Toothy Tuesdays: Bleaching

Lots of people want to show off a full mouth of pearly whites when they smile and bleaching can often help achieve that look, but there a few things to consider before you take the whitening plunge...

External sources such as coffee, tea, wine, cigarettes and soda have an effect on the shade of your teeth. But the general anatomy of your tooth is also a deciding factor. Under the enamel lies a layer of dentin--this layer naturally displays a yellow tint and affects the shade of your teeth depending on the thickness of the overlying enamel. This means that for some, no amount of bleaching will achieve a perfectly white smile.

Now, the topic of various bleaching products can certainly be exhausting. Whitening strips that are sold over the counter are great. A lot of our patients and friends, myself included, have had success with whitening strips. If you're afraid of that post-treatment sensitivity-the use of desensitizing agents (such as Sensodyne toothpaste) before initial treatment can greatly reduce tooth sensitivity caused by bleaching. Perhaps you're looking for something a little faster or stronger?? Your dentist can create custom bleach trays and provide you with the gel, instructions and application times to achieve that result. Just keep in mind that the chemicals in these gels are almost the same as those in the whitening strips and so they will likely achieve very similar results. For those considering visiting your dentist's office for some zap, zoom, zing bleaching using the UV light, you might want to reconsider. Peroxide, the chemical used in most bleaching products, is not enhanced by exposure to UV light. In fact, studies have shown no difference between teeth bleached with or without UV light and in some cases the teeth bleached with UV light reverted back to their initial color sooner.

Getting Your Grub On: Houston

My favorite thing to do when I go back to Houston is EAT! I only had four days at home over the holidays this year, but I definitely maxed out my restaurant time. Here, I'll introduce you to a few places I visited.

First off is Tiny Boxwoods. I made my parents take me to lunch at this cafe which sits on the property of an architecture/landscaping firm. The time and day that we went was so crowded that we had to sit at a long table with strangers, so I wasn't able to whip out my camera. These photos are borrowed from the web, but as you can see, the restaurant is beautiful with great garden scenery. The food is a success as well. I ordered the three cheese & pesto grilled cheese with tomato soup pictured above while my dad (he's a veg) got the "Beet It" burger, made of beets and black beans. My mom had the Turkey Club sandwich with a side of fruit. Because of the small size of the dining room and the drizzly weather that day we had to wait a while before being seated so we had a white chocolate raspberry muffin as an appetizer. This muffin was so delectable we got a second (plus a chocolate chip cookie) for dessert to accompany our soup-bowl sized lattes and hot teas.

View from the Garden at Tiny Boxwoods

Driving to Tiny's you might just miss the building if you aren't paying attention. Look for Saint Street and rest assured--there is an additional parking area on the lot behind the cafe.

Dining Room at Tiny Boxwoods

I had lunch with my old college roommate at Ruggles Green. I ordered the Organic Vegetable Pizza. If you haven't noticed yet, I am a pizza fanatic. This pizza is topped with charred vegetables, pesto, several cheeses and arugula tossed in olive oil. The tastes and textures are incredible.

My friend got the Natural Meatball Panini on Sourdough. Like Tiny Boxwoods, Ruggles Green is a hot spot for lunch and we were forced to act like vultures pouncing on the next available table. Coincidentally, I saw a friend I hadn't seen since high school in line ahead of us! I am familiar with Houston because I went to college there, but I actually grew up in a small town near Houston, so its always a pleasant surprise to see my long lost home town friends in the big city.

Ruggles has an array of beverages and interesting desserts, plus a special of the day.

Small dining room with local art. Ruggles Green is Houston's first certified "Green Restaurant." In addition to using all natural foods, the to-go boxes, straws, napkins, etc are all made of sustainable materials.

There are a million other restaurants and cute coffee shops in Houston, but I only got to photograph one more: Empire Cafe, in Houston's Montrose area. The story goes that this coffee shop was an old laundromat that was converted when a Hollywood producer complained of the lack of places to get good coffee in Houston. Empire is a great place to meet up with friends, have all kinds of different coffee drinks, enjoy breakfast on Sundays, or grab some dinner/dessert.
View of the ordering counter.

I had a hazelnut latte and the most gigantic fruit platter with fresh yogurt and warm candied nuts. I ended up having to take most of the fruit home with me. My friend, Jeremy had a glass of white wine and a Margherita Pizza. Empire has a very spacious outdoor patio, but it was just too cold for us that day.

Agora is also a great coffee shop option down the street from Empire. There aren't as many food options, but the quaint old house turned coffee shop is a great place to meet friends, have drinks and enjoy belly dancers or board games.

Two other restaurants I didn't have time to visit, but you need to try:
La Griglia--great for special occasions and usually my family birthday dinner spot, except this year Grandpa (the ultimate restaurant explorer) wanted to try something new.

Istanbul Grill--my favorite Houston restaurant. Delicious Turkish food, good price, good atmosphere, complementary warm bread. I get hummus and the Eggs Pide.


