O'Fallon Family & Cosmetic Dentist

We’ve been looking for holiday events to enjoy in the St. Charles County area this year. I put together a list of several activities you might want to check out.

ST. CHARLES, MO HOLIDAY EVENTS

Outdoor Ice Rink – 11/27/09 – 12/26/09 on Weds, Fri, Sat, or Sundays.
Outdoor ice rink located along the Missouri River in Frontier Park. Cost is $6/adult, $5/child under 12. Skate rental is $3.

Christmas Traditions Festival – 11/27/09 – 12/26/09 – Along South Main Street. Stores are open until 9:00 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays with activities including carolers from 6:30 – 9:00. There is a Santa Parade every Saturday and Sunday at 1:30.

Journey to Bethlehem put on by Harvester Christian Church – 12/10/09 – 12/13/09. Thursday and Friday 6:30 – 9:00, Saturday and Sunday 5:30 – 9:00. Free live re-enactment of the very first Christmas. I went to this last year and it is pretty amazing.

Erin Bode Holiday Concert at the Foundry Art Centre – 12/12/09 at 8:00 P.M.

St. Charles Community College Young People’s Theater presents “Scrooge, the Stingiest Man in Town.” Dec. 18th at 7:00 p.m., Dec. 19th at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. and Dec. 20th at 2:00 p.m. Located in the Donald D. Shook Fine Arts Building on the SCC campus. General admission cost is $7, students and senior citizen cost is $6. Here is more information about St Charles Community College’s winter performances.

O’FALLON, MO HOLIDAY EVENTS

Celebration of Lights – 11/27/09 – 12/30/09, closed Dec. 24 & 25. Fort Zumwalt Park
Over 1 million lights and a mile of holiday scenes. Sunday, Tuesday – Thursday, from 6:30 – 9:00, Friday and Saturday from 6:30 – 10:00. Cost is $9/car or $15/van. Special walk-through night on December 8th.

ST. PETERS, MO HOLIDAY EVENTS

Santa Visits Old Town Log Cabin – Dec. 2nd, 1 – 3 p.m. Cabin is located at Gatty Road & Park Street.
Old fashioned holiday fun with horse-drawn carriage rides through Old Town.

Breakfast with Santa – Dec. 16th, 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. at the Rec-Plex. Breakfast is $10/child and $4/adult. Breakfast, sit on Santa’s lap, crafts, activities and songs. Must register by December 8th by visiting the Rec-Plex or callings 636-939-2386 ext. 400.

FORISTELL, MO HOLIDAY LIGHTS

Holiday Night Lights – Rotary Park – 11/27 – 12/27 from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Open Thursday – Sunday from 11/27 – 12/13 and nightly from 12/17 – 12/27. Closed Christmas Day. Includes 1 1/2 mile drive with themed displays and over half a million lights.

CHESTERFIELD, MO HOLIDAY EVENTS

Winter Holiday Candlelight Walk – Dec. 4 & 5 from 5 – 9 p.m. Located in Faust Park. Cost is $10/car.

Candy Cane Hunt at the Carousel at Faust Park – Saturday, December 5th at 10:00 a.m. Some of the candy canes will have special prizes attached to them. You must purchase tickets ahead of time for $5 at the St. Louis Carousel Gift Shop.

Please comment if you know of other great holiday activities or places for viewing holiday lights in the area.

Dentists learn very early in their careers that many patients experience a considerable amount of dental anxiety. The phrase “Nothin’ personal Doc, but I hate dentists” is so common that there is a book by that title. The book is actually a helpful resource for patients dealing with dental anxiety. When I am asked, “What do you do for a living?” I am often tempted to make up a different, less fear-invoking profession. Recently, I did a search on Twitter for the word “dentist” hoping to find some colleagues to interact with there. What I found instead was a long list of tweets with the phrase “I hate the dentist.”

Hating the dentist can lead to a vicious cycle in which fearful patients avoid the dental office and routine cleanings only to visit when they are in a large amount of pain and will need more intensive treatment. Regular dental check-ups and early detection of decay can help patients avoid the need for the treatments they fear the most. As I have stated elsewhere in this blog, healthy teeth and gums can impact your overall health making it more important to take part in routine cleanings.

There is hope for patients who fear the dentist. New techniques in dentistry allow for less pain and less drilling. Anesthetic shots can be given without pain. Through the use of a numbing swab and proper manipulation, these dental anesthetics do not have to be painful. Patients often tell me they did not even know they received a shot. My young nephew who has needed a tooth extracted and several fillings swears that he has never had a shot in my office. Of course, as a loving uncle I have given him shots with these procedures. Tooth-colored composite fillings require less drilling and removal of the tooth structure in order to place the filling. These procedures are quicker, less drill intensive, and less uncomfortable.

More dentists are making an effort to design their offices and train their staff to alleviate the fears that arise when first walking into a dental office. For patients who had troubling experiences at the dentist when they were younger just the sight or smell of a dental office can raise their anxiety level. Dentists are becoming more aware of techniques to help patients deal with the sensory issues that might elicit a fear response by masking smells, decorating peaceful offices and offering movie goggles or earphones.

Some dentists offer sedation techniques to calm their most anxious patients. These techniques include taking a calming medication before the appointment, nitrous oxide use during the appointment, or a light sedation during procedures. It is very important to share your complete health history with your dentist prior to requesting one of these techniques.

Visiting the dentist does not have to be a fearful experience. It is a good idea to share with your new dentist that you are anxious about your appointment and to be pro-active in figuring out ways to reduce your anxiety. You can find more helpful information about dealing with dental anxiety online. WebMD provides a short video on sedation dentistry. This short article posing the question “Is Sedation the Answer?” gives a brief overview as well.

Cosmetic dentistry is the practice of using aesthetically pleasing materials and techniques to correct or enhance a smile. Cosmetic dentistry procedures range from a simple one visit contouring procedure to total mouth re-construction. I have defined some of the most common cosmetic dentistry procedures here.

There is a misconception that all cosmetic dentistry procedures are expensive and time-intensive. However, simple procedures like contouring and bonding can make a beautiful difference without a large expense of time or money. Contouring is a simple process used to re-shape teeth to create a more uniform smile. Bonding is an affordable way to fix small cracks, chips, gaps and discoloration. These simple solutions might help you to create the smile you have always desired.