Thorup Dental

I want to publicly thank all the men and women who have served our country, and who continue to serve. Two of my own sons have taken the opportunity to serve in the Armed Forces, and I’m grateful for their sacrifice and willingness to serve.

God bless all of you, and your families.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rob

My Team and I would like to wish all of our awesome patients a happy and healthy new year. Thank you for allowing us to care for your oral health. We wish all of you the best in 2015. Thank you again for your trust and confidence at Thorup Dental.
Sincerely,
Dr. Rob and Team

For years my team and I have used Sonicare Toothbrushes for our oral health care. Needless to say, that device has lived up to its claims, as we have enjoyed very few dental problems throughout the years.

The Sonicare Toothbrush cleans with ultrasonic motion, removing plaque with ease. Combine this toothbrush with flossing and the fluoride content of most toothpastes, and you will experience a dramatic difference in overall oral health.

I know some of you have Oral B brushes, and those units also do a great job cleaning teeth better than manual brushes. However, I still prefer the Sonicare due to years of experience with the actual brush.

When using a Sonicare, you do not have to apply firm pressure with the bristles while brushing. Gentle pressure with back and forth/up and down movement is all that is required. In other words, let the ultrasonic movement of the brush do the work on your teeth and gums.

Remember, flossing is still required to clean between your teeth, and regular dental check-ups are a must for maintaining excellent oral health.

Rest assured I get nothing for recommending these electric brushes. In fact, it cuts down on my “job security”. But my team and I really do care about all of you, our patients, and want what’s best for you, your families, and friends. Thank you for allowing my team and I to care for your oral health.

Sincerely,
Dr. Rob

Alright all my awesome patients, after treating my third avulsed tooth (an avulsed tooth is one that has been traumatically knocked out of the mouth) in the last three months, I felt it necessary to teach all of you First Aid for Tooth Loss due to trauma. The three avulsed tooth patients I have treated lately have experienced premature tooth loss from every day events, and not from sports or high adventure.

In each of these cases, parents and youth had never received training for tooth avulsion. As many of you know, I teach CPR/AED and Remote Wilderness First Aid Courses, as a Red Cross instructor, to Scout Leaders and their older youth. So please read the following and do your best to commit it to memory. You just might save a smile!

Knocked out Tooth (Dental Avulsion)
A knocked out tooth is a real dental emergency in which immediate treatment, within 20–40 minutes of tooth loss, affects the prognosis of the tooth.

First Aid Treatment consists of doing the following:

-Pick up the tooth by the anatomical crown portion, not the root.

-The avulsed permanent tooth should be gently rinsed, not scrubbed, with water to clean any unwanted dirt or debris.

-Care should be taken not to damage the surface of the root, which may have living tissue still present.

-With the tooth and mouth clean, an attempt should be made to re-plant the tooth in its original socket. Care should be taken to place the tooth so that it looks similar to the others, and not placed in backwards.

-If the tooth cannot be replaced immediately, place in milk, saline solution, or spit (held in the mouth with extreme care to prevent swallowing the tooth) to maintain moisture, and seek emergency care at an Emergency Room, or a dental office. If the patient is even slightly dazed, or worse, has an obvious change in level of awareness or consciousness, do not have them hold it in their mouth to prevent aspiration.

-Failure to re-plant the avulsed tooth within the first 40 minutes after the loss may result in a less favorable outcome for the tooth.

-First Aid of injured baby teeth differs from management of permanent teeth; avulsed baby teeth should not be re-planted to avoid damage to the permanent.

-If you are unable to re-plant the tooth due to uncontrolled bleeding, have the patient bite down on gauze or any other substance such as a hand towel or clean rag, thus applying direct pressure to the wound site, and seek an emergency care facility as soon as possible.

The best treatment for an avulsed tooth is immediate replantation. However, this can be difficult for the non-professional person. The teeth are often covered with dirt or other substances. The debris must be ideally washed off with a physiological solution and not scrubbed. Sometimes multiple teeth are knocked-out and it might be difficult for the average person to figure out where each tooth belongs in the mouth. The injured person will often times have other injuries, such as lacerations or fractures, that require more immediate attention. The patient may resist replantation of the teeth due to pain when attempting replantation.

If immediate replantation is not possible, the teeth should be placed in an appropriate storage solution and brought to a dentist who can then replant them. The dentist will clean the socket and tooth/teeth, and replant them into their appropriate sockets. The dentist will splint them to non-knocked-out teeth for a specific period of time to allow stabilization of the teeth. Additional treatment will usually be needed after emergency treatment.

The best way to avoid tooth loss is to wear mouth guards and appropriate gear for specified activities. However, tooth avulsion can occur when least expected.
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to call our office.
Sincerely,
Dr. Rob and Team at Thorup Dental

Dear Patients and Friends,

Just a quick note to wish all of you a Happy 4th of July. From Memorial Day to July 4th, I often times reflect upon the sacrifices so many have made for us to enjoy the freedoms our country has to offer. I hope all of you will take the time to thank a veteran, or someone currently serving in the military, for their sacrifice.