And since I spent an uncharacteristic stint in Dallas, here's a bonus. This was the second time I've been to Cuba Libre. A couple of summers ago my bf and I ate here with a friend of his for brunch. I can't remember what I ordered being amazing, but these Beef Tenderloin Quesadillas blew me away.

We had a minor altercation with the valet guys (although you have to feel bad for them due to the kind of uppity customers they are usually dealing with) but overall the night, and the pitcher of Mojitos, was great. Below are a few other dishes at my table.

Damn it feels good to be a Longhorn

Please read title to tune of the Geto Boys classic "Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta". Check it. This post is meant to acknowledge two significant realizations that I came to while watching my beloved Longhorns battle it out for the BCS title tonight. No shame in that loss. I love you Colt...

1. Being a longhorn alum is badass. People like to send you rude comments via facebook messages, text messages and/or emails because they know that your alma mater is badass. Said people usually did not attend a school worth mentioning in any discussion of American universities. Realization #1: screw them.

2. After a break up it seems that your friends feel it would be comforting to "highlight" any of a number of attributes regarding your ex including but not limited to:

a. he was a douche bag

b. i think he might have been gay**

c. you totally deserve someone better looking

Hmmm...why someone would find these comments comforting is beyond me. Anyway, when you broke up with your ex 4 months prior and have barely given it a second thought yet he still takes time and expends energy to call and tell your friends he wishes you sadness over a football game, certain things begin to run through your mind. Realization #2: yes, your ex is a bona fide D.B. Fair enough. But he is still bitter that you dropped his ass like a bad habit.

Me: 1. Him: minus a billion.

**Ya, that really happened.

I am the luckiest

Ok, enough of this "woe is me" crap!



I've never been a big New Year's Resolution kind of person.
I know I make them every year, but I can't for the life of me remember what my '09 resolution was. Probably lose 10 pounds. Instead I've gained. Sigh. I've decided though - this year - I WILL be more appreciative of where life has put me. For every complaint I seem to have every single day of this whole Dental School thing (and I still will have them), I'm really going to try to consider myself lucky. Lucky I have the opportunity to have these complaints. School sucks, yeah, it sure does. But damn, I'm almost guaranteed a job when I graduate. A good job, something I will like to do. More than most people in our country right now.

Maybe writing this will hold me accountable?

Toothy Tuesdays: Products

Lots of friends and patients ask about various dental products. There is so much variety out there and virtually no real answers. The best way I've heard it put is that the best product is whatever you will consistently use.

For example, whatever floss you can make a habit out of using is the best floss for you. There may be an advantage to using traditional floss as opposed to those little flossers because you don't get a fresh slice of floss for every tooth, but if that is the only effort you can make to floss--go for it.

Many people get the wrong idea about mouth rinse. Mouth rinses are no substitute for brushing your teeth, but can be a good way to reduce harmful bacteria that leads to gum disease. Most mouth rinses contain alcohol. These rinses may taste great, but the extra alcohol just dries out your mouth and worsens the situation especially if you already have a dry mouth. Saliva is a natural mouth cleanser and unfortunately, it's reduction is the number one side effect of many popular medications. Finding a rinse that contains fluoride is also a good idea in order to turn baby cavities back into tooth.

Types of toothpastes aren't crucial as long as they contain fluoride and don't irritate your mouth. Some people have reactions to different pastes, specifically those with cinnamon flavoring. The thing to worry about with brushing, though, is that too much toothpaste can actually cause tooth wear. Use a soft bristle brush and spread toothpaste on the bristles like you are buttering toast.

Make sure your breath-freshening gum is sugar-free. Even better look for the ingredient xylitol--a sugar substitute that may actually be beneficial to your teeth and prevent cavities.

Back to reality

School started today. When my alarm rang this morning it took a lot of my energy to prevent any tears from rolling down. A lot. I'm not one for new year's resolutions but if I had to pick just one thing to change for 2010 it would be my terrible attitude about dentistry--my future career!! I had promised myself to begin the semester with a new, positive outlook on school and San Antonio. Well, that lasted for about two minutes after my arrival from Dallas. It's like the couch in my apartment has some undeniable force that sucks me in and prevents me from doing anything but sulking in front of the TV for more hours than I'd like to ever admit. What the hell?? I'm not a sulker! Out of rebellion against that whole resolution thing, and in hopes of trading in wasted hours on the couch for any other more productive activity, here are a few things that I'd like to perhaps embrace (not change!) from 2009.

1. Live a little.

I finished last semester behaving as if I were in college again. I know it's not possible to have late nights dancing and joking with friends all the time but it just felt so good to let loose and not worry about time or bags forming under my eyes the next morning or the fear of over- sleeping. I'd like to carry over some of that nonchalant attitude to this decade.

