Brite Smiles Dental Care Asks: Do You Hate Smiling? You’re Not Alone.

Apple Valley, MN – Brite Smiles Dental Care (http://www.britesmilesdentalcare.com), in Apple Valley shares a new study that shows that many people aren’t happy with their smile.

Over a quarter of the population doesn’t like smiling because of their teeth, according to a new study. The study data indicates that 81% of people think their teeth look bad in pictures, and because of that, 28% don’t even smile in photographs.

The study was conducted by Bupa, an international healthcare group, and included about 2,000 participants. The study also showed that 42% of people said their smile was the first thing they would change about themselves and slightly more than one third of the people said they were embarrassed by their smile.

There are a lot of dental issues that can cause a person to be too embarrassed to show off their smile including: missing teeth, discolored teeth, cracked or chipped teeth, crooked or crowded teeth; teeth that are too short, too long, too big; some or all of the teeth are too small, too feminine, too masculine; space between teeth; teeth that are too square, too rounded, old fillings/discolored fillings; or the person just doesn't like their smile.

Dr. Dennis Simmons, founder and director of Brite Smiles Dental Care stated “We consider it our mission to change people’s lives by making them more comfortable with and proud of their smile. All dental problems can be totally handled with high quality dentistry. So many people just accept a non-optimum situation with their teeth. We urge them to get the teeth handled and it’s probably easier than they think.”

One recent Brite Smiles patient said "Having my teeth repaired was the best decision I ever made. My smile is now beautiful and my friends say I look 20 years younger. The staff is wonderful and the work was pain-free and fast."

Dr. Dennis Simmons graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 1976, receiving the Class Honor in prosthetics – dentures partial and full. Since then he has participated in over 3000 hours of continuing education courses, focusing primarily on cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry, dental implants and implant-supported restorations, orthodontics, extractions, crown/bridge, root canals, bite and TMJ disorders, and sleep apnea. For his studies, he has been honored with the status of “Diplomate” from the International Congress of Oral Implantology and the International Osseous (bone) Integration Society. For more information on orthodontics services and options from Brite Smiles Dental Care, visit http://britesmilesdentalcare.com, or call 952-891-8484.

Big Trees Inc. Donates Large Flowering Tree to Elementary School

Big Trees Inc. (http://bigtreesupply.com/), a tree transplant and tree nursery company in the Seattle area, has donated and installed a large flowering Kwanzan Cherry tree to Cathcart Elementary School for a new outdoor reading area.
The tree anchors a location that is intended to be a reading garden. The tree handling and planting was an event that brought students and teachers together for the 6th grade graduation day.

The Big Trees crew loaded up a Kwanzan flowering Cherry tree with a 6” diameter trunk, and made it to the school by late morning. All of the graduating sixth graders, and several of the faculty were present, as the Big Trees team unloaded and went to work planting the tree.

The crew had the tree planted in no time, and the kids got to come in for a closer look; touching the trunk and walking under the tree’s branches while gazing up into the canopy.
The Principal has already decided to start a tradition of taking a picture of all incoming kindergartners under the tree with the idea of getting another picture under the tree at their 6th grade graduation.

The tree was installed at Cathcart Elementary where Big Trees Owner, Nancy Penrose’s son goes to school. The students have been growing hydrangeas for the garden over the course of the year for a science project. Nancy heard about the effort, and decided it was a perfect opportunity to put on a bit of a show for the graduating 6th grade class, and create a beautiful, peaceful space on the campus.

Nancy said, “There’s always an opportunity to interject your occupation into your child’s school experience over the course of their classroom career, and this sure seemed like a great chance to put on a bit of a show!”

