Chapel Hill Cosmetic Dentist

The Bear's Mouth

- Arthur C. Clarke

Big Bear is heaven for classic cars 

Mark your calendars for a classic weekend of fun in Big Bear Aug. 12-14. The Bear likes shiny colorful objects and most cars in this event fit that description to a Model T.

Roadsters, antiques and hot rods line the streets in the Village area of Big Bear Lake at the Big Bear Lake Antique Car Club’s Fun Run Aug. 12-14. Classic car lovers show off 500 colorful vintage vehicles beginning Friday, but the big day is Saturday with opportunity drawings, food and fun. Stick around for the cruise around the lake starting on Village Drive at 3:45 p.m. as the cars leave their parking spots to drive around Big Bear Lake. The award ceremony takes place Sunday beginning at 7:30 a.m. in Bartlett Parking Lot in the Village.

For more information on the Big Bear Lake Antique Car Club’s Fun Run, visit www.antiquecarclub.org .

Classic fun at Renaissance Faire

This is just the Bear's speed. I like the grub and the costumes.

If your taste in the classics runs a little bit older, say during the Renaissance period, take a short journey back in time to the North Shore and Fawnskin. That’s where the 10th annual Big Bear Renaissance Faire begins its two-weekend run at Pederson’s Mill, Aug. 13, 14, 20 and 21, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Five stages of entertainment await history buffs and there is a complete children’s game area to keep the little ones entertained. New entertainers are on the schedule along with popular favorites including The Knights of Mayhem, The Bawdy Juggler, the Belles of Bedlam, Victoria Goring and Gallows Humor.

Set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the Big Bear Renaissance Faire is an authentic re-creation of an English summer faire. See Queen Elizabeth’s Royal Court, knights jousting on horseback, an archery tournament, live steel battle, living history encampments and demonstrations, ethnic food and drink, and more.

For more information on the Big Bear Renaissance Faire, visit www.bbvrsinc.org .

Soaring above the clouds

It’s time to take to the skies above Big Bear Valley, if you are a youngster between 8 and 17 years old. The next Young Eagles flight is Saturday, Aug. 13.

The Bear would fly, but I don't fit in the cockpit. Besides, I'm slightly older than 17 in Bear years.

On the second Saturday of each month, kids between 8 and 17 can strap themselves into the cockpit for a view of the Valley like no other.

Millions in U.S. Lack Access to Dentists | Chapel Hill Family ...

Millions in U.S. Lack Access to Dentists

July 13, 2011 — Fewer than half of Americans see a dentist each year and millions live in areas where access to dental care is severely limited, a new analysis from the health policy group Institute of Medicine (IOM) finds.

A severe shortage of dentists, especially those serving rural and minority groups, is contributing to the “persistent and systemic” barriers to oral health care, the report noted.

According to the report:

The IOM committee concluded that around 9,600 additional dentists would be needed to meet the needs of underserved populations in the United States.

“We have the lowest ratio of dentists to population that we have had in 100 years,” says Shelly Gehshan, who directs the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign. “This is a serious problem that leaves 40 to 50 million people out of reach of a dentist at any given moment.”

What Your Teeth Say About Your Health 

Gehshan tells WebMD that millions of Americans lack dental coverage or the ability to pay for dental care.

She served on the IOM committee that issued the report.

Committee chairman Frederick P. Rivara, MD, tells WebMD that barriers to dental services disproportionately affect children, the elderly, and minorities.

Rivara is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.

“As the nation struggles to address the larger systemic issues of access to health care, we need to ensure that oral health is recognized as a basic component of overall health,” he says in a news release.

The IOM report included recommendations to federal and state policy makers to improve access to dental care.

To address the shortage of dentists in underserved inner city and rural areas, the report calls for dental professional education programs aimed at increasing enrollment of African-Americans, Latinos, and people from rural areas into dental schools.

“Most dentists are white men,” Gehshan says. “Research shows that dental students from rural or underserved areas are more likely to go back to these areas to practice.

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