AUSTIN, TX, December 8, 2011 — The lineup for the first annual Holiday HAAM JAM benefit concert at Antone’s, December 19th (7:30pm-midnight) will include the following Austin-area musicians with the HAAM JAM All-Star band:

7:30pm  …Johnny Goudie
7:50pm  …Haydn Vitera
8:10pm  …Charlie Faye & Will Sexton
8:30pm  …Tameca Jones
8:50pm  …Rod Williams & Shelley Mac
9:10pm  …Daddies Juju
9:30pm  …Special Guest (surprise)
9:50pm  …Warren Hood
10:10pm  …Dave Madden
10:30pm  …Wendy Colonna
10:50pm  …Laura Scarborough
11:10pm  …Dustin/Kevin Welch
11:30pm  …Shelley King
11:50pm  …Tortilla Factory

Tickets are $10 or $150 for VIP Seating (limit of 4 tables), and available to all ages. Uncle Billy’s BBQ will be on site with food for sale, drink specials will be offered, and the HAAM JAM CD/download gift cards will be available for sale ($10) at the HAAM booth. Space is limited, so advanced purchase is recommended online at www.antones.net. All proceeds go directly to the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM).

Sponsors include Dr. Shane Matt, DDS of Authentic Smiles Dental Studio, Wendy Colonna, Mary McKeown-Christie of MMS::Maven Marketing Solutions, LLC, Sanne de Mûelenaere Graphic Design, Mark Addison of the Aerie Studio, Mark Hallman of The Congress House Studio, Antones, Waterloo Records, ENCORE records, the Armadillo BAZAAR, WILD ABOUT MUSIC, Rocket Electric Bikes, Majic 95.5, Invidia Health & Fitness, and Fritz Blaw of Motorblade distribution.

One thousand CD’s will be available for sale at Waterloo Records, ENCORE records, the Armadillo BAZAAR, WILD ABOUT MUSIC, Rocket Electric Bikes after December 13th. Electronic downloads are available online at www.haamjam.com, and digital download cards area available for purchase through the HAAM office: haamjam@healthallianceforaustinmusicians.org or at the event on December 19th. The albums are $10.

About The First Annual HAAM JAM Album – How it All Came Together

What began as a fun idea to put a few singer/songwriters together with some random top notch musicians turned into a full album with multiple bands and styles that reflect a variety of sounds from Austin’s vibrant music scene.

The Holiday HAAM JAM All Star Band developed from a whimsical thought by Dr. Shane Matt of Authentic Smiles Dental Studio in downtown Austin after hosting a show with Rod Williams, Shelley Mac and Jimmy Ruggiere. Rod and Dr. Matt loosely concocted a plan to have a holiday party, record it, and sell CD’s to raise money for HAAM.

Dr. Matt approached Mark Addison, of the Aerie Recording Studio, to engineer the recording but Addison convinced him to do it right and volunteered his studio and services to make an album. It became a dream come true after recruiting singer/songwriter Wendy Colonna to organize the project. Bassist Andrew Duplantis (Son Volt, Jon Dee Graham) and percussionist Dony Wynn (Robert Palmer, Brooks & Dunn, Robert Plant) were the first players to commit to the project, only to be followed by a windfall of many of Austin’s finest musicians.

In less than two weeks the idea went from conception to recording nine songs in ten hours on a Sunday afternoon. No small feat with nearly thirty musicians to play! At the same time Daddies Juju and David Garza recorded their songs at studios in New Orleans and El Paso. The remaining five songs had been previously recorded and were added before mastering at The Congress House Studio. Mark Hallman graciously offered his services at the encouragement of Addison, who called him on the night between recordings. In less than a month nearly forty musicians and industry professionals came together to produce a true masterpiece.

The album features original songs and a few holiday classics by Shelley King, Kevin & Dustin Welch, Wendy Colonna, Vallejo, Rod Williams and Shelly Mac, Jon Dee Graham, David Garza, Dan Dyer, Laura Scarborough, Daddies Juju, Alfredo Y Tortilla Factory, Patrice Pike with Craig Hella Johnson & Conspirare, Haydn Vitera, and Dave Madden. Also performing in house band capacity were Michael Hale, Brad Houser, Peter Mazetti, and Jimmy Ruggiere.

