Dr. Von Bulow's Articles

So I don’t know about you guys but I sure do appreciate my recovery time. In fact, for me, the Holidays provide the perfect opportunity to recover big time.

And world-class recovery isn’t necessarily all about taking a Louisville Slugger to the alarm clock or going Kobayashi with chili-cheese whatever all day or letting the dishes stack up or wearing the same old Trojan National Championship FB jersey all week (Shucks, that would mean Bruin fans could never recover properly and they need it more than most. Maybe in their case we could opt for “We held BYU to 59 points” tees.

In any case, research shows that in order to grow, we need to experience stress and recovery in fairly equal portions. Dr. Jim Loehr believes we most effectively develop physically and emotionally when our day-to-day routine consists of a series of stress/recovery intervals. Loehr is a world-renowned performance psychologist and CEO of Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida. Jim has worked with Fortune 100 executives, FBI hostage rescue teams, Pete Sampras, Dan Jansen and numerous other elite athletes…and me (twice.)

Compromising the recovery component of our oscillation through life can have some fairly dire consequences. Now that I think of it, I’m sending a copy of this column to spin instructor Pearl who doesn’t believe in recovery but is a UCLA grad and doesn’t follow football and that’s probably her recovery angle right there and there I go talking to myself…again.

Back to the troublesome health implications; there are many just within the scope of what we see in dentistry everyday. When little kids suffer allergies, parents will often report some seriously loud nighttime teeth grinding. The grinding is the body’s adaptive effort to open up the ear canal and relieve congestion produced by big tonsils and adenoids that are part of a stressed immune system. If the allergies go untreated and recovery time is significantly impacted, the result can be altered oral and facial development as well as slowed growth. In the adult airway version, obstructive sleep apnea puts folks at risk for stroke and heart attack. We definitely need effective recovery time; without it, our quality of life and length of life can take a Louisville slugging.

And as long as I’m going Louisville, why shouldn’t I complain about baseball crimping my recovery time.

Like most American males my age (somewhere between 32 and 55.32) playing catch with my dad was my intro to sports. And at risk of my dad coming back and haunting Doc (wrath of) Kahn until he goes over my final Mock Board exam results just one more time, I’m here to say I’ve had it with baseball.

I’ve already gone from being a kid who played over-the-line everyday all summer and knew every Big League batting average to seeing the National Pastime as I do now. Today, attending a ballgame is a chance to eat junk food, wash it down with a cold, frosty beverage, read a book, BS, get some sun, defeat insomnia and seize 3-5 hours of recovery time. Simple as that.

And now, a billionaire billboard jockey won’t pay an extra $20 million over eight years to some punk in cleats because $160 million just isn’t enough for a 29 year-old guy who’s already set for life playing a kid’s game in front of a bunch of folks who’re wondering whatever happened to their 201Ks (I think I just threw up in my mouth.)

So, thanks for the memories. Shucks, now I’m probably gonna have to start watching ice hockey or…gulp…soccer. But I won’t be losing any sleep over baseball…zzzzzz.

I know; what a ridiculous title? But you have to admit, you’re probably totally intrigued about what the Tommy Cruise I’m thinking about or maybe you’re already moving on to unravel that tangled puzzle we know as the City Manager’s Weekly Report.

So I’m not talkin’ about Old-Time Rock n Roll or even the yucky HAZMAT breed of biomechanics that grosses out most of us non-medical specialists. But I just did have an SAT flashback even though back in The Day I didn’t even know I was taking The SAT when I was taking it.

Anyway, I’m just talking about teeth.

So most of us know teeth can be risky business; some of us know the hard way. Here’s the thing; please don’t feel so guilty about having a track record of tooth decay and fillings that seem to expand in size every time the Trojans mop up on the Bruins.

Okay, you win. You can feel guilty if you’re not trying and you know better. And sometimes guilt is good for you; just ask my Sicilian traveling production manager, Aunt Clara.

But getting cavities and suffering from tooth decay is mostly the outcome of our lack of resistance to disease. And yeah, it’s okay to think of tooth decay as a disease. Not being able to stop shoving Jolly Ranchers into your pie hole is not a disease; armies of aggressive bacteria using sugar as a medium to produce acid that will rot away weakly resistant enamel is a disease. Tooth decay, when it comes right down to it, is a bacterial infection. And some folks are more vulnerable to the infection than others.

