Take Five

by Andrea Harris

Let’s be honest, the holidays are a little bit stressful.  Whether you’re hosting the family or packing up the car to head to grandma’s house, go ahead and take five minutes for a chuckle courtesy of the illustrious Mr. Bean.  

And the Nominees Are...

As you know, our own Provo dentist, Dr. Blake Matthews is giving away a set of braces to one lucky winner!  They will start treatment in 2014 and get a New Smile for the New Year!

We wanted to introduce our amazing nominees, selected by Dr. Matthews and the MatthewsSmiles team. And they are...


1. Quinlan

Story: My son Quinlan was born at 26 weeks and weighed 2 pounds 3 ounces when he was born over 12 years ago. He has survived over 57 surgeries and is doing great. He has cerebral palsy and cannot walk but does really great other than that. He was born on 09/14/01, I actually went into labor on 09/11. He is an amazing boy.

On his birthday this year he asked for one thing and one thing only...... Braces! Who does that??? Well he is very insecure about his smile. He tells me his teeth are "jacked up". It breaks my heart but I wanted to wait until he was a little older and understood how important beautiful teeth and a beautiful smile are. I think he's ready.

Please consider giving this amazing kid the chance at having straight teeth and the confidence he deserves to have, in an amazing smile.

2. Alexa

Alexa is a beautiful girl with a fun personality.  Our family has gone through a job loss and a cross-country move in the last year.  Money has been tight and we are needing to get Alexa into braces. Please help us make her smile.

3. Andy

Andy never got a chance to have braces as a youth.  His father worked construction which provided for the family but never had insurance that would pay for braces to fix his smile.  Now that he is an adult, the cost of braces is prohibitive even though he has always tried to take care of his teeth.  Andy has always wanted to have a nice smile and where he wasn't ashamed when he was happy in front of other people. 

To vote go here: http://woobox.com/46gnfp

Let's share our Jimmerosity!  And join Dr. Matthews and the Fredette Family Foundation in picking someone special to get braces in 2014.  Voting runs until 12/9 and the winner will be announced 12/10.  

Grateful for Good Dental Care with Dr. Matthews

It’s November and if you’re like me, this month has you feeling a little more thankful.  Now, I confess I’ve NEVER said “really great dental care” when it was my turn to say what I was thankful for around the dinner table, but a conversation I overheard not too long ago has me pretty tempted this year.

by Andrea Harris

I found myself waiting in a long line the other day. Usually in cases like that, I’d just browse around on my phone to stay busy, but on this lucky day I found myself sandwiched between a dental hygienist and a dental hygiene student studying for a big exam.  At first, the two women were swapping study techniques and commiserating about the amount of memorization required to graduate. (Let me just say, hats off to the people who work in the dental industry. These are some dedicated, hard-working people. It’s not an easy job!) Then, they started into the more interesting stories about internships at free dental clinics.  

I listened in fascinated horror to the seasoned hygienist recount her tales of working in a free clinic in an economically depressed, rural  town. She described one patient who came in for a cleaning.  A middle aged woman, as she described her, who only had about six teeth in her mouth. An eyetooth or two and a few molars… Can you imagine?  I have to be honest. I can’t.   

She went to explain that the only thing holding the molars left in this unfortunate patient’s mouth was several years’ worth of plaque build-up.  After consulting with the clinic’s capable dentist,  they concluded it was better to leave the plaque and let the woman keep her existing teeth as long as possible.  The three of us now involved in the conversation talked candidly about our sorrow for the woman’s plight and what it must be like to not have access to regular dental care.

It’s one of those things I admit I take for granted regularly and sometimes even grumble about.  But this year, I’ll probably add it to my list of things for which I’m genuinely grateful.