For more information, or to purchase the album, visit www.haamjam.com.

AUSTIN, TX, November 18, 2011 — The first annual Holiday HAAM JAM benefit album has been finalized and sent to mass production for distribution the first week of December.

One thousand CD’s will be available for sale at various outlets around Austin, and digital downloads will be made available through www.facebook.com/haamjam.com as well as iTunes, Amazon and other digital music stores.

Digital download cards will also be made available for purchase for those interested in sending with holiday cards as gifts. Those interested in ordering 25 cards or more in time for holiday shipping should email haamjam@healthallianceforaustinmusicians.org with their requests. The cards will be $10 and available through the HAAM office and other retail outlets to be announced later.

The album lineup includes the following:
1. Christmas in Austin – Shelley King
2. Santa Had a Dream – Kevin & Dustin Welch
3. Silver Bells & Sweet Farewells – Wendy Colonna
4. All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth – Believers Kiddie Choir
5. Feliz Navidad – Vallejo
6. Happy Christmas (War is Over) – Rod Williams & Shelley Mac
7. I Hate Christmas – Jon Dee Graham & The Resentments
8. The Little Drummer Boy- David Garza
9. This Ex-Mas – Dan Dyer
10. I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas – Laura Scarborough
11. Holidaze – Daddies JuJu
12. Wonderful Christmastime – Alfredo Y Tortilla Factory
13. Carol of the Bells – Patrice Pike with Craig Hella Johnson & Conspirare
14. O Holy Night – Haydn Vitera
15. Texas Christmas – Dave Madden
16. Merry Christmas to You Dear – Shelley Mac

The CD Release party is scheduled for Monday evening, December 19th at Antones with the “HAAM JAM All-Star Band“ featuring a plethora of Austin-area musicians. The final lineup will be announced the first week of December.

Every aspect of this project has been donated to the cause and is attributed to Dr. Matt. This includes the musician’s time, studio space and recording (Mark Addison of The Aerie Studio), album mastering and production (Mark Hallman of The Congress House Studio), food/drink during the recording session (Uncle Billy’s), album distribution (Waterloo Records), photography/graphic design (Sanne de Mûelenaere), marketing/PR (MMS::Maven Marketing Solutions), and the venue for the CD release party (Antones). “I’m fortunate to have good hearted, like-minded people in my life who believe supporting Austin musicians is essential,“ he says. “Our community thrives on their creativity and has established Austin as one of the 10 best places to live in the United States,“ he continues. “Without them, Austin would be a very different place, and we think this CD is a great way to share the amazing talent Austin has with the world. We look forward to the community’s support and establishing this project as an annual celebration and fundraiser.“

About Dr. Shane Matt and Authentic Smiles Dental Studio
Known as the “Rock’n Roll Dentist” to the live music capital of the world, Dr. Matt regularly serves local and traveling musicians for their dental care needs at his dental studio, Authentic Smiles, conveniently located in the 2nd Street District of downtown Austin. Music is Dr. Matt’s second greatest passion, particularly learning to play the guitar. Patients are treated to a musical environment in a warm and comfortable setting, with state-of-the-art technology and services, and Dr. Matt’s favorite music filling the air. For more information, visit www.authenticsmiles.com.

About Aerie Studio
The Aerie Studio is located on an eight acre hilltop just twelve minutes from downtown Austin, Texas. The studio is attached to a stone farmhouse, and boasts a relaxed, informal atmosphere with a panoramic view of the city and surrounding landscape. It’s a great place to create your best work, as evidenced by return business from many clients. Moderate guest accommodations are available on the property and locally, as well as an in-house engineer/producer and direct access to Austin’s world-class musicians. We are fiercely dedicated to making great music, and we will work very hard to insure that your completed project exceeds your expectations. Visit www.aeriestudio.com for more information.

