Your Oral Surgeon For Every Facial Emergency with DFW Oral Surgeon

YOUR ORAL SURGEON For Every Facial Emergency

by Steve Gamel

As a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. John Shillingburg has heard it repeatedly where patients will come in with jaw pain and say, “I think I have TMJ.” In reality, everyone has TMJ, or a jaw joint — two to be exact. The correct terminology is Temporamandibular Disorer, or TMD, which can range from mild discomfort to headaches and severe popping and clicking in the jaw that makes it difficult for someone to open their mouth or even chew certain foods.

Regardless of the confusion between TMJ or a seven to a one or a two. If someone and TMD, those patients have come to the tells you, ‘I’m going to completely get rid right place. The Temporomandibular Joint of your TMD,’ then that’s someone you (TMJ) is one of the most complex joints need to avoid.” in the body, and if you’re experiencing any pain in this area, Dr. Shillingburg and You don’t have to worry about anything his team at DFW Oral with Dr. Shillingburg. He is trained Surgeons in Flower Mound want to help. If someone tells and credentialed in dentoalveolar surgery, “I always tell patients that I’d prefer to see them first for a you, ‘I’m going to completely get rid of your TMD,’ then facial cosmetic surgery, implant surgery, orthognathic surgery, facial reconstructive thorough evaluation,” that’s someone you oral surgery, and dental Dr. Shillingburg said. “If there are no major need to avoid.” anesthesiology. This allows him to treat abnormalities or everything from a simple anything like that, then your TMD can be tooth extraction to replacing every tooth managed conservatively. The goal of the treatment is not to eradicate someone’s in a patient’s mouth. pain. It’s to help someone know what the A quick visit to DFW Oral for your TMD triggers are and take their pain from a six symptoms includes a CT scan, MRI, other X-rays, and a thorough evaluation to rule out tumors or anything else that would necessitate surgical intervention. If none of those issues exist, Dr. Shillingburg has close relationships with dentists in the area who can get you fitted with a professionally made TMJ night guard.

“Patients will work with the dentist in a conservative manner,” Dr. Shillingburg said. “In rare cases where their symptoms do not improve, the patient would come back to me. Depending on their situation, we would look at other options, including a joint flush out or a total joint replacement in extremely rare instances.”

Dr. Shillingburg’s facility is a true outpatient surgery center capable of treating any mouth and jaw condition. When you have an emergency, there’s no reason to go anywhere else because DFW Oral Surgeons is equipped for it all.

Dr. Shillingburg is proud to serve the residents in and around Argyle, Bartonville, Highland Village, Lantana, Double Oak, South Denton, Denton County, and surrounding areas.

FLOWER MOUND’S New Author 16-YEAR-OLD ADVIKA RAJEEV

by Steve Gamel | Photo Courtesy Rajeev Govindan

Advika Rajeev vividly remembers the night she finally uploaded her finished The results are impressive. All the novel, All the President’s Horses and All the President’s Men, to Kindle Direct President’s Horses and All the President’s Publishing. It was 1 a.m., hardly an ideal time for a 16-year-old girl to be hard at Men is an urban fantasy/mystery novel work in front of a computer screen. But there she stood, with her parents and two sisters for young adults and is about a group of by her side, ready to push send. teens with uncanny abilities who go to the White House to find out who is targeting “It was very exciting,” Advika recalled. “We In Advika’s case, she’s only a junior at the President. It is approximately 400 took a celebratory photo as I pushed Flower Mound High School. While it only pages and is currently rated 5 stars on the button.” took mere seconds to amazon.com. It retails The nostalgia from that moment hasn’t worn off, even two months after the book’s release. And who can blame her? Any novelist will tell you that writing a book is hard work. There are many emotional ups and downs as you carefully choose each word to advance the story, develop characters, and create unpredictable plot twists. Some days, you can write several chapters nonstop, and on others, you can barely complete two sentences. Writing a push a send button to upload it to KDP, she spent two years getting to that point. She wrote a few chapters here and there in her spare time. When she began to slow down, her parents decided to step in and help keep her motivated. “A long time,” Advika said “She has always had teachers and family supporting her creative spirit and has enjoyed writing for as long as she can remember.” for $14.99. “In my family, and my wife’s family, there has never been anyone who has written a book,” Advika’s father, Rajeev Govindan said. “She is the first to come up with something concrete, and we couldn’t be book is a massive accomplishment, and of finishing the book. “I’d more proud of her. Two it’s something most writers don’t achieve write for a while and then stop. I needed years ago, she went through a bunch of until much later in life. someone to push me.” situations where she’d write two or three

“I really enjoy writing, so it’s not like it is work for me.”

chapters and then kind of stall out before picking it up again. It was my wife who pushed her to complete it. We set a goal of getting it published before summer vacation, and Advika did a great job of doing that.”

This isn’t the only writing Advika has done. She has always had teachers and family supporting her creative spirit and has enjoyed writing for as long as she can remember. She is currently the lead editor and a writer for an independent, bi-weekly newsletter with several other young writers her age. The newsletters focus on current topics and can be found online at thinkerschronicle.wixsite.com/ thinkerschronicle.

