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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2000)
“Cha-may weeya Medicine Talk Siletz Communi Health Clinic The Path to Wellness: First Steps Basic Diabetes Management Diabetes is a serious disease that effects many people in our community. Many complications can develop - blindness, heart attacks, amputations, and kidney failure. These can be avoided by maintaining normal blood sugar. This is done by: • ■ Eating healthy foods Eating at regular, frequent times Eating the right amount of food - not too much or too little