Laura's Family History

I am a family history buff and have been since I was ten, when I completed a family tree project in my fourth grade class.  Years later, after I heard about ancestry.com, I started working on my family history and have been at it now for about 8 years.

I already knew that my ancestors that came to America were from Germany, Ireland, and England.  I have learned where some lines of my family were prior to settling there as well.  They were from Scotland, The Netherlands and France.  I have traced one line of my family all the way back to the 1000’s AD!  I found an ancestor, John Howland, who arrived in America on the Mayflower.  Sir George Beeston, my 15^th great-grandfather, was serving Queen Elizabeth I as the captain of one of the ships that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588 .  Beeston was 89 years old when he accomplished this feat and was knighted.  Records show that he lived to be 102 years old.

I have also discovered a great amount of family history in Massachusetts and Connecticut and will be visiting New England this fall!  Can’t wait to tell you all about that trip in a later blog!

Zona, Office Manager and Former Dental Phobic.

Zona, Front Office Manager and Receptionist


By now if you've called or been in to the office you have already met Zona.  But in those short interactions, you probably don't get to talk much in depth.  We're starting a series of blogs where we can explore the history or passions of our team here at the office as if y'all got to sit down over a cup of coffee.

Hi, I'm Zona, the upfront office manager of Toothbrusher's Dental.  The majority of my life has been spent in the mental health field working as a mental health worker, admissions, accounting, marketing, office manager and project coordinator.  Ever since I was young and read every true crime story every written, I had a love of how the mind works and functions in day-to-day life and its challenges.

My son, Adam Richardson, graduated from OU with a degree in zoology, and a desire to go to dental school.  he was told by many people not to get his hopes up of being accepted on his first try, but he was!  He entered dental school at OU.  From that moment on, I began to learn all about dentistry as he explained every procedure in detail to me.  His interest and hard work and dedication have placed him in the top ten percent of his class.  He teasingly would tell me "Mom, you should go to work for a dental office and learn all about it and then you can become my office manager someday!"

It was then I decided I wanted to do something different, something I had never envisioned myself doing!  Working in a dental office!  Those who have known me forever, have known my fear of dental work.  And so, when Dr. Guilford bravely hired me with no dental background, I was determined to grow and learn all about the dental field, as well as conquer my fears of sitting in the chair as a patient.

And so, at this point in 2017, a lot has happened! My son is a senior at OU.  He has chosen pediatric dentistry as the field he wants to purse.  He remains in the top ten percent of his class. Another joy of this year has been the marriage of my son to the most awesome young lady, Lana, who is also pursuing a degree in pediatric dentistry.  They were married in May in the most beautiful ceremony and reception I have ever been to!  I have gained a daughter I never had!

As for me, I have had the opportunity to work with the most fun, kind, spirited, caring team of professionals ever here at Toothbrusher's Dental We really do care about our patients.  As I check patients out, and they make comments like "Dr. Guilford is so gentle. I didn't feel a thing!", or "I don't want to ever go to another hygienist!", or "Dr. Guilford's assistant was so nice to me!"---I know that I have been blessed to be a small part of this caring office.  And, oh yes, I really have conquered my fears of sitting in the dental chair!!

Toothsavers app to the rescue!

Check out this great free app for getting kids to brush their teeth!

Save the fairy tale kingdom with your toothbrush!

An evil sorceress has cast a wicked spell, leaving everyone’s mouths to rot and be overrun by cavities. Now it's up to you to help Toothy and the Toothsavers save everyone's teeth!

You’ll have two minutes to brush and scrub away the spell for each of the kingdom’s quirky inhabitants. From the Dragon to Little Red Riding Hood to the Pirate, only you can help them clean their teeth.

Save your own teeth by brushing them with each Toothsaver for two minutes, twice a day. They’ll help make brushing fun. And for every few days you brush, you'll unlock a new Toothsaver to brush with. Brush for 30 days and you’ll have the chance to defeat the evil sorceress herself!

And be sure to brush your friends’ and family’s teeth using the two-player Toothsaver mode. Keep your whole family clean with Toothsavers!

You can find more info @ http://2min2x.org/toothsavers/

Have you seen the toothbrush apps?

There really is an app for everything.  These new apps will play music from your playlist for the amount of time to brush, remind you to spit and floss.  They even have a system to set up reminders for your dental appointment.  But.....do they help?  Read more below.
http://www.idigitaltimes.com/do-dental-smartphone-apps-work-new-study-finds-brush-dj-be-effective-471444

What the average that the Tooth Fairy brings?

"I remember getting 50 cents."  I say.  But that doesn't satisfy most kids these days.  There was an article recently written about Tooth Fairy inflation.  They claim that the average is $3.70 a tooth.  I don't know if that is New York or San Francisco dollars or an average nationwide though.  I can tell you that most parents of my patients report the Tooth Fairy leaves about $2.  Some say $5.  One told me the Tooth Fairy left $20 once.  (But that was a pre-arranged deal brokered by a really sharp 7-year-old!)

How do I get my kids to brush?

When my son Roger was born, I was ready to put into practice all the home techniques I’d learned as a student of dentistry.  It turned out that things don’t always go as the textbooks tell us! 

We would “brush” his gums with a washcloth to get him used to the motion with the goal of easier brushing later.   And when he finally got teeth, we brushed first without and then with kid’s toothpaste.   It was a real struggle for a while.  There was thrashing and wiggling, stalling and crying, and a lot of general unhappiness when the time came to brush his teeth.  But eventually we developed a system.  I’d sing a toothbrushing song (ours is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, if you know that one) and he’d reluctantly let me brush his teeth.  

Now, with his 5^th birthday in 2 weeks, we’ve developed a healthy habit.  He brushes his teeth first and I follow.  I’ve been letting him do more and more of the brushing, and I’m doing less and less.  I remind him of the places that he missed just while I’m sitting on the tub watching him.   

I can’t say that it’s been easy.  And I simply want to remind all you parents that I know its tough.  Sometimes dentists seem like they are talking to you from high on a mountaintop.  Like we know all and you will obey!  I’ve found what it really it comes down to is persistence and a commitment to oral hygiene.  That matters much more than technique.  That matters much more than what brand of toothpaste or manual verses electric toothbrushes. 

Oh and now we are starting again with my 1 year old, Lila!

Why is it such a big deal to make your dental appointments?

It is not just to keep you coming back!  We schedule your dental appointments for treatment to make sure we have the correct amount of time allotted for you to be able to provide you the best care and our undivided attention. This is the same with your recall hygiene appointments this exact amount of time allows Kala and Dr. Guilford to provide all procedures needed during that appointment with the best care and thoroughness, keeping this exact schedule allows our office to stay on schedule and run on time cutting down your wait time in the waiting room!

The importance of maintaining your treatment appointments is to keep the decay at its smallest occurrence as possible to avoid more costly procedures in the future.  The same is held true for your hygiene appointments if you maintain your regular interval suggested by Kala you will have a better chance of keeping a healthy smile. Nearly 80% of all adults have some form of either periodontal disease or gingivitis, and completing your regular recall appointments helps to minimize your chances of occurrence.  Also keeping to your suggested recall interval helps to keep you cavity free and need less actual dental treatment!!

We value you, the patient, and want to help in all ways possible to give you the best care and chance of maintaining a healthy smile.