“It’s giving her real-life experiences.”

“It’s giving her real-life experiences,” her father said. “It’s interesting to read through the articles they write.”

Like any aspiring novelist, Advika doesn’t plan to stop with just one book. She said she is already planning on writing two more books: a short story/poetry collection and a second book that will likely be the first in a series of novels.

“I really enjoy writing, so it’s not like it is work for me,” Advika said.

She is already planning on writing two more books: a short story/poetry collection and a second book that will likely be the first in a series of novels.

TEXAS Monarch Farm WHERE SHARING IS TRULY CARING

by Diane Ciarloni | photos courtesy of Texas Monarch Farm

Nick Shah insists that he’s never seen a child “leave here without a smile on his face. ”The “here” he’s referencing is a 5-acre private farm in the heart of Flower Mound, owned by himself and his wife, Puja.

The Shahs are originally from India, and they have two daughters, Naomi who is 15 and Nirali who is 12.

The Shahs could see the American dream in front of them, but it took them a while to decide how they wanted to latch onto it. They worked hard and, seven years ago, vistas of that dream began opening. They decided to sell their house when the girls were eight and five.

Now what?

“We didn’t want to go out and just buy a big house,” says Nick. “What would that do for us? Just spend our time cleaning it. The girls wanted a horse, and we really wanted to establish something for them.

“We found a place, but the deal fell through. We moved forward again. I’m

a realtor, and it was easy for me to keep heard their plan. Did they honestly realize track of property as it came on what they were doing? the market.” A couple of horses arrived at the miniOne day, Nick saw five acres available in farm. Goats and chickens showed up. Flower Mound. Both Dogs. Various he and Puja liked the area and felt “They could learn all structures began dotting the compact they had roots there. the things kids, and acreage. Open-air “Okay, we said. This is it. The girls want a horse, so we’re most adults, aren’t even exposed to today – how paddocks. Stalls. Housing for the chickens, where going to give them a farm and let them grow up at least food is grown, how animals are born, how it the ladies could lay their eggs with no meddling from a little old school. They could learn all the things kids, and feels to be with greenery and wildlife every day.” noisy roosters. It was beginning to look more and more like most adults, aren’t a farm — hobby farm, even exposed to today – how food is technically speaking. grown, how animals are born, how it feels to be with greenery and wildlife every Nirali and Naomi grew with the farm. day.” Some of the things they learn are There were no haphazard choices when on the edge of shocking. For instance, putting together Monarch Farm which, did you know a hen can produce eggs essentially, is a goat dairy farm. The Shahs’ without the help of a rooster? Quite a lot chosen breed is the high-volume milkof eggs, actually. producing American Lamancha. First bred There were plenty of friends and by Eula Fay Frey in 1927, it’s a formally associates who wondered if the Shahs recognized breed that loves attention may have wandered off track when they from humans.

“We breed the goats to sell,” says Puja and the Kangal. Both breeds are very Shah. “Every spring, our goat population large, calm, loyal, and protective. They goes from around 15 to 40, including the bond well with humans and animals. The babies. We sell them to other farms who Akbash, also known as the “Wolf Killer,” market and sell the products, such as milk is the National Dog of Turkey. The Kangal and cheese. is also known as the “The baby goats are so “One day, they Anatolian Shepherd. much fun. Because we’re asked if they In addition to their small and not commercial, there’s plenty of room for could invite their other qualities, the Shahs chose us to become emotionally teachers, along the Turkish breeds involved with our animals. That was our objective with their children, because they felt they were the best suited from the beginning.” to spend the day to Texas’ climate. Today, Nirali and Naomi’s at the farm. We There are also animal husbandry skills agreed, and it populations of have grown to a level of proficiency that allows was amazing.” bees and chickens at Monarch. them to administer shots and other medications to the animals when needed, to breed the goats, and to help deliver babies when necessary. Sharing farm experiences actually came about unexpectedly, ushered in by COVID-19. The goats need protection from marauding coyotes. That job goes to two fearless Turkish breeds; the Akbash “Our daughters like to give their teachers a little gift at the end of the school year,” explains Nick. “Everything was different

this year, and they weren’t even in school. One day, they asked if they could invite their teachers, along with their children, to spend the day at the farm. We agreed, and it was amazing.”

Dogs and chickens were petted and fed. Goats were milked, and eggs were gathered. Kids, and their parents, learned about the life cycles of eggs and chickens and how there can be eggs with no roosters. Three or four little boys and girls at a time were lifted onto the broad backs of gentle horses. The concrete sidewalks were left behind, while parents and children walked on dirt trails and paddled through shallow streams. It was like a mini National Geographic-sponsored tour.

The parents marveled at how much they and the children learned. By the end of the day, they were so enthused that they encouraged the Shahs to think about having regularly scheduled tour days for the public.

The Shahs’ answer? They’ll take it into consideration. Stay tuned.