Wear Green, Eat Green, Drink Green… Just don’t get pinched this St. Patrick’s Day

Dr. Hahn, Dr. Driscoll  and the ladies at Rhoades Family Dentistry can help you figure out what to wear, what to eat, and where to party this St. Patrick’s Day.  Everyone loves to be Irish on March 17th.  What used to be a religious day of celebration has now turned into a day to celebrate the Irish culture.  We have parades, Irish dancing, bag pipes, kilts, traditional Irish food, lots of beverages, and of course …. everything GREEN!

Why Green on St. Patrick’s Day?  It is said that St. Patrick, would use a green three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.  Green is also in the Irish flag, and has been since the early revolutionary days.  All that leprechaun stuff . . . is all made up by Americans, back in the 1700’s.  I remember being so terrified when I was a child; I thought I had to wear green so I wouldn’t get pinched by the hiding leprechaun.

The color GREEN is awesome!  Did you know it is the easiest color on our eyes?  The color symbolizes money and nature.  It is also known to alleviate depression.  The color green represents new growth, constitutes health, tranquility, and is related to unconditional love.  The color is also known to calm, relax, and refresh.  I LOVE this color!

What to wear, what to wear!  Not sure how to tie in the color green?  If you are in braces, we have the solution – you must change your bands to GREEN!  Not only will you get to enjoy this beautiful color on St. Patrick’s day, but you can enjoy your green mouth all month long!  We have three fabulous shades to choose from: shamrock green, jade green, and spring green.  Make it fun and rotate different shades of green. Rhoades Family Dentistry even has GLOW in the dark GREEN!  For our adult and teen patients you can make it a bit more subtle and go with one green band – like a little lucky charm.   If you are not in braces or if you are straightening your teeth through Invisalign, we have the perfect accessory for you – GREEN backpacks! Our backpacks are great for caring your money, for snacks, kid stuff, baby stuff, and water bottles.  They would be a perfect way to support GREEN on St. Patrick’s Day. Just stop in to our office in Olathe and mention this blog post to receive your free backpack.  Don’t forget to support your favorite Big 12 team this March Madness. Your local sport shop should have your college, in a tee, made in pinch proof GREEN. 

Corned beef and cabbage? Shepard’s Pie? How about Fish n’ Chips? Do any of these sound good to you? If you are venturing out to eat this St. Patrick’s Day, you will have no problem finding some delicious Irish food.  So many restaurants and pubs around the Kansas City area run Irish specials on this fun day.  Just don’t forget to bring your toothbrush and floss to get out all the corned beef that likes to hide in-between your toofers.   If you have younger ones that may not enjoy the traditional Irish food, we have some fun GREEN food ideas.   GREEN foods are wonderful for our bodies and our teeth.  Leafy greens are high in calcium that helps support enamel health.   Celery is awesome for vitamin A & C.  Both of those vitamins are good for gum health.  Some of our favorite GREEN foods are: peas, kale, spinach, green beans, cucumbers, broccoli, grapes, kiwi, apples, honeydew, celery and grapes.  Serve a fun dip for veggies by adding green food dye to ranch.  For your fruit, add green food dye to vanilla yogurt.  You can also add green food dye to eggs, mashed potatoes, milk, pasta, Alfredo sauce, cakes, pudding, and pancakes.

If you are worried about GREEN dyed beverages staining your pearly whites – have no fear!  After a entire day of green foods and drinks you should be stain-free.  Now, if you plan on repeating this green smorgasbord of food and drinks every day . . .that is when we might start seeing a green tinted smile.  If you see any green on your tongue or even on your teeth, make sure you brush soon just to be safe.  It should come right off with a little toothpaste and brushing.  And hey, if you find you have consumed some industrial-strength dye and it doesn’t come off – we have many whitening options you can choose from! If you are in Invisalign, don’t forget to remove your aligners when you drink any colored liquids.  Green dyed beverages will stain your Invisalign aligners.

Rhoades Family Dentistry will be open all day on March 17th.  Dr. Driscoll and the ladies will be in the office working hard, wearing GREEN, and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.  Be sure to wear GREEN or ask for a green backpack to avoid getting pinched by the “pincher”.   If you have the day off, make sure you catch the 44th Annual Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade downtown.  The parade starts at 11:00 and you will be sure to find GREEN everywhere!  With 200,000 parade spectators, Kansas City is one of the top 5 largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the United States that is held every year.  New York City is the largest with 2 million, Chicago and Boston are tied for second with 1 million.

Whether you choose GREEN bands for your braces, a Rhoades Family Dentistry GREEN back pack, GREEN dyed food or beverage, just make sure you have a safe St. Patrick’s Day and don’t forget to SMILE!