Nathanson

My 4-year-old son grinds his teeth at night. Why does he do this, and should we try to stop it?-- Vimala Ravi, San Jose, Calif.The tooth grinding and jaw problems that can cause serious trouble for adults have led to misconceptions when it comes to young children. As many parents have found after rushing kids to the dentist, this nightly gnashing will not hurt the primary teeth."I had the same problem with my 3 1/2 -year-old to the point where he ground his teeth so loudly that you could hear it reverberating through the house," says Mari Machado of San Francisco, Calif.

It was all hearts and flowers for the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, as 170 fans flocked to a Valentine Gala. The Great Hall at St. John's College was decked out with valentine verve. Hearts of gold and ivy hung from the chandelier. More hearts, of chocolate and lace, trimmed the tables. And every woman was a sweetheart, greeted with a red rose. Enjoying the lovely evening: Pam Henel, event chair; Maryanne Spencer, Bev Staniar, Lorraine Ellerson and Louise Devanny, event committee members; Anna Greenberg, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra board president; Mitchell Nathanson, Madeleine Hughes, Carole Falk, Nancy Zimmerman and Richard Hillman, board members; Booker McManus, president of Scholarships for Scholars; Richard Melzer, vice president of Informax Inc.; Bob Henel, president of Annapolis Bank & Trust; Susan Woody, Turtle Fur manufacturers' representative; Cheryl Starr, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals account executive; Robert Cohen, president of Annapolis Bus Co. Inc.; and George Moran, Moran Insurance president.

Players from many of the Baltimore area's top high school girls lacrosse teams will compete in the schoolgirl division at the United States Women's Lacrosse Association National Tournament on Memorial Day weekend at Ohio Wesleyan.Selected on May 2 from 125 candidates from Baltimore, Virginia, Washington and the Chesapeake area, the 40 players make up two teams, South I and South II, and play New England, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, the Midwest, Colorado and California.Named to South I were attackmen Michele DeJuliis, Loch Raven; Jody Cowan, Oldfields; Johanna Khouri, St. Paul's; Trish Cummings, Notre Dame Prep; Liza Shoemaker, Garrison Forest; and midfielders Peggy Boutilier, Roland Park; Erin Wylde, Severna Park; Kerri Johnson, Perry Hall; Heather Sinclair, Arundel; Katie Loovis, Seton Keough; Lindsay Davidson, Sidwell Friends; Jessica Hull, Broadneck; Cristi Samaras, Annapolis; and Elizabeth Schaffner, St. Mary's.

May was welcomed to Central County with floral tributes, many brightening the doorways to local businesses competing in the annual Greater Severna Park Chamber of Commerce May Basket Contest.Winner of the best professional floral designer category was Severna Flowers & Gifts, with Benfield Florist taking second place.Among other businesses, Chesapeake Hearing Center took first place; Country Comforts, second place; 2nd Thoughts, third place.The displays chosen "Most Representative of the Business" were: Severna Park Veterinary Hospital, first place; Wild Bird Center, second place; and Admiral Cleaners, third place.

Two West River teen-agers accused of breaking into a Galesville church Monday evening and spraying "KKK" on the front carpet with a fire extinguisher were charged with burglary, police said.Cpl. Donald Pearson of the Southern District was called to Chews Memorial Methodist Church, which has a predominantly black congregation, shortly after 6 p.m. to investigate a break-in.The officer noticed footprints leading from the Owensville Road church into a field. Corporal Pearson tracked them to a nearby home and talked to a boy and his parents.

A couple of bands that played Virgin Mobile FreeFest are returning to the area on tour next year. The Black Keys will perform at the Verizon Center March 9 as part of their tour to promote new album "El Camino. " The band closed the festival in September with a muscular performance on the main stage. Tickets, starting at $40, go on sale December 9. The album is released three days before. And two days before the Black Keys show, on March 7, Bombay Bicycle Club , the British folk rock five piece, will perform at 9:30 Club in DC.The show is part of their first headlining US tour.

People who think the cold weather in January messed with their work, take heart: The cold hit the construction business even harder.The value of building permits for nonresidential construction fell 61 percent in January, compared to the relatively strong performance (by 1990s standards) in January 1993, according to a report by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council.Permits for additions and renovations to existing commercial buildings fell 18.2 percent."I assumed it [affected permits] in the same way it slowed business generally," council economist Josef Nathanson said.

How often can you safely whiten your teeth? It's not fully clear, but once or twice a year seems to cause no problems, said Dr. Dan Nathanson, chair of the department of restorative sciences and biomaterials at the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. "No one has shown categorically that there is a danger in doing it too much, but we are cautious. It's probably not good to be a whitening addict," he said. The basic ingredient in tooth-whitening gels, whether administered in a dentist's office or at home, is hydrogen peroxide, which penetrates both the porous enamel on the outside of the tooth and the inner layer of dentin, lightening the tooth as it goes.

JEFFREY LAWRENCE BRANDT, 52, Intellectual Property Visionary and Expert, President of JLB Consulting, Inc. of Ridgefield, CT, Dies. Jeffrey L. Brandt, a Philadelphia, PA native and long-time resident of Ridgefield, CT, is credited with being responsible for the issuance of one of the most influential and successful "business method patents" in history, the "Priceline.com Patent". His expertise in the intellectual patent field, particularly in patent process and patent portfolio management, patent strategy for startup companies, and specializing in controversial and cutting-edge "business method patents", is unparalleled.

Parents ask state to enter fight over middle school plan A group of Anne Arundel County parents who have been fighting Superintendent Eric J. Smith's new middle school schedule asked the state school board yesterday to enter the fray, arguing that the plan would prevent schools from offering pupils state-mandated instruction in subjects such as arts and health education. Four parents and a middle school pupil testified that the schedule, to be implemented this fall, would violate state requirements.