Dental screenings in schools: Do they help?

Free dental screenings is one of the services that schools give to students. Local governments request schools give this free dental care as a way to provide health services especially to kids from low-income families. But, it’s also a way for the government to assess the oral health in the school and in the community while increasing students’ awareness about oral health.

What is a dental screening?

Dental screening for children in schools, commonly termed as a “no touch” exam, refers to a visual check of the mouth that is usually done by a public dental hygienist or a dental care professional. The dental care professional would normally use a sterilized mirror and a bright light to examine the child’s teeth and gums.

Schools’ dental screening guidelines require that the result of the screening be reflected in the child’s dental report card, which would be kept by the school with a copy sent to the parents.

Benefits of Dental Screening in Schools

As observed by teachers and parents, dental screening in schools have a number of benefits aside from the availability or access to free preventative dental services for children from low-income families. Some of the other benefits include:

• Dental screenings foster dental health education and greater awareness on the part of the students regarding the importance of their oral health

• The fear that most children have toward dental professionals is addressed and minimized because they are introduced to them at a younger age. Also, because they are with their peers in school when the dental screenings are conducted, they receive peer support, thus making their experience less traumatic and more fun.

• Results of screening can provide parents information about their children’s dental needs.

• The screening can help children and parents to detect oral problems and diseases at an earlier time and prevent those problems from becoming worse.

Dental Screening vs Dental exam

While dental screenings may have a number of benefits to offer, it must be remembered that it does not replace having an exam with a dentist.

During a dental exam, the dentist will not only check your child’s mouth, but will also clean his or her teeth, check for cavities, examine his or her mouth, face, neck and throat for any growth or abnormalities and even perform other diagnostic procedures for preventative dental health and care. As compared to a dental screening, a full dental exam with the dentist is far more comprehensive and would produce better results than the “no touch” procedure used in dental screenings.

If you are concerned about your child’s dental health and you want him to undergo a gentle, friendly and comfortable dental exam, visit Dr. Erica Bronitsky, DMD, now at Bronitsky Family Dentistry. Dr. Erica and her excellent team of dental care professionals will ensure that you and your family’s oral health will be taken care of through their top-of-the-line procedures and treatments.

Call Bronitsky Family Dentistry today at (503) 563-7434 to book your appointment!

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Old Bay Seasoning: Is It Good for Teeth?

Image courtesy of Mister GC at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Seafood is widely enjoyed during summer, and what better way to cook seafood than by adding a wide range of spices to enhance the flavor? One of the most popular seasonings used for seafood is Old Bay seasoning manufactured by […]

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Injuries that Can Occur from River Rafting

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As an extreme watersport, river rafting can be the cause of dental emergencies as well as other injuries. If you want to enjoy river rafting but are concerned about your dental health, here are some things you should know.

River Rafting at Eugene

Eugene boasts three prominent rivers — the McKenzie River, Willamette River, and Siuslaw River. All rivers are open for watersports, particularly white water river rafting and fly fishing. The combination of cold water and warm sunlight create the best ambience for these watersports. If you’re a first-time river rafter, it’s important to get a tutorial from a professional before you go on the river on your own. There are several river rafting guides and charters that you can go to for guidance.

Common Injuries and Accidents Experienced While River Rafting

If you go on a white water rafting adventure, here are some injury risks you should be aware of:

1. Hitting yourself/getting hit with the paddle. You or someone on the boat with you may get hit by the paddle. This is quite common, especially when the water flow is strong and paddling is uncontrollable. If the paddle hits you or someone else in the face, you can knock out a tooth or fracture it. Your gums may also bleed.
2. Hand/wrist injuries. A typical rafting activity lasts for a couple of hours, and continuously paddling for that long can be strenuous to the hands or wrists, resulting in sprain, dislocation, or carpal tunnel syndrome.
3. Getting dump trucked. When the waves are strong, the passengers on the raft may fall off because of the loss of balance. Rafts rarely turn over or capsize, as compared to other boats, but the soft and bouncy texture of the boat can make it easy for the people riding it to fall off. When the people on a raft fall off even though the raft itself remains upright, this is called dump trucking. It’s important that you’re wearing your life vest while rafting so that if you do fall over, you will be able to return safely into the raft.
4. Hitting a solid object. When you paddle and you suddenly hit a solid object such as a stone in the river, it can cause trauma to your arms and hands. The impact can be strong enough to injure you and disable you from paddling.

Getting Emergency Dental Care from Smile Institute

After your enjoyable river rafting experience, it’s a good time to visit the best dentist in Eugene, Oregon at the Smile Institute, for any dental emergencies. Our Eugene office is open weekdays and you can schedule an appointment anytime through our online form. You can also call us at 541-484-1955 if you have any inquiries about our availability and services.

Make summer a truly memorable season by spending your free time river rafting. But, don’t forget to have your semi-annual dental check-ups to ensure that your teeth and gums are healthy and ready to face any extreme activities you have lined up all year.

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Nursing Homes and Dental Care for Residents

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It is estimated that there are nearly 2 million elderly Americans living in nursing home facilities, and the vast majority of residents require assistance with “activities of daily living” or ADLs including oral hygiene.

A study conducted in 2006 of five long-term care facilities in upstate New York showed that a mere 16 percent of residents received any sort of oral care, and for those who did receive case, toothbrushing only lasted an average of 16 seconds — far short of the recommended 2 minutes.