2. Put on my big girl pants more often.

Tom, so lovingly I'm sure, reminded me one evening to "put on my big girl pants and just go", referring to a New Year's Eve concert I wanted to attend. The scenario: me, some other people, really good band, really cool guy in band, me and other people going to watch band with really cool guy perform. Due to last minute crisis those other people bail. Shit!! What do I do?? I put on my big girl pants and go. By myself. That's right, went to the concert and stood ever so elegantly (for real), alone, and totally enjoyed myself and even thought "damn, maybe I should do this more often". OK, maybe not the last part. Anyway, if you knew the guy you'd do the same thing. And of course it ended up being one of the best NYE I've had.

3. Don't fight my competitive spirit.

2009 was the year of the half marathon for me. I felt incredible after this race and it's so true what everyone says, you just can't beat the adrenaline rush you get running your ass off and being cheered on by thousands (seriously) of people. So fun! Although people also told me I'd be dying to run a full marathon afterward. I'm in no way ashamed to admit that is not the case with me. No thanks. 13.1 is about as much pain as I can handle. Anyway, I'd like to run several races this year including this one and this one. That would be sweet.

Bundled and ready to run

Here's to a great new year for all! Everyone pitch in and leave some love about how cool teeth are, maybe that will get me a little more excited about this whole dental school thing!

Well, Great.....

So I had big plans for a poor-pitiful-me, my-birthday-date-sucks-so-much post, but I get on PLSB and notice that Yasi has gone and posted the sweetest, most thoughtful post for me on my special day. Dang it. I was also going to wow readers with a glamorous recap of my week spent in Roswell, NM visiting granny, but Yasi has up-staged me yet again.

Um well, I have all these pictures so here goes anyway.



That's right folks, a couple of times a year I am delighted to visit the thriving metropolis of Roswell. We have a lot of fun going to the casinos with my 91 year old grandmother, visiting Target on the daily and seeing more green plastic aliens than ever.


Here's how it all started. My parents thought they had rented a "luxury SUV" and returned with what we affectionately dubbed the "Green Bullet." My mom has history of getting confused with online reservations, but the Green Bullet served us well in the end.



On the first day after our arrival we drove Gramalita out to Ruidoso to get her gamble on. This is as close as we got to any mountains as my family is accident prone and I guess too lazy to go repelling down mountains on two wooden sticks. We much preferred this view of the mountain from the safety of the Green Bullet as we ate our lunch from Trolley Burger. Literally a Trolley that sells really great, green chili burgers.

Even though we have been traveling to Ruidoso to do this gambling bit for years, this was the first time I actually participated. I've always been weary of gambling because the odds are simply not in your favor. I mean the casinos aren't built on winners, am I right? I know some people enjoy the thrill (ehem Yasi and her brother), but I'd much rather take a gamble on a good sale and at least come away with some shoes or something. We went to Inn of the Mountain Gods and Billy the Kid. Both fun little places except for all the smoking (pew). I walked in with $20 from my moms to have some fun with and came back with $5. At no point in the day was I "up" in the money. I had to know this was just my luck. My sister on the other hand walked away with $50 and hadn't even gambled with half of her original $20! So all this from $10. That is why she loves Vegas and I will never go. Perhaps my luck would change if I had a little faith....maybe next year.

So now, on to the birthday thing. My birthday, "J-Day," happens to fall on December 25th. To all you old ladies who check my ID in stores and go, "Awwww you're a Christmas Baby!" This is NOT COOL. Having to share your birthday/attention with Jesus is not fair. But wait Jamie, you are Jewish so it's all good, right?!?! WRONG. All the nice restaurants are closed and your friends are busy with their families and holiday festivities. You'd think after 25 years I'd be over this, but it doesn't work that way although it is getting easier. Anyway, every year we have a birthday party in Roswell at Peter Piper Pizza sometime during the week. Even though I turned 25 (!#@!#!), this year was no different. It is slightly embarrassing, but I think it's good for the family and Roswell's economy. See, my dad is the youngest of 14 children so I have literally a billion cousins who venture out for the party. This year was a dud though because there was a mis-communication with the guests. My dad thought my aunt was alerting the family and my aunt thought my dad had told them. Result= only about 20 guests instead of a billion.


We had a lot of extra pizza and cake on our hands.

I was determined to make my actual birthday a huge success after the PPP fail. I got tons of Hannah Montana party decor, streamers, made invitations, you name it. The pennacle of the celebration was my oreo cakester cake.

My parents are so sweet and know I like Papyrus cards. They unfortunately did not realize that the gold stamp is self-adhering and all you needed to do was take off the sticker's backing. Tape did the trick and it was hilarious.

We left Roswell and I got to spend some quality time in Houston with family and friends making sure to eat at all the best places. I will be posting reviews and pics sometime hopefully soon. I also experienced some pretty crazy stuff--visiting my first close friend to have a baby, the beautiful Adella Grace, and going to Dallas for New Year's Eve and my other first close friend to get married (aside from Adella's mom of course).



Through blogging I found out about Etsy, a site to buy and sell handmade crafts and other goods. I ordered this ring holder for my friends from Mud Hutt and I really hope they like it. We got them a crock pot from the family, but I just wanted them to have a special memento. Etsy is an amazing way to find a touching gift for a low price.

Happy New Year Everyone!