#st augustine

A missing tooth doesn't stay a missing tooth. It becomes a slowly shifting situation.

The teeth on either side start to tilt. The opposing tooth drifts into the space. Bite patterns change quietly, usually without pain, which is exactly why so many people are surprised when they finally look at what's happened.

The window for the most straightforward fix is widest right after the loss. Every month of waiting tends to add a layer of complexity to whatever comes next.

Metal-free ceramic bridges at JAX Dental Arts in St. Augustine: no surgery, two appointments, a result that looks like a tooth rather than like dental work. Dr. Atosa Khan designs and places every restoration herself.

More on how the process works and who's a good candidate: cosmetic bridge at JAX Dental Arts

​Imagine sailing across the Atlantic, running into a massive continent, naming it, and then sailing right away because you thought it was just a really long island.

​That is exactly what Juan Ponce de León did in the spring of 1513.

​Commissioned by Spain to find new lands, Ponce de León made landfall on the east coast of Florida in April 1513. While historians love to argue over the exact coordinates, local tradition places his landing right near modern-day St. Augustine.

​Because it was the Easter season (Pascua Florida) and the coastline was incredibly lush, he named the land La Florida.

​But here is the catch: he didn't try to settle here.

​Ponce de León wasn't looking to build a town just yet. He spent his time charting the coast, fighting off brief skirmishes with local tribes, and sailing all the way around the peninsula. He was entirely convinced that Florida was just an island.

​He packed up, headed back to Spain to brag about his "island," and left the beautiful coast of St. Augustine behind. It would be another eight years before he returned to try and build a colony—a mistake that would ultimately cost him his life.

​Eight years after claiming Florida for Spain, Juan Ponce de León came back to finish the job. It was 1521, and this time, he wasn't just exploring—he brought 200 men, livestock, farming tools, and horses. He was ready to build a permanent colony.

​But instead of returning to the east coast near St. Augustine, he sailed up into Southwest Florida, dropping anchor in Calusa territory around Charlotte Harbor (just south of the Tampa Bay area).

​It was a fatal geographical choice.

​The Calusa people were legendary, highly organized warriors, and they had zero intention of letting Spanish invaders take their land. They launched a massive, coordinated surprise attack on the building camp.

​During the brutal clash, an arrow pierced Ponce de León’s thigh.

​A standard arrow wound was dangerous enough back then, but the Calusa utilized a devastating weapon: they dipped their arrowheads in the milky sap of the local Manchineel tree.

​Known in Spanish as manzanilla de la muerte ("little apple of death"), the Manchineel is officially one of the most toxic trees on Earth. Just standing under it during a rainstorm can cause skin to blister, and getting its sap directly into a wound means pure agony and rapid poisoning.

​The Calusa attack at Charlotte Harbor didn’t just ruin Juan Ponce de León’s plans—it ended his life.

​After fleeing the Florida coast in agony from the poison arrow wound, Ponce de León made it to Havana, Cuba. But the toxic sap of the Manchineel tree had done its damage. In July 1521, at the age of 47, the man who had named "La Florida" died from his injuries.

​Because of how fiercely the indigenous tribes defended their land, Spain completely pulled back. The devastating failure of Ponce de León’s colony terrified future expeditions. For decades, every Spanish attempt to establish a foothold in Florida ended in disaster, shipwreck, or retreat.

​It took a massive 54 years after Ponce de León’s death for Spain to finally succeed.

​In 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés finally landed on the east coast and successfully established a permanent settlement. He named it St. Augustine.

I used to live Saint Augustine's "lord make me good . . . just not today" dictum but somehow found a happier spirit.