Crooked Visions Of The Fall

Crooked Visions of the Fall

For the last month or so I’ve been livin’ the recurring dream that materializes annually this time of year. And I’m not talkin’ first semester dental school flashbacks, the Dodgers’ choking ritual of the fall, or even no SoCal rain. I’m talkin’ USC Trojan football. And if I close my eyes, breathe in deeply through my nose and slowly out through my mouth; I can see the train wreck (or maybe that’s just the corner of Rosemead and Las Tunas.)

So who knew watching the Trojans could get me to thinking about perfect alignment? And why do my thoughts keep goin’ back to Mexico?

A few years ago, our Temple City Dental Care (TCDC) crew visited Puerto Vallarta. A great TCDC patient had adopted a school about an hour outside of town and about a century outside of the Trojan’s last national title in 2005. We brought supplies and screened for the daunting dental care that would surely follow.

Except…out of about 150-little kids, 148 could have starred in toothpaste commercials. Refined carbohydrates didn’t grow on trees and the locals were perfectly adapted to their environment. No allergies equal straight teeth.

I wouldn’t trade for living in the San Gabriel valley (the Amalfi coast…maybe) But when I screen local youngsters, I see sick kids with tooth decay and distorted oral and facial development. The impact of allergies and diet in children equals that of obstructive sleep apnea and diet in adults. Undetected allergies can also interrupt physical and cognitive growth. Tooth decay and oral infections are the leading causes of lost school hours.

When the Trojans are out of alignment, they lose…and then I wonder why 20-year olds impact the quality of my life.

When your children have allergies, they can lose years and quality of life. Please visit a pediatric dentist. Call now.