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc. (http://www.bigtreesupply.com), located in Snohomish, WA, in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only can deliver young trees but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at http://www.bigtreesupply.com/blog/

Brite Smiles Dental Care Urges Parents to Get Kids’ Dental Visits Done During Summer

APPLE VALLEY, MN - Brite Smiles Dental Care (http://www.britesmilesdentalcare.com), located in Apple Valley, MN, is urging parents to get their kids’ dental care visits done during the summer, as a recent study shows that poor dental health negatively affects school performance.

A 2012 study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information on over 40,000 children showed that poor dental health resulted in reductions in school performance and psychosocial well-being. Information on that study can be seen here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22727866

“We are urging parents to get their children in for dental visits during the summer, so they can have the best shot at good performance during the school year, since this study shows that dental health can impact school performance,” says Dr. Dennis Simmons, founder of Brite Smiles Dental Care. “Plus, as dental practitioners, we know that proper dental care and a beautiful smile can help contribute to a great self-image and higher confidence in anyone, children and adults alike. We feel strongly that proper dental care can positively change someone’s life, and that’s our mission.”

Dr. Dennis Simmons graduated from the University Of Minnesota School Of Dentistry in 1976, receiving the Class Honor in prosthetics – dentures partial and full. Since then he has participated in over 3000 hours of continuing education courses, focusing primarily on cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry, dental implants and implant-supported restorations, orthodontics, extractions, crown/bridge, root canals, bite and TMJ disorders, and sleep apnea. For his studies, he has been honored with the status of “Diplomate” from the International Congress of Oral Implantology and the International Osseous (bone) Integration Society. For more information on services and options from Brite Smiles Dental Care, visit http://britesmilesdentalcare.com, or call 952-891-8484.

Retrofitting Soft-Story Buildings

by Julian De La Torre

Most California homes and buildings will need earthquake retrofitting to prevent damage or complete failure during seismic activity.

The City of Los Angeles currently considers the following structures the most vulnerable during a quake:

• A wood frame building with 2 or more stories
• Any structure built before January 1, 1978, when new building codes were adopted
• A building with a lower level parking garage or comparable open floor space (soft-story).

A soft-story building is a multi-story structure with a weak first floor. The weakness is caused by large windows and doors around the perimeter of the floor, and/or big, open spaces inside. A common type of soft-story structure is an apartment building or retail business constructed on top of a parking garage. Other types of soft-story structures include office buildings with large 1st floor lobbies and ground-floor retail stores with wide windows and entrances.

Damage reports from several recent earthquakes noted that, in many cases, almost half the buildings that collapsed or were severely damaged during the quake were soft-story.

The primary reason for soft-story failure is the building’s inability to withstand the side-to-side push that can come from an earthquake. Once the weaker first floor destabilizes, the remaining floors will start to collapse.

In the Los Angeles area alone, there are tens of thousands of soft-story structures. All of these building will need retrofitting to prevent failure when the ground starts to shake.

The purpose of retrofitting for earthquakes is to simply strengthen the structure so it can withstand lateral movement. The process begins with a foundation inspection to determine what kind of retrofitting is needed. Shear walls, steel frames and plywood can be added for extra support.

We’ve done many soft story retrofits in Los Angeles and California to minimize damage and personal injury during an earthquake. If you own a soft-story structure that hasn’t been retrofitted, we’ll inspect your property and come up with a plan to make it earthquake ready.


Julian De La Torre, expert in Los Angeles foundation repair, house leveling & foundation inspection (Los Angeles) and founder of Julian Construction (http://www.julianconstruction.com) in Los Angeles, has inspected over 15,000 structures, working with engineering firms & local departments of building & safety. The company has done more home foundation repair and soft story retrofit (Los Angeles) than any other company in the area over the last five years (http://julianconstruction.com/services/earthquake-retrofitting-or-house-bolting/). Julian Construction owns its own company and is a "no middlemen" model--no salesmen or subcontractors--you get the principals of the company & its workers under your home. Learn more about Julian Construction at http://www.anchorla.com/

See their video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I8j7dXzpj4. Visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Julian-Construction-99434631315/?fref=ts