2nd Annual Glean Your Pantry Food Drive!

Can you believe that it is that time of year again? It seems like the year flew by! Once again, it is that time of year to open your pantries and “glean”. Let us all look at the abundance that we have and share with those less fortunate around us. It does not have to be hard. Just pack up those items that have been sitting there for a while and let someone else have use of them NOW when they need it rather than saving it for a rainy day. We will have our collection box ready for FOOD Share.

As the summer ends, let’s pause and take a breather and remember all the things we are grateful for. We are very fortunate to live in the country and in this state where sunshine abounds and food is plenty. Let’s not forget to share….

Hey Jessica, It’s Ok Not To Brush And Floss! (Just brush the ones you want to keep!)

Jessica Simpson strikes again! In March, Simpson admitted her oral indiscretions, “I don’t brush my teeth,” she told a radio station “No, really! I just use Listerine — and sometimes I’ll use my sweater,” she claimed, bursting into laughter. Motioning that she uses her sweater stretched over her finger as a make-shift toothbrush.

When I first heard that, my first reaction was eeew! How could a beautiful gal think such a thing! It concerned me that someone with such a gorgeous smile would care so little about her oral health! It kind of grossed me out just thinking about the bacteria she would share while kissing her partner(s)!!! …sharing food!!! eeew! ….drink!!! eeew!!! The more I thought about it, the more grossed out I was!

Somebody needs to let this poor gal know that this is not ok! Eventually her teeth will rot out of her mouth. While she may have the means to get replacement teeth, in my years of practice, I have yet to hear a patient say, I love my denture. Perhaps spending a day in an assisted living facility might open her eyes. Just listen to people whose teeth live in a glass of water for part of a day. Hear what they have to say. It is no walk in the park! Because guess what? Replacement teeth are prostheses! Ask any vet, who wears a prostheses, if it is easy. It may look good, but it will never feel the same. Try eating with two pieces of plastic covering most of your tastebuds!

But go ahead Jessica! If you are so lazy that you can’t be bothered to brush your teeth. It’s Ok Not To Brush And Floss! (Just brush the ones you want to keep!)

Night Time Eating Linked To Tooth Loss

Here is something for all you snackers out there! Remember to brush and floss after that last minute bit of milk and cookies before you go to bed!

Night Time Eating Linked To Tooth Loss.

Dental Designs | Providing general dentistry and specialty dental services in Oxnard, CA

See what our patients are saying about us!

Dental Designs | Providing general dentistry and specialty dental services in Oxnard, CA.

Check out Boys and Girls Clubs Of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme – It Just Takes One Campaign 2009-2010 – Tim’s One Campaign

It just takes one dollar to make a difference… please join me and my office in helping raise funds to send one child for a year to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Call (805)981-3868 to make a difference today.

One dollar from you is all it takes to help keep a child off the streets in our community.  The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme does a tremendous job in changing the lives of our youth.  They are our future.  See what they are doing…I want you to take a look at: Boys and Girls Clubs Of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme – It Just Takes One Campaign 2009-2010 – Tim’s One Campaign 

Reflections…on balance

I find it hard to believe that the month is already over.  It seems like time has rushed by.  My sons are now ages 8 and “almost”4.  So much has happened.  Where has the time gone?

When we were kids it seemed that time took forever, as I get older, it seems like it is going by too quickly.  Our lives have gotten so busy that I find myself caught up in the rush of things that it seems so difficult to stay connected to the people we held dear in the past.  Between getting the kids ready for school in the morning ( mind you, my kids get up at 5am regardless of time zone), and going to work, homework, chores, activities, when do I have time for me?  When do I have time for a quick chat between girlfriends?  Heck, I don’t even have time for long baths anymore!

Between the full-time demands of my life as a mom and wife and the demands of a busy dental practice, I sometimes find myself stretched.  It is because of this that my husband Todd and I are committed to our family time away from home.  We take mini-vacations and 2 week vacations to refresh and strengthen our bonds as a family.  I love “Kids Club”!!!  It gives us time to be together as a family and time for us to reconnect as a couple.

I try not to work more than 4 days a week, if I can.  This gives me freedom to volunteer at my son’s school and do all the mommy things with them.  Thank God for the wonderful people at daycare who help us balance this all out.  This way I can give the people who come to me for dental care the personal attention they need.  It is all about balance….

Reflections on giving thanks…

So, I was thinking, if I am going to keep a blog, maybe I should talk about what goes on in my life. Not to say that all the things I have been writing about has not been part of it. So here goes…

I am 41 years old yet somehow I don’t feel that I am. I have a theory….early Alzheimer’s. Can’t remember much of the last 20 years, it was such a blur. Maybe that’s why on some level I still think I am in my twenties.LOL!!!!
It seems just like yesterday when I moved from the Philippines. Sometimes, when I look back, it is hard for me to believe that I was that same person. I think of the courage it took to leave everything I knew to start fresh in a new country. I think of this nation and the foundation on which it was built. I think of the courage of the men and women had back then… to forge a life in this country on the hope of something new…on the premise that all men are created equal…that opportunity is available to anyone who is willing to try.

I think of the immense blessings I have recieved. I think of how fortunate I am and that nothing is taken for granted.

Spa Day 2010

We had such a great time today! Dr. Shelby Padua Lapiad and I, Dr. Marie A. Buell, together with our awesome team members, Liz and Karissa, as well as the dynamic duo Dr. Carol Gwynn Thompson-chiropractor and massage therapist extraordinare and Sarah Hipple of Jafra Cosmetics-feel and look young specialist, spent Saturday from 10 to1pm pampering our wonderful patients and their friends!
The day of fun, food and friendship was welcomed by all who came! How can you beat FREE massages, facials, foot and hand treatments, discounts on dental treatment and a great day with the awesome ladies at Dental Designs?

At this time, it was our way of saying thanks! I am extremely grateful to all my patients and friends whose love and support AND trust, has allowed me to care for not only their dental health but their general physical and emotional well-being! Many of you have, over the years become friends whose lives have touched mine!
It was fun seeing a lot of you who have gone AWOL due to whatever financial constraints the past couple of years has brought! You have been missed but our doors have always remained open for your return! Welcome back! Many of you have seen my kids from infancy! It is amazing to think that I have known many of you pre-pregnancy!

The year is well on it’s way.  It will go by fast so here is to an awesome 2010!

FREE MONEY

Just as a reminder, when the clock strikes 12midnight on December 31st, if you did not use up your dental benefits, you just gave FREE MONEY to your insurance company.

For all those who are still reviewing their 2010 benefits package, we are still doing the FREE Review.  Call our office or stop by so we can help you muddle through the gobbledygook you received.

Thank you to all who have participated in our FOOD Drive!  For those procrastinators out there, as you make your holiday dinners and look at the bountiful table laid out for you and your family, remember the people around you who are going without.  We will continue to collect FOOD and COATS through January 31st 2010.

I can’t believe that I just wrote 2010!  Anyway, keep smiling!

Dr. Marie Buell

THANK YOU!

Hard to believe we are a week away from Christmas! Where did the year go? Yet, when I look back, there is so much to be grateful for! God has carried me and my family through this year. In the moment, when things were tough, it was easy to lose sight of this. He has blessed us and in abundance! Here is looking to an awesome end of the year!

Thank you to everyone for participating in our FOOD Drive! Keep em’ coming! Also, I guess we don’t have people with extra warm weather attire. We haven’t seen any coats come through yet. GLEAN YOUR CLOSETS after you get all your X’mas goodies. We will keep the collection up till Jan 31st 2010. We really haven’t seen winter yet, even if we already took our kids to the snow:D