About The Congress House Studio
The Congress House Studio is a fully equipped analog/digital studio that is set in an old house on 2 acres in beautiful south Austin. It all began in the mid ‘80s when Producer Mark Hallman rented the house to do pre-production on his recording projects. The house quickly transformed into a full blown studio. Designed to create an atmosphere in which the recording artist can most comfortably capture the important moments of the creative process, the entire house is set aside for the use of the artist and production team. Fore more information, visit www.congresshouse.com.

About Maven Marketing Solutions
Founded in 2007, Maven Marketing Solutions (MMS) is a full-service marketing boutique that concentrates on increasing brand equity, customer-base, and most importantly, revenue. With a team of 100% senior-level marketing and PR executives, MMS manages strategic marketing and public relations needs for organizations of all sizes in a wide range of markets. Through integrated marketing and public relation programs, they draw upon more than 25 years of combined experience to educate, and empower business owners to move their business to the next level. They are change makers, and they deliver results. For more information, visit www.mavenmarketingsolutions.com.

Now the American Academy of Pediatrics is taking aim at energy and sports drinks, saying that in most cases, kids don’t need them and some products contain substances that can be harmful to children.

In the June issue of Pediatrics, the report’s co-authors point out the differences between sports drinks and energy drinks.

Sports drinks—which contain carbohydrates, minerals, electrolytes and flavoring—are intended to replace water and electrolytes lost through sweating during exercise. Sports drinks can be helpful for young athletes engaged in prolonged, vigorous physical activities, but in most cases they are unnecessary on the sports field or in the school lunchroom.

“For most children engaging in routine physical activity, plain water is best,” said Holly J. Benjamin, M.D., co-author. “Sports drinks contain extra calories that children don’t need and could contribute to obesity and tooth decay. It’s better for children to drink water during and after exercise, and to have the recommended intake of juice and low-fat milk with meals. Sports drinks are not recommended as beverages to have with meals.”

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This ability to learn to recognize smiling faces may have been important to the success of dogs living with humans, the researchers noted in their study.

Social animals need to be able to read others’ emotions, and the cues they rely upon vary by species, the researchers said. Among humans, facial expressions are vital cues. Dogs (and wolves) also use facial expressions, such as bared teeth to show aggression, as well as postures to communicate with one another, lead researcher Miho Nagasawa of Azabu University and colleagues write in the July issue of the journal Animal Cognition.”

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Healthcare providers must currently keep track of everyone who accesses private medical records, but they do not have to provide that information to patients.

“We need to protect people’s rights so that they know how their health information has been used or disclosed,” said Georgina Verdugo, director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights, which is proposing the changes, in a statement.

Under the rule, patients would be able to request an access report, which would document the identities of those who electronically viewed their protected health information.

Full Article >>

Dr. Matt’s presentation titled “Another Edge-OraVerse Reversing Soft Tissue Anesthesia” will detail his experience using the dental anesthetic reversal Oraverse (phentolamine mesylate), which has been on the US market for over two years now and was recently introduced in Europe. It has been a tremendous marketing tool for many practices and there are patients stating they will never have dental anesthesia again without it. In this course, Dr. Matt will discuss the science behind how this drug works with data from FDA studies, what the general public thinks from in-depth market analyses and its safety through a long history in medicine. He will also give insight into various business implementation models that have been successful in practices across the country.

About the conference >>

Bleachorexia: When Teeth Are Never White Enough
Written by: Courtney Hutchison
June 2011 | ABC News

The American obsession with dental hygiene has taken an ironic turn over the past decade. In an attempt to have the bright, white, healthy-looking smile of the stars, many consumers are bleaching their teeth into oblivion.

Dentists call this addiction to whitening “bleachorexia,” calling the overbleachers “bleach junkies.” Such patients abuse in-office and at home bleaching agents, leaving teeth eroded, prone to sensitivity and extremely unhealthy, despite their pearly white exteriors.

“The media has done a good job of making whitening sound innocuous, but it’s not,” says Dr. Ira Handschuh, a White Plains, N.Y., dentist. Carbamide peroxide, the whitening agent in most bleaches, can irritate the gums, causing them to recede, making the teeth brittle, chalky and so thin as to be translucent at the edges when the product is overused.