Whenever I travel for dental events, or just some much needed vacation, I always have a couple of $20 bills in my pocket. I look around and find someone in uniform, go up to them, and shake their hand telling them “thank you” for serving. Inside that hand shake is the $20, and I tell them lunch or dinner at the airport is on me. Every time I have done this the reply is almost the same, “thank you sir, but you don’t need to buy me lunch/dinner.” I’m even more touched by their dedication, and humbleness in serving our great country. Of course, they don’t have an option of not allowing me to feed them.

I will admit, I usually search out the enlisted men and women, but I couldn’t help notice two parents with their young boy. The dad was a Major, and the mom was a Sergeant First Class. I thanked them both for serving, and the Major did not want to take my gift. I looked him straight in the eyes and told him “don’t make me pull rank on you Major”! I held such a straight face that he took the $20 without another word. He thanked me, and we chatted for a minute as to where they were coming home from. Next try will be a Colonel!

My favorite service men and women are the Marines. They do not travel in uniform, and are my favorite to pick out of the crowds. My son, who is a Marine, taught me how to spot them. I thank the Lord for all of them.

Thanks to all of you wonderful patients at Thorup Dental, for allowing my team and I to care for your oral health. I hope this weekend is relaxing to all of you.

Sincerely,
Dr. Rob and Team.

As many of you know, I have one son who is currently serving in the United States Marine Corp, and two others who will be entering military duty in the near future. This time of year causes me to reflect upon those who have served, and those who are serving our great country, protecting the freedoms we enjoy, and often take for granted. I came upon two articles I want to share with all of you. The authors are unknown to me, but I felt they are worthy of sharing them with all of you.

Again, thank you for allowing me and my staff to care for your dental needs. Enjoy the two reads.

Dr. Rob…

Taps History

Here is something every American should know.
We in the United States have all heard the haunting song, “Taps”
If any of you have ever been to a military funeral in which taps were played; you probably would have felt it touch your heart. Perhaps the following will bring you new meaning and understanding of it.
Do you know the story behind the song? I think you will be interested to find out about its humble beginnings.
Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Elli was with his men near Harrison’s Landing in Virginia. The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land. During the night, Captain Elli heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment. When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was now dead.
The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier, it was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.
The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only partially granted.
The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members, play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral. The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate. But, out of respect for the father, they would allow him to have, only one musician. 


The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of his dead son’s uniform.
This wish was granted. The haunting melody, we now know as ‘Taps’ used at military funerals was born.
The words are:

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lakes, From the hills, From the sky, All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh!

Fading light, Dims the sight, And a star, Gems the sky, Gleaming bright, From afar, Drawing nigh, Falls the night. 

Thanks and praise, for our days, neath the sun, neath the stars, neath the sky, as we go, this we know,
God is nigh!

I too have felt the chills while listening to ‘Taps’ but I have never seen all the words to the song until now. I didn’t even know there was more than one verse. I also never knew the story behind it; I now have an even deeper respect for the song than I did before.
Our freedom is not free; it has been purchased at a tremendous cost, monetarily yes into the trillions of dollars. But more importantly and more essentially in the loss of life and limb of millions of Americana’s, who have put their own lives on the line for us.
I think it would be good for us to remember those lost and or harmed while serving to protect the freedom of our Country. I also think it would be good for us to remember those who are now serving in the Armed Forces. Who are now willing to purchase our freedom with their blood.
God bless this great country and may God bless you the great leaders of this country.

FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
• Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
• Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
• Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
• They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
• Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his Ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
• Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and
poverty was his reward.
• Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
• At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
• Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
• John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
Some of us may take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn’t. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.

Love our office? Ready to share your good experience with others? Our best patients are always referred by our existing awesome patients! For every new client you refer to our office we’ll give your choice of one of the following:

• $50 credit on your account
• $50 gift certificate to Life Aveda Salon and Spa at the District in South Jordan
• $50 gift certificate to Gastronomy Restaurants
• $50 gift certificate to Tsunami
• $50 gift certificate to Megaplex Theaters

As any business owner knows, internal referrals from existing clients are the best referrals any business can have. Dentistry is no different. Throughout the years we have rewarded existing patients for referrals to our practice, in addition to paying for external marketing. As of July 1st, we are taking the growth of our practice completely internal. In other words, we are rewarding referring patients for their continued support, and are doing so in a significant way. All of us at Thorup Dental would rather benefit you, the referring patient, for you confidence and trust in referring your family and friends to our practice, instead of some outside marketing source. We invite you to visit our website, www.thorupdental.com, and click on the button “Refer Family & Friends”. There you sill see the simple details of our referral program, and our sincere “Thank You” for those who wish to engage in continued support of our dental practice.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rob and Team