NEWSLETTER__________________________________________________________________________

Dear Friends:

Has it really been one full year since our last newsletter. At least I have an excuse. First, my wife became pregnant with our first child, and all the preparatory plans ensued. (Please see the article below about our wonderful baby, Harrison.) Then an opportunity became available to move our dental office. And what a great move it was! I wanted to stay in the medical district, centrally located for our wide geographic patient population. Downtown is a national model for urban revitalization, and now the medical district has similar growth and the city's second lowest crime rate, probably lower than your neighborhood.

Yes, our new 8th Avenue location is fantastic! On a major north-south thoroughfare with easy access to I-30 and I-35, I could not hope for a more accessible location. I hope you are enjoying the roomier reception room, our new (more comfortable) treatment chairs, and a nicer, cooler office to enter during the hot summer days. When you enter our office, the first thing you will probably notice is white. Everything looks white, clean, and bright. So you might think twice about removing your sunglasses. After Sarah greets you, help yourself to coffee or tea, or just read the Star Telegram, a current periodical, or look over our list of more than 50 videos or 150 CDs to play during your visit. The sofa is new and comfortable. Patients have even been known to doze off in it. Also, there are two new pictures: a very colorful print of the Prodigal Son returning to his loving father and a photograph of my wife Julie, my baby (then three month's old), and myself.

We have four treatment rooms: one primarily for orthodontic or emergency patients, a roomy hygiene room, and two other treatment rooms. Our intraoral camera is in the hygiene room; it allows you to see any tooth-larger than life-on our TV and even allows you to take the photo home (for framing and display). Finally, we have a new panoramic x-ray machine. This unit rotates around the patient's head 360 degrees and gives a view of all the teeth, Jaw, jaw joint (temporomandibular joint), sinuses, and can even help diagnose clogged blood vessels. The patient simply walks up, bites on a tab, and waits about 30 seconds for the x-ray to circle. This is perfect for an orthodontic evaluation, to view developing teeth, or before we extract wisdom teeth, for a patient who is wheelchair-bound, or one who easily chokes when we take normal x-rays Most important, the American Dental Association recommends that we take a full-mouth x-ray evaluation every three years. So instead of taking 18 individual x-rays, we will take one panoramic. It is quicker and the patient is exposed to less radiation. What a great addition to the services we provide!

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my personal tour of our new offices. Our desire is to make your dental experience as relaxing and comfortable as possible. If we can maintain a caring environment while staying abreast of current dental procedures to improve our care, and if we can help you feel that you are a part of our extended family, perhaps coming to the dentist won't be quite so bad. Perhaps you will tell a family member or special friend about us, our individualized care. Our fabulous staff, and now our wonderful new facility. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Happy Birthday to you!!!!

On August 27, 1998, Harrison Taylor Tillman was born to an exhausted but happy new mom. As Harrison's very first birthday approaches, it is fun to reminisce about our first year as parents.

Julie and I followed our plan: five years of marriage, then a family (hopefully a boy for his new daddy). Everything was going as planned until Harrison got shy, not wanting to make his appearance. With Julie almost two weeks overdue, Dr. Matthews said the wrong thing, "Let's induce"not the right thing for two naive new parents wanting to do everything right, everything "naturally."

We had taken the (remedial) Lamaze class, as well as the (advanced) Bradley method. We knew our desire for unassisted delivery, we knew our roles, we even had everything ready at the door-everything from Yanni CDs to candles and massage gels. So on the eve of induction, two well educated adults, both with postgraduate degrees, resorted to an old wives' tale. Julie had Mexican food with a castor oil and orange juice chaser. YUCK! Shortly after midnight, the first pains arrived. But 18 hours later, Julie was still waiting on Harrison. Things suddenly got exciting and after a few short but eventful moments, out comes Harrison. I still think that with a few more days of cooking, Harrison would have been ready without the castor oil or Dr. Matthews' help. As it is, he still has ten fingers and toes, Daddy's eyes, Mom's nose, and a very happy spirit.

Nearly a year later, he has four hobbies: laughing, drooling, bouncing, and eating roly-poly bugs. He tried to expand his diet to water bugs (I told Julie I wouldn't call them roaches). But after Julie shrieked as Harrison examined his new entree, the roach (or waterbug) got taken off the menu. Sorry, Harrison!

Yes, these are the days when Harrison's life hangs between excitement and disaster. Last week, he discovered that our living room lamp can be pushed. The week before, he enjoyed the fine taste of plant soil and an electrical cord. But, somehow, Harrison continues to grow and learn. He now walks with the assistance of a sofa or table, all the while reaching out with his free hand to explore his bright new world. He even speaks in some foreign tongue, but someday soon he will walk and speak all by himself. Then watch out world, because here Harrison comes with his boundless energy and excitement. I hope you did not mind my ramblings. Each day, it seems as if Harrison changes a little, grows a little, and learns something new. It makes every day very fun for Julie and me that is, when we are not restricting Harrison's diet or saving his life.