Lyndsey Gurowitz, 28, has been bleaching her teeth for the past decade with a combination of professional bleaching trays tailor made for her teeth, at-home whitening kits and a few sessions at a “bleaching spa.”

“Whenever I thought my teeth weren’t up to par, I’d do another bleaching. I would use the product for the prescribed amount of time, but then they say to do it only once a month and I would just kind of do it whenever I was unhappy with the color,” says Gurowitz, who lives in New York.

“I think it’s a level of hygiene. I don’t want my teeth to look dirty, or like I don’t take care of them. I think I’m being realistic — I don’t want them to look like Chiclets,” she says.

After her dentist told her she was losing the enamel on her teeth, she was given a special, more gentle toothbrush and she started using special toothpaste for sensitive teeth, but she continues to bleach regularly. The bleaching trays, designed to fit snugly on her teeth, are now too large, possibly due to the wearing down of her teeth by the bleach, says Dr. Jennifer Jablow, Gurowitz’s dentist.

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Shane Matt, DDS, came to Austin because the trade magazines sold it as a great place to start a dental practice, and because it was a great place for live music. His experience in Texas certainly supports those conclusions.

This spring, Dr. Matt found a new way to combine his burgeoning dental practice with his love of local music, hosting a live music event at his downtown office during the annual SXSW festivities. The three-day parallel festival was called “Mouth-by-Mouthwest,” and the name itself was perhaps the biggest impetus behind the show’s creation.

“It actually started as a joke,” Dr. Matt recalled, “I was saying that we should have a show called ‘Mouth-by’ and the girls at the office kept talking about it, because the name was so funny. One day, I was telling David Garza about it, and he said we had to put that together. That’s where it came from.”

Dr. Matt’s event raised money from donations and bar receipts for HAAM and MusiCares, two organizations that focus money towards healthcare for musicians. It was a natural fit for a dentist who already provides inexpensive dental care for local and traveling musicians.

Read Full Article>>

Previous studies of dental devices (toothbrushes, dentures, and protective athletic mouthguards) have demonstrated microbial contamination of these devices and possible transmission of infectious diseases to the users. Since woodwind and brass instruments come into intimate contact with the musician’s oral cavity and often are passed from student to student without sanitization, the question arises as to whether these instruments are contaminated and can transmit microbial diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine if woodwind and brass instruments and/or their cases harbor opportunistic, pathogenic, or allergenic microorganisms that can be transmitted to the musician.

The internal components of woodwind and brass instruments harbored opportunistic, pathogenic, and/or allergenic microorganisms. The highest concentrations of microorganisms were found consistently at the mouthpiece end, but there was evidence of contamination throughout the instruments and their cases. The close proximity of contaminated mouthpieces to the oral cavity could facilitate local and systemic dissemination of the resident opportunistic, pathogenic, and/or allergenic microorganisms. General dentists should determine whether patients play a brass or woodwind instrument and be aware of the possible impact of this activity on the oral cavity and the entire body. (Full Article . . . )

Oral Cancer is on the rise in the US – approximately 37,000 people will be diagnosed in 2011. Oral Cancer screenings involve both a visual and a tactile examination, and involve no unpleasant rinses or stains with a total exam time of about two minutes. We have found the screenings to be invaluable in detecting suspicious areas at their earliest stages. The death rate associated with this cancer is particularly high not because it is hard to discover or to diagnose, but due to the cancer being routinely discovered late in its development.

Please call (512) 330-9403 or email smiles@authenticsmiles.com to schedule your complimentary screening (April 11 – April 15) with Dr. Shane Matt and Dr. Samera Owhadian.

Office hours:

Mon: 9am – 5pm
Tues: 9am – 7pm
Weds: 9am – 5pm
Thurs: 9am – 7pm
Friday: 9am – 4pm

Early detection saves lives!!! For more information about oral & throat cancer, please visit The Oral Cancer Foundation website.

*Exisiting patients receive a screening as part of their routine oral exam.