SMILES ON TV: Los Gatos dentists Gregory L. Sawyer and Matthew Diercks were on The Tony Danza Show last week doing a smile makeover. Each day that week the show illustrated cosmetic dentistry in five different communities to confirm that you don't have to go to a big city for such services, Sawyer said.
The local dentists were delighted to be the ones chosen from this area. But an even bigger thrill was seeing the results of the makeover. The patient was a young woman who worked for a local chiropractor, who recommended her for the project. The work done was extensive--implant, root canal, coloration. In short, an ear-to-ear dental makeover.
"It was an amazing transformation," Sawyer said about the new smile of the 29-year-old patient. "I was thrilled to be able to really change someone's life." The final procedure was done the day before the trio--the two dentists and the patient--left for New York for the show.
Sawyer, who lives in Saratoga, says his own orthodontia work during his teen years changed his outlook on life from being a wallflower to a gregarious, social being. It also set his career path: He wanted to train to do the same thing for others that had marked such a change for him.
The office will be at to 15951 Los Gatos Blvd., near Swanson Ford, as of March 7. The practice of Sawyer-Diercks ran an ad on Lifetime TV, which may account for how the Tony Danza folks heard about them.
DISASTER RELIEF: Saratogan Jack Maxfield has put his own life on hold for a few weeks to answer the call for emergency disaster relief in the American Samoa Islands, hard hit by tropical cyclone Olaf on Feb. 16. Olaf created winds of up to 190 mph and caused widespread damage--displacing some 1,000 people.
Maxfield is working as a bulk distribution administrator for the Red Cross, overseeing the dispersal of items such as clean-up kits, flashlights, food coolers, gloves and protective masks. Maxfield has been a Red Cross disaster volunteer since 1993 and this is his 19th deployment.
Previous assignments have involved Hurricane Isabel in 2003, Hurricane Floyd in 2000 and the Northridge Earthquake in 1994. Disaster volunteers have to be ready to leave home on short notice for three-week assignments on large-scale relief operations. Volunteers are trained through the local chapter. For more information, call Red Cross at 408.577.2063 or email SCVVolunteers@usa.redcross.org.
BALLET GALA: Marie LoPresto of Saratoga and Cathy Gillum of Los Gatos are two of the co-chairmen of the ballet benefit "Gateway to Ancient China" to be held March 5 at the Hayes Mansion in San Jose. Early on, planners decided to gift attendees with a custom-made fortune cookie.
These were to be enclosed in Chinese take-out cartons, so 350 black cartons were ordered in January. Only problem was, black is a symbol of death in Chinese culture. Organizers belatedly learned this during Chinese New Year celebrations. Also, the number 4 is considered bad luck.
And so the scrambling began--to eliminate the number 4 from everything at the gala and to disguise the black boxes. To that end, volunteers placed good luck (gold, green, red) stickers on the cartons to counter the cultural consternation. Hopefully, that did the trick.
Chinese attire or black tie is recommended for the gala. Tickets are $250, and can be ordered by calling 408.288.2820, ext. 240. Airline and ballet tickets for two to the Hong Kong Ballet are an apt auction item. L'il Big Band and ballet company dancers will perform. Beshoff Motor Cars is the event sponsor.
ARCTIC WILDLIFE: Oil on Ice, a documentary about Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, will be shown at the Quinlan Community Center in Cupertino on March 9, 6:309 p.m. Oil on Ice tells the story of the Gwich'in people, the wildlife, and the controversy over drilling for oil.
The refuge is a wilderness home to countless birds, musk oxen and polar and grizzly bears, and serves as the summer calving ground of 130,000 caribou. Drilling for oil in the coastal plains will seriously impact the subsistence of the Gwich'in and the wildlife of this special place. Audubon Society and Sierra Club are the sponsors of the showing.
SWEATY PALMS: Here's help for sweaty palms. Community Hospital of Los Gatos has a staff physician who has developed a procedure for hyperhidrosis, or wet hands. This condition, which can be an embarrassment for businessmen closing a deal, affects some 3 percent of the U.S. adult population.
A lecture on the subject is scheduled for March 31 at 6:30 p.m. in the hospital conference center.
MALE CHORUS: The Slavyanka Male Chorus will present a concert on March 6, 2:30 p.m., at the United Methodist Church in Los Gatos. Part of the Community Concert series, tickets are $20, $5 for students. For more information, call 408.377.1106.
Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to
maryanncook@earthlink.net.
By Mary Ann Cook