoyment Factor
Educational Factor
Was it hard to put down?

There is a lot of innovation going on in the world of dentistry right now. This is not limited to equipment, materials and techniques but also in the way the future dentists are being trained. Some dental schools are going to a model of digital and 3D training where a lot of the basic techniques are taught on mannequins and with simulators much like a flight simulator. I don’t know how they simulate a child biting your finger but that experience probably comes later. Even as we work to keep up with good solid technology, in 20 years many of the things we use will be out dated and of very little use. It is exciting to know that oral health will probably be easier to maintain and to provide in the future, but I can’t help but feel that each person will still be responsible for the condition of their mouth; there won’t be robots doing it for you.

Here I am with Lindsay doing a few fillings on a young Nicaraguan woman. We went down to Managua this past April for several days. This particular day for some reason the air conditioning was out and the perspiration was dripping from our foreheads. We were trying our best not to drip on the folks we were serving.

The Nicaraguans are a lovely people. The vast majority of them live on about $30 a month. Somehow, everybody seems to have a cell phone. Go figure. It was 100 degrees the day we arrived and it did not let up much for the duration of our visit.

There is omnipresent graffiti on every vertical surface declaring the virtues of their current President Daniel Ortega and his political party; even the telephone poles are painted with the colors of his party. Most if not all the people we served were anxious for their

Doctor Talker

It is cold! Must be December. I look out my window and see the new snowy cover that was dropped on us yesterday. When this time of year comes then memories also come into my mind. Was Christmas really different and better when I was young? I still had to worry about getting gifts for my parents and my siblings. How could I possibly make the few dollars I had stretch? So, yes, the pressure was on even then to some extent. And more than ever the pressure is on for many of us as we try to have the Spirit of this Season, but do so with fewer dollars. Maybe it can be a catalyst to cut back and just enjoy the simple things associated with the Christmas season. But wait--there are others that depend on our desire to give gifts and most of their revenue comes this time of year. How will they be affected? I am certain we cannot as a society totally abandon our habits and traditions of this Season; I also believe we cannot and will not be able to replicate the Dickensian Christmas portrayed in a Christmas Carol. But we can try to emulate that Spirit and have a great change in our attitude just like Ebenezer. So, Merry Christmas to you and yours, and May God Bless Us, Everyone!

Dr. Oman’s Reading List

I See Rude People by Amy Alkon ♥♥♥
Architects of Ruin by Peter Schweizer ♥♥♥♥
The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell ♥♥1/2
Sleeping with the Devil by Robert Baer ♥♥♥
See No Evil-The True Story of a Ground Solder in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer ♥♥♥
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown ♥♥1/2
Greatness: Reagan, Churchill & The Making of Extraordinary Leaders by Steven Hayward ♥♥♥
206 Bones by Kathy Reichs ♥♥
Why Are Jews Liberals? by Norman Podhoretz ♥♥♥
Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn ♥♥♥
Sixty Feet, Six Inches by Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson with Lonnie Wheeler ♥♥
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell ♥♥♥
Fatal Misconception by Matthew Connelly ♥♥1/2
Superfreakonomics by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner ♥♥♥1/2
Going Rogue by Sarah Palin ♥♥♥
The Empty Cradle by Phillip Longman ♥♥♥

ECHOES OF CHRISTMAS DEC 16-22 AT LIBERTY PARK.
A GIFT TO THE COMMUNITY:
A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.
FOR MORE INFO GO TO: www.echoesofchristmas.org

DOES A TOOTH REALLY ACHE?
I have had some clients say that nothing hurts like a bad toothache. I have had a couple of nerves die over the years and it can get your attention. What should be done? Root canal or extract the tooth? Usually the question is “which costs less”. The answer is not always clear cut. For example, where is the tooth in the mouth, what is its function and if the tooth is lost would it affect chewing or appearance? It is less costly to pull a tooth that hurts than treat it with root canal therapy and then possibly a full crown. But, what can happen afterwards? Suddenly you have a space between teeth. Over a relatively short time the teeth will shift into that space. Your teeth will not come together properly and you may not be able to chew as well. As your bite changes your jaw joint can sometimes start acting up. Maybe it starts clicking or you have more headaches. The cheapest is not always the least costly

With all of the stuff going on in the world and the almost total uncertainty of the future, this little picture represents the future to me. Here I have my little grandsons Elijah and Weston on my lap as I read to them. They are both intent on the story and the pictures. In there minds they may not be getting the exact same message from the words I have read, but they both are feeling safe, comfortable and loved. In reality I know that these kinds of moments are going to become more rare as they grow older. Being older and having had more experience I hope in the years ahead they will occasionally figuratively sit on my knee as we help them navigate the rocks and shoals of life.

Dr. Oman’s Reading List

Physics for Future Presidents by Richard A. Muller ♥♥♥
Real Education by Charles Murray The Reagan I Knew by William F. Buckley Jr. ♥♥1/2
Lights Out by Mark Steyn ♥♥1/2
Culture of Corruption by Michelle Malkin ♥♥♥
Binge: What Your College Student Won't Tell You by Barrett Seaman In The President's Secret Service by Ronald Kessler♥♥♥
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer ♥♥1/2
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks On The Wealth of Nations by P. J. O'Rourke ♥♥1/2
Common Sense by Glenn Beck
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki ♥♥1/2
Hollywood, Interrupted by Andrew Breitbart ♥♥♥1/2
The Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton ♥♥♥♥
Wicked Prey by John Sanford ♥♥
Bonk by Mary Roach ♥♥1/2

Molar Mania

Molars are big teeth. They really grind your food up. They are the tough teeth, the mashers.

Even though they are tough that doesn't mean you should try to chew through everything. It is risky when the molars have fillings in them.

There are a lot of hard things out there. Some candy is really hard and I have seen people crunch through this hard stuff. I cringe. I have seen two clients who have fractured molars. In both cases these fractures have gone into the nerve, so root canal therapy was needed.

In one case it appears the tooth broke because the man opened bottles with his teeth. This created a wedge effect between the cusps and caused a splitting force and a vertical fracture went into the pulp chamber. The nerve tissue died, a large abscess formed and it became a painful, expensive mistake. The Tooth Fairy does not like us to abuse our teeth.

Don't forget our website: www.doctoroman.com You can register and use if for enhanced communication with our ofﬁce.

We received a call a week ago from one of our friends we have made from our dental trips to Honduras. The young girl Valeria with her mother Lilo were in Provo. Valeria is starting as a freshman or freshwoman I guess at BYU. She has worked hard and her family has been sacriﬁcing so she and her sister will have the opportunity to leave Honduras and come to college in the United States. My wife Joyce and I enjoyed spending the afternoon with them. With the political turmoil in their country right now she feels fortunate to come here and experience the freedom of the United States as her country works towards the same freedoms.

This past August we spend a few days as an ofﬁce staff up at Bear Lake. Here you can see Kim, our ofﬁce manager, explaining to Ezil, our dental assistant the ﬁne art of braiding bracelets out of ﬁne thread. Once everybody got the hang of it the condo turned into a production line. Unfortunately the weather was nasty and cold most of the weekend so we had to ﬁnd other ways to entertain ourselves. It was just too cold to go down to the lake, even for we veterans of Bear Lake. It was a great time to solidify our friendships and commitment to serving you better.