Hi tech crown

Technology has made the dentists office an interesting place to hang out. Well, I can think of other places Id rather be, but as long as you have to be there . . .

Today I had to have a crown put on to replace the inlay that fell out again and broke off a bit of tooth on the way out. You might recall my initial visit to the dentist.

In the photo above is the computer imagery of the designed crown. The dentist took infrared photos of what was left of my tooth (which involved much internal swearing on his part no doubt; "patient" does not describe my attitude in the dentist chair), then manipulated the image with Sirona software. Its a magical process.

His thoughtful assistant showed me how the image becomes a real-life bit of enamel to put in my mouth.

The raw material is composed of different sizes and colors of enamel, to [hopefully] match the other teeth in your mouth.

The perfect piece is placed in a machine (below, right) that carves the enamel to the computer specifications.

The result is a tiny purple piece of tooth; the minuscule handle (left side) facilitates handling of this wee thing.

The enamel is painted much like pottery, with a dab placed in the middle groove to make the crown look more tooth-like. Here the dentist (left) looks on.

The crown is placed in a miniature kiln.

After about 20 minutes, it is finished but still hot. So it is placed on another, cooler surface (here, a mug) to await placement in the mouth.

Within 2 hours of arriving at the dentists office, I was driving off with a functional tooth. Amazing.

And thus this is another reminder to take care of your teeth so you can enjoy Montanas bounty. If you need a dentist in south central Montana, I can recommend a good one.

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Bannack ghost town

Out in the middle of sagebrush and surrounded by mountains lies the ghost town of Bannack, Montanas first territorial capital.

You gotta love a town named for food. "Bannack" comes from the Scottish word, bannock, which according to the self-tour guide book is a "cake cooked over an open fire." Natives living in the area enjoyed camas root cakes made this way and thus were called Bannock Indians by early white settlers.

In the 1860s the town was populated with about 400 men hunting down gold and about 30 "respectable" woman (a fluctuating number of other women were Hurdy Gurdy Girls [dancers] or ladies of the evening). One sheriff, who had avoided a murder charge elsewhere, organized his deputies into a gang to harass local ranchers and citizens, and he was eventually hanged for his efforts. You can imagine it was pretty lively in those days.

Bannack is now a ghost town preserved as a state park in southern Montana. Its basically a half-mile-long street, with original buildings lined up to give you the idea of how things were back when it was a wild and crazy place.

Gold miners who first arrived lived in tiny shacks with roofs made from saplings and covered with dirt. When it rained or snowed, the dirt turned to mud and dribbled into the interior. Wood stoves provide a lot of heat, but these cabins were so poorly constructed, they barely got above freezing inside.

The photo below shows the jail, which reportedly wasnt used much because everyone preferred to be out panning for gold and not watching prisoners. If you look very closely, youll see grass growing on the roof as was typical in the early days of the town.

Living conditions hadnt improved much by the time the territorial governor and his family arrived in 1863. The governors wife sent a lot of letters to friends and family in Ohio describing the primitive conditions.

Still, one doctor managed to create a nice home for his family. You can peek in the window and see a bit of the kitchen.

And down the street is what looks like a comfortable neighborhood.

Eventually a school was built, which at times so overflowed with students that some grades had to study in other buildings. It closed in the 1950s.

While food was expensive because of the difficulties of getting it to the town, there usually was plenty of it. At the Hotel Meade, there was even fine dining available, with white linens and nice china and silverware.

As profits from gold mining declined, so did the town. The post office was closed in 1938, and most folks had moved away by the 1940s. In 1947, the work of preservation began, and, as you can see today, it became an educational state park well worth visiting.

Speaking of profits, in the ranger station at the entrance, among the post cards and t-shirts, you can purchase jerky made in Columbus, Mont., especially to support Montana state parks and the National Park Service. The grass-fed beef comes from the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site in Deer Lodge, another place I highly recommend visiting.

To experience all that Bannack has to offer, the best time to be there is during Bannack Days, when re-enacters roam the streets. Check the Bannack State Park website for details.

But if you like ghost towns, any time, summer or winter, is the best time to wander the streets and explore the interiors of buildings and wonder . . . what was life like 150 years ago?

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A new bakery in town

Who doesnt love a nice bakery? Big Timber happily welcomes De Notre Cuisine ("From Our Kitchen"), where locals are enjoying freshly baked cinnamon rolls, scones, and muffins, accompanied by Yellowstone Coffee, Tumbleweed Teas, and Ghirardelli hot chocolate.

Many people lined up at the summer Tuesday farmers market to taste Jay and Kristine Vallandinghams fruit tarts, artisan breads, cheese crackers, granola, fleur de sel caramels, and rosemary cashews. Now everyone can find these tasty treats year round in a cozy shop on the main street downtown.

The bakery opened January 26 and still looks a bit bare. But Jay and Kristine have delectable plans. Chilled shelves will showcase lemon cream tarts, eclairs, deli items, and more. The menu will include breakfast foods like savory croissants and sausage rolls. One room will be a gourmet market, and in another groups will gather for catered meals.

But for now, customers are welcome to sit at a table to watch the world in Big Timber go by or warm themselves by the fire, knitting and sipping tea.

Kristine also points out that if you dont see something on display, ask for it. You can order anything and expect prompt service.

"If its not on the shelf, it doesnt mean we dont have it," she said. "Special orders are not only expected, theyre encouraged. We like to be useful to the community."

Cakes and fancy desserts might take 24 hours, but if you get in early to order dinner rolls, they could be ready that evening. While youre in the shop, look through the book of photos of past culinary marvels, and you will be ready to order red velvet cake, iced cookies, and a dozen other goodies.

My enthusiasm for baked goods can easily be whipped up to a frenzy. But without letting my emotions get out of control, I can say that the food made by the Vallandinghams is very nice indeed. I noticed this last summer at the farmers market, where the fruit tarts always tasted fresh and the rosemary cashews were a perfect balance of savory and sweet.

During my evening visit near closing time at the bakery, the oatmeal raisin scone was light and flavorful. This morning, a cinnamon roll was soft, with exactly the right amount of spice and sweetness, even with a coating of sugar icing.

They could have truthfully named this bakery Just the Right Touch.

De Notre Cuisine

104 McLeod Street

Big Timber

406-932-5115

Tuesday - Friday, 9 am - 6 pm

Saturday, 9 am - 3 pm

Sunday and Monday, closed

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