Midtown Alliance is excited to bring live music to Arts District Plaza again this fall. The Atlanta Songwriter Series will feature an eclectic mix of local musicians playing piano pop, funky jazz, and soul. The free concerts will run every other Tuesday from 5pm-7pm until October 11th.

Austin Miller | August 30th
Miller exerts a worldliness beyond his 28 years — not only in his confident croon, but also in his rambling rhythm and thoughtful guitar work.

The Family Recipe | September 13th
With influences ranging from jazz to bluegrass to rock, this 4-piece instrumental fusion group focused on improvisation and innovation.

Ruby Velle | September 27th
Billboard charting artist, Ruby Velle has been making a name for herself as a cultural alchemist expressing matters of the soul.

The Four Fathers | October 11th
Don’t miss this funky Soul Organ Quartet from Athens.

Schedule your next visit with Dr. Schaefer in Midtown Atlanta so you can take advantage of
the Atlanta Songwriter Series and other cultural treasures that make our city unique.

National Tooth Fairy Day reminds kids, young and old, to relive the excitement and wonder of baby teeth.

The tradition of receiving gifts for lost teeth can be traced back to the Eddas, a collection of medieval writings about Norse and Northern European traditions. Since teeth were a symbol of good luck and prosperity, some Viking warriors would wear a necklace of teeth into battle, and children would receive a small ‘tand fe’ (tooth fee) from their parents when they lost their first tooth.

The 18th-century French fairytale La Bonne Petite Souris (The Little Good Mouse) tells the story of an unjustly imprisoned queen who seeks the help of a trusted mouse. A fairy in disguise, the mouse knocks out the king’s teeth, hides them under a pillow, and proceeds to have the king assassinated. Released as an illustrated children’s book, the story spread throughout the English-speaking world after World War II.

The first American reference to the Tooth Fairy appeared in a 1908 Chicago Tribune article where author Lillian Brown suggested leaving 5 cents under the pillow to encourage children to have their loose milk teeth pulled. After Esther Watkins Arnold wrote a popular children’s play titled The Tooth Fairy in 1927, thoughts of a tooth fairy collecting teeth in exchange for money or gifts stirred imaginations around the country.

Rates have come a long way since the initial 5 cent per tooth recommendation. According to a recent survey by Dental Care Alliance, the average 2022 tooth fairy payment in the United States is $4.57 per tooth. Georgia takes 9th place in state rankings with parents paying an average of $5.81 per tooth!

Today the tooth fairy has become a global phenomenon, paying visits to children in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and beyond.

Central to any business, administrative professionals keep offices organized and efficient. At Piedmont Periodontics, we know that our practice runs smoothly thanks to the hard work of Tracey White at the front desk

Patient advocacy has always been a passion — and a worthwhile challenge — for Tracey. Born in Los Angeles, her career path was heavily influenced by her first summer job at a dental practice owned by the father of her childhood best friend.

Soon after graduation from Georgia State, Tracey accepted a job in Healthcare Administration with a local dentist. She has now worked in the field for 18 years and has experience in all administrative departments.

When away from the office, Tracey likes to travel, swim, shop, and explore the burgeoning Atlanta food scene with her family.

Dental hygienists are an integral part of any dental team and spend a lot of time with patients. In addition to cleaning teeth, hygienists

• perform initial screenings
• take x-rays and impressions
• do scaling and root planning
• place sealants
• administer local anesthetic
• complete dental charts

Piedmont Periodontics patients are fortunate to have one of the very best hygienists in town — Van Le. Originally from Vietnam, Van has called Atlanta home since 1996. She graduated from Georgia Perimeter College in 2006 with an Associate’s Degree in Science and Dental Hygiene.

Van understands how important good oral hygiene is to periodontal patients and has been providing unsurpassed, uncompromised care to Piedmont Periodontics’ patients for more than six years. She works with each patient to ensure that they understand maintenance procedures and that they are well equipped to continue their home treatment and follow up care.

In her free time Van enjoys spending time with family, reading a good book and listening to music.

Tired of your tot eating their weight in bite-size sweets every Halloween? This may be the year to introduce the Switch Witch!

We all know that the Tooth Fairy swaps baby teeth for cash. (How much? That’s a story for another day.) Like the Tooth Fairy, the Switch Witch leaves a present for a child in exchange for a significant portion of his or her candy.

To avoid a massive tantrum, be sure to discuss the Switch Witch’s visit in the days leading up to Halloween. Ask your child what toy s/he might like to receive in exchange for leftover candy. Make the reward roughly equivalent to the amount of candy traded. Prizes don’t have to be big, expensive items. Stickers, crayons, or decorative erasers all make fantastic trades, especially for younger children.

If the experiment goes well, you can even purchase your own Switch Witch plush toy for next year!

In the meantime, make a plan to get all that extra candy out of the house. Donate it to a food pantry or shelter; give it to the teenagers who ring your bell after your kids are fast asleep; find a store that collects candy for the troops overseas; or take it to work and share the wealth.

We wish you a wonderful Halloween full of new and healthy family traditions!