Doesn’t it make sense to figure out who’s at risk sooner rather than later? Once dentists can assign a degree of risk to a particular oral health challenge, we’re better able to personalize care and make the care more preventive than interventive. Shucks, my world-famous continuing education guru, Seattle’s Doc Kois actually says stuff like, “No dentistry is as good as no dentistry” (And to think I pay Dr K 5Gs a pop to figure out how to best restore broken down teeth and mouths.)

The message is materials and approaches for restoring damaged teeth have made the restorative experience far less invasive than in the past. And the earlier significant tooth decay risks are identified, the more effectively we can follow the natural design of our enamel-coated chewing body parts. Kind of like the dentistry version of “keepin’ it real.”

Today, systems exist that can measure risk before tooth decay disease has even started. One particular technology, the Carifree system, takes only a few minutes in the office to quantify risk. Clinically, the experience is pain free and involves swabbing plaque off two different tooth surfaces. Carifree can even be used to measure risk in infants. The cost of the screening is less than the cost of one filling.

We can also detect risk for tooth decay just by studying patterns. If someone has active tooth decay or has had a history of tooth decay on the smooth enamel surfaces between teeth, we know there’s an increased risk. And we’re all at greater risk as we age and produce less saliva. Reduced saliva flow is also a common side effect of numerous medications.

Folks with a higher risk for tooth decay can receive fluoride in any number of ways and increase their cavities resistance. And we know the sugar substitute Xylitol potentiates the anti-bacterial capability of fluoride. Antimicrobial rinses help. Oral hygiene instruction and heightened monitoring are musts. Plus today, laser technology helps us detect tooth decay at very early stages.

So don’t feel guilty…unless you don’t stop by for a quick risk analysis from your dentist.

So I realize last week it seemed like I spend half my time talking to myself and most of the rest of the time interviewing imaginary public figures. And see what happens to you after you’ve been looking at crowns and veneers for decades and have OM Dalila on your case all the time?

Thing is, some of my favorite images are those I hold onto inside mi cabeza and some of my most fun recovery time gets generated by my often vivid imagination. I once heard Anthony Robbins mourn the adult loss of child-like curiosity but I hope he wasn’t lookin’ at me. Some may call it immaturity but shucks; I think being child-like can work just fine for veteran molar jockeys like me.

So I’m a week or so late for Thanksgiving. And my tardiness means I’ve undoubtedly watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” again and shed a tear or twelve like I do every year George Bailey wishes he was never born.

And there have undoubtedly been easier times to locate a slice of silver lining on Turkey Day. But once I’m past the irony of Bailey Building and Loan Association getting torpedoed by VP Cheney look-alike, evil Mr. Potter, I’m back in the spirit again.

Through it all, the movie’s about people. And true, director Frank Capra was an insufferable sentimental softy but who cares? The theme of the film is written on guardian angel Clarence’s note, “He is not a failure who has friends.”

So this November, when I’m reciting everything I’m grateful for on the way into the office every morning, I lead off with family and friends (I know; talking to myself again…and driving!) And it almost seems counter intuitive to not retreat into some defensive posture when times get tough. But reaching out has always worked better for my having the results I really want (I talk to myself about that every morning, too.) Seems like when you reach out and declare to friends and family what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it, they tend to help hold you to your word. Trust me.

So if, like me, you’re committed to staying healthy, share the commitment. If you openly declare good health as something you want, you’re way more likely to see the opportunities. If you resort to four walls and the Business Section, all the bad news can help generate a self-fulfilling depressing prophesy.

Back in The Day, when I came home with a robust 2.13 GPA after one quarter of college I felt like a total failure. So my family had committed to me for a lifetime and this was their reward? My dad and I had a little talk; it went something like this: “Jack, I love you and I’ll be proud of you no matter what you do, as long as you do your best. As long as you’re giving it 100% I’ll support you with whatever it takes. If you can’t give it your best, you’re on your own. Am I clear?” I told Dad I’d do my best; I was going to go to dental school just like I said I would. Me, disappointing my dad, just wasn’t an option.

So Dad got me a night job in a warehouse and I hit the books rigorously for the next three years. And I still remember the clear, wind-swept afternoon Dad and I walked the campus during open house, months before I started dental school at USC, my first choice. And I’ll never forget Dad’s smile.

I was never more committed to doing anything than I was to giving it my best during those three years at Cal State LA. And if you’ve done something once, you know you can do it again…with a little help from your friends.

And that’s why I love Thanksgiving and…“It’s a Wonderful Life.” Especially this year.