More than any other of the Olympic Games, I really enjoyed watching the slalom racing.  I love seeing the amazing way they keep their upper body heading straight down the course, and their legs and feet flash back and forth as they fly through the gates.  It brought back memories of Jean Claude Killy.

Remember Killy?  He ruled the ski world in the late 60’s.  He went where nobody had gone before.  In one qualifying race he fell a couple hundred yards from the finish, bounced right back up, and finished the race… on one ski.  He had the fastest time- but had broken his leg!

He totally dominated the World Champion series and World Cup series in 1966 and 1967, then took all three gold medals in the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France.

What I remember about Killy was his style.  Previous world-class skiers, like Stein Eriksen, had an amazingly graceful fluid style, sliding apparently effortlessly down the course.  Killy changed all that.  Reporters said he skied with “his typical hell-bent, devil-may-care style.”  He spread his skis apart!  He sometimes looked anything but graceful!  He pushed the limits so hard it looked like he was often out of control, but he’d somehow catch it and speed on.

What I like about this is his willingness to sacrifice the elegant form that had been the norm, and get down and zoom!  He was not afraid to move the lines, to cross boundaries that had been assumed inviolate.

So that makes me wonder: How can we do some of this in our lives?  Do we let people tell us it can’t be done?  How often do we question the traditional ways of doing things, and press on past that to REALLY get moving?

I think it’s important to decide what is really important to us, and step up to the gate, and make it happen!

Right now the Olympics are making all the headlines.  Some absolutely amazing endeavors by incredible athletes.  And we can watch all that effort from the comfort of our lazyboys!

Think of how these athletes have spent so much time and energy to qualify for a position in these Olympic Games.  Everyone competing is the cream of the crop… but only one will grab the gold. We admire the dedication, the focus, the determination.  There is glamour and glitter.  Lights and lightning.  Instant fame and glory.

But what about the heroes at home?

• Workers who are up before the sun.
• People who work fourteen or more hours daily to make ends meet.
• Those working two jobs to survive as a single parent.
• Students spending long days trying to master difficult studies.
• Teachers giving their all to educate our children.
• Folks doing whatever they can to persevere in a tough economy.

Everybody faces challenges.  Not everyone gets accolades for their perseverance.  The glamour and glitter may seem very far away.

Maybe we should give some honor to those we know who fight the uphill fight every day.  Help and encourage where we can!

Real-town America, this blog’s for you!

I have been fortunate enough to do some improv classes recently. Improv is short for Improvisation, and usually refers to comedy sketches that are not scripted.

When two people do an improv routine together, one sets up a little bit of a story, the next fills in more detail, then they both keep inventing story information until they come to a conclusion. What’s fun is that since it isn’t planned in advance, the story can run anywhere, with lots of crazy twists and turns.

While it’s fun to watch improv routines, I’ve also had lots of fun learning about how to do good improv. Here are a few points that make a good improv session:

• Be prepared for anything… that doesn’t mean you have to be able to do everything; just that you be willing to change, to adapt. Have a plan of action, but be willing to change it quickly when it looks like another plan is better.

• Keep it positive – whatever is thrown your way, make the most of it! Emphasizing the positive aspects of each situation makes each scene much more enjoyable.

• Focus on building your partner up, not putting the focus on yourself. Always support your partner, setting him up to succeed. This allows him to do the same for you.

Do you notice how all these points could apply to “normal life”, whatever that is? And really, isn’t life kind of like improv anyway? We really never know what’s coming next, do we?

Maybe this little note doesn’t seem to be about dentistry, but we treat people, not just teeth. And maybe we all can learn to enjoy our life as improv!

Dentists spend a lot of time in school to earn their “Doctor of Dental Surgery” degree. (Ever wonder what the DDS meant?) (Some universities call it a DMD, from the Latin for Doctor of Medical Dentistry)

But the point I want to make here is that when all the years in school are finished, the education is just starting! That’s why we say we “Practice” dentistry!

Most states have requirements for doctors to complete a certain number of hours of “continuing education” per year. In Colorado, the liability insurance company requires a minimum of 15 hours of clinical “CE” annually. I personally love getting CE time, and usually exceed this number in January! Last year I accomplished over 156 hours of CE… over ten times the requirement.

I think when choosing a dentist, it is important to see if they value staying current in all the latest procedures, equipment and techniques. People usually don’t ask how much CE I have done so far this year, but maybe they should! There are always new things coming out, and it is important to stay informed! A favorite dental management person has rightly said “You’re either green and growing, or ripe and rotting!”

I prefer the growing part!

“I don’t need to look like a movie star!”

“I’ve had these crooked teeth forever; why change now?”

And then my favorite: “I’m already married – I don’t have to look great!”

There are many lines I hear from people with crowded teeth… often like those above. What many people do not realize is that when teeth are crowded, they move outside the ideal arch form. Then they hit against other teeth in ways they weren’t designed to do, and they wear prematurely. Sometimes worn teeth are more sensitive to hot, cold or sweets. I often see teeth so dramatically worn that they fracture and need to be rebuilt. That obviously involves time and money.

The good news here is that there are now cool options for straightening teeth! Invisalign is a system for straightening teeth without brackets and wires! It really is almost invisible! It is fast and efficient, easy to keep teeth clean and no metal in your mouth to deal with!

So the bottom line is this: there are long term reasons why you should have nice straight teeth. And the icing on the cake – it’s OK to look better too! Even if you’re already married!