The elderly face a range of oral health care risks simply because of what aging means in terms of oral health.

Elderly and Oral Health

Perhaps the main challenge to helping the elderly maintain good oral health is the fact that nearly one-third of nursing home residents experience dry mouth. Dry mouth or xerostomia is usually a result of taking various medications needed to treat dementia, anxiety, allergies, asthma and high blood pressure. Saliva production naturally decreases as a person ages, and the need for these medications makes the situation worse.

Saliva is the body’s main way of fighting buildup of bacteria in the mouth and decreased levels of saliva production leaves residents at risk for overgrowth of the gums, periodontal disease, and tooth decay.

Poor oral health has been connected with increased rates of weight loss, heart disease and nursing-home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP).

What makes the situation even more challenging is that:

• Many seniors lose any dental care coverage when they retire;

• Medicare does not cover routine dental care (eg: cleanings, fillings), and the extent of coverage of dental services in general can vary from state to state;

• There may be a shortage of dental practitioners who visit long-term care facilities;

• Some health care staff are not trained or are overworked and have so many people under their care that oral hygiene falls behind feeding, dressing, washing, and other bodily needs.

• In the case of dementias, patients simply refuse to have anyone touch their mouth. Research is continuing to help caregivers and nurses in this regard.

Choosing the Right Nursing Home

When investigating the nursing home options for a loved one, make sure you ask about how they provide dental care for the residents.

Ask questions like:

• Does this nursing home/facility have dentists on-call?

• Does your nursing staff provided routine, day-to-day basic oral hygiene care (at least once a day)?

• Has the nursing staff been trained to identify any oral care issues?

• How does staff address oral care resistance from residents?

When you visit your loved one, make it a habit to examine his/her mouth to ensure that proper mouth care is being given. Tell-tale signs that your loved one may not be receiving care may be a toothbrush that doesn’t look used or a tube of toothpaste that doesn’t seem to get any smaller, visual signs of buildup of plaque and tartar, and/or indications from your loved one that there is pain or discomfort in their mouth.

Some states have their own rules about providing proper oral care in nursing homes, but there are also federal rules in place. It is important that you know what’s required and that you ensure that proper oral hygiene care is being offered.

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Back to School Special Offer

Back-to-School Special Offer from Gary Ellenbogen, D.D.S. If you are wondering what you can do to get the smile you’ve always wanted, Gary Ellenbogen, D.D.S. can help with an amazing back to school patient special offer. From Aug. 10 to Sept. 14, any new patient is entitled to […]

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Cheek and Jaw Implants

Cheek and jaw implants are done to enhance or save certain areas of your face for either cosmetic or dental reasons, but are usually done because of an injury or other facial damages which need construction work. For example, you may need a cheek implant if you had an injury which completely shattered your cheekbones to the point of no return, or a jaw implant because you need to have a dental implant placed.
Before you decide whether or ...

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What Should I Do if I Broke a Crown?

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Dental emergencies are often painful and stressful, especially if a part of your tooth or restoration is fractured or broken. This can leave the soft tissues of the mouth exposed to sharp edges as well as increase your risk of infection or decay. Fortunately, if you break a dental crown there are number of things you can do to ease your discomfort and get the treatment you need right away. Here are a few tips to consider and hopefully you will be prepared in case of a dental emergency.

How Do I Know I Have a Broken Crown?

Like the natural structure of your tooth, a crown restoration is strong, but not impervious. If you bite down on something too hard, commonly grind or clench your teeth or suffer from dental trauma you risk breaking a dental crown. You might break a crown if you have a bite discrepancy or deep decay. There is no mistaking that strange sensation when you chip, crack or break a natural tooth. The same usually goes for a dental crown as well. It will not take you long to realize something in your mouth is amiss. You might feel some increased sensitivity or a jagged edge, or notice the crown is broken or entirely dislodged.

Do I Need to Worry?

For the most part a broken dental crown is not too serious of a dental emergency as long as the pulp is still protected. You might notice some sensitivity or a jagged edge in mild cases. However, if you are dealing with severe pain that interferes with your eating, sleeping or working, then the problem could be more serious. Even if you have no pain, it is important to visit your dentist as soon as possible —at least within a day or two. Sometimes, the damage goes beyond the restoration. In these cases, a fracture compromises the integrity of your crown as well as your tooth. A fractured crown could lead to infection or complications with tooth decay.

How to Respond When you Lose a Crown

1. Examine the area and if possible, find the missing crown.
2. Call the dentist for an emergency appointment.
3. If your tooth is causing pain use a cotton swab to apply a topical anesthetic or clove oil.
4. Where possible, you want to slip the crown back over your tooth. Make sure both the tooth and restoration are cleaned and secure your crown in place with either toothpaste or dental cement.
5. Stick to a soft diet until you can see your dentist.

Repairing a Dislodged Crown

The dentist will repair your crown based on several factors. If you save your crown and no damage has been done to your natural tooth, sometimes the dentist can simply replace the current crown. However, if you damage the crown beyond repair or the underlying tooth is severely decayed, the dentist will have to perform a more extensive procedure. Your dentist might recommend an entirely new restoration.

To learn more about restorations or what to do in a dental emergency visit us at medgausdentalcare.com or contact our office to speak with our helpful and knowledgeable staff. We are always ready to help in an emergency.

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