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At Pioneer Dental, we love to celebrate the holidays with vigor! Dr. Carl Meyers would love to share some unique ways of celebrating Thanksgiving from beyond the West Bend, WI area to the national level!

When Americans sit down to dinner on the last Thursday of November, the day that Abraham Lincoln designated as the day on which Thanksgiving would be celebrated, they do so thinking that the first Thanksgiving feast was held at Plymouth in 1621. According to National Geographic, the Spanish explorer Francisco Vásquez Coronado and his men celebrated a feast of Thanksgiving in Texas in 1541, giving Texas the distinction of being the first place where Thanksgiving was celebrated.

Different Types of Celebrations

Native Americans had rituals around which they celebrated in hopes of ensuring a bountiful harvest. The Cherokees had a Green Corn Dance that they did for this very purpose. The Pilgrims (not to be confused with the Puritans,) rejected any type of public religious display. They held a three-day long non-religious Thanksgiving feast. Although they said grace, the focus of their celebration was on feasting, drinking alcohol (they did have beer,) and playing games.

The Pilgrims at the Plymouth Plantation celebrated a different day of Thanksgiving in 1623. Plagued by a crop-destroying drought, the settlers prayed for relief. They even fasted. A few days later, they got the rain they so desperately needed. Soon thereafter, they received another blessing when Captain Miles Standish came with staples they couldn't otherwise get. He also told them that a Dutch supply ship was en route. In gratitude for the abundance of good fortune, the Plymouth settlers celebrated a day of prayer and Thanksgiving on June 30, 1623.

The Story of Squanto

No discussion of Thanksgiving is complete without a discussion of Squanto, or Tisquantum, as he was known among his people, the Patuxet Indians. It is believed that he was born sometime around 1580. As he returned to his village after a long journey, he and several other Native Americans were kidnapped by Jamestown colonist, Thomas Hunt. Hunt put them on a ship heading to Spain where they were to be sold into slavery.

As fate would have it, some local friars rescued him and many of the other kidnapped natives. Squanto was educated by the friars. Eventually, after asking for freedom so he could return to North America, he ended up in London where he spent time working as a ship builder. By 1619, he was finally able to get passage on a ship headed to New England with other Pilgrims.

Upon arriving at Plymouth Rock, he learned that his entire tribe was wiped out by diseases that accompanied earlier settlers from Europe. In gratitude for passage on their ship, he helped them set up a settlement on the very land where his people once lived. They called the settlement Plymouth. Since they knew nothing about how to survive, let alone how to find food, Squanto taught them everything, from how to plant corn and other crops, how to fertilize them, how and where to get fish and eels and much more.

After a devastating winter during which many settlers died, thanks to Squanto's teaching, they had an abundant harvest. After that harvest, they honored him with a feast. It is this feast of 1621 which was celebrated between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians that is widely considered the first Thanksgiving celebration.

About the Meal of the Plymouth Settlers

Surviving journals of Edward Winslow that are housed at Plymouth Plantation indicate that the first Thanksgiving feast was nothing like what Americans eat today. The meal consisted of venison, various types of wild fowl (including wild turkey,) and Indian corn. There were no cranberries, stuffing, pumpkin pie, potatoes, or any of the other “traditional” foods that appear on modern menus.

Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, the day that Abraham Lincoln designated as the holiday. It is still a day of feasting, and for some, a day of prayer and thanksgiving. For others, it is a celebration of gathering, especially for families. Still others may celebrate in entirely different ways, including watching college football bowl games, or by playing family games.

If you ever wonder why you're so tired after the Thanksgiving meal, it's because turkey contains an amino acid, tryptophan, and it sets off chemicals whose chain reaction combine to make people sleepy.

Back in October, Dr. Meyers traveled with his family and other non-profit members for a mission trip to Guatemala! The group they travel with is called "Time and Talents for Children", out of Cedarburg. They have averaged about 3 trips a year for the last five years and this particular trip was Dr. Meyers' family's third trip since 2010! On this this trip Dr. Meyers' son Scott was 16, and his daughter, Kaitlyn, was 17. On their first trip, they were only 12 and 13!

On October 25th they flew out of Chicago, flying first to Panama City, then on to Guatemala City. After spending the night in Guatemala City, they took a large van on a four hours trip to a small city called Panajachel.  This has been the home base for all three of our trips! After arriving in Panajachel, they typically partner with a local group who helps secure a location to provide dental care, as well as provide the patients who are in need, as well as transportation, translators, and lunches while on site.  This trip, the group they were working with was a Mormon group who run a school north east of Panajachel.  Their staff, the students and their families were the patients!

The group had one general dentist (Dr. Meyers), two pediatric dentists, a pediatrician, a small construction crew and several support people.  Over the course of four working days in a gym, the group saw nearly 250 patients, and removed over 300 teeth from patients from 3 to 81 years old. Oral hygiene instruction was provided, as well as supplies to help promote a healthy mouth! The pediatrician was able to do well baby checks on around 20 children, providing care where needed, and educated young mothers on how to care for their infants! The construction crew built a goat pen for the director of the school.

After our four days of treatment, the group traveled to Antigua, the previous capitol of Guatemala to rest for a day! After that, it was a  10 hour, 5000 mile journey home!

Back in September, we shared some exciting Pioneer Dental news and at the most recent House of Delegates meeting, Dr. Meyers was officially installed as the Trustee of WDA! It's been a busy time for our favorite Pioneer Dentist, read more below!

As of October, Dr. Meyers time on the Public Relations Committee of the Wisconsin Dental Association ended.  He was on the committee for six years, and served as the chair for the last two.  Last weekend, it was announced that the WDA had received a Golden Apple Award for its work in promoting preventative care with its newsletter, "Tongue and Cheek".  This award was presented to Dr. Meyers at the House of Delegates meeting on behalf of the entire PR committee!

In addition to the newsletter, and updates to the WDA website, Dr. Meyers has helped craft the public awareness campaign of the WDA, including the "Healthy Choices", "Baby Teeth Matter", "Sip all Day", "Brush and Floss, or Else", and "Own Your Smile" commercials!

Dr. Meyers was nominated for, and accepted into, an international honorary dental fraternity called the Pierre Fauchard Academy!

Lastly, Dr. Meyers was elected to represent the WDA and the American Dental Association House of Delegates meeting next November in Washington DC as an alternate delegate.  Not only will Dr. Meyers be representing the dental profession, he will be representing the state of Wisconsin at the national meeting! There are only 18 delegates and alternates elected each year.

When you are missing teeth, it is critical to replace them. Without all your teeth, chewing and eating can be challenging, as well as uncomfortable. Missing teeth can also destabilize your bite. Dental implants are a great option for replacing teeth that are missing or are badly diseased. A dental implant at Pioneer Dental offers relief, support, and stability to your bite, and often, implants are the most natural and effective option available.

Dr. Carl Meyers and our team have helped many patients using implant dentistry at our West Bend, WI office restore their smiles to look more natural. Each implant is created to fit in perfectly with the look of the rest of your teeth.

Besides making your smile appear more natural, dental implants have other benefits. They include:

• Restoring your ability to properly chew food
• Preventing your teeth from shifting and moving
• Stabilizing your bite, helping you avoid pain or discomfort

If you are missing a tooth or multiple teeth and feel like you are a candidate for dental implants, Dr. Carl Meyers and our team at Pioneer Dental encourage you to give us a call to schedule an appointment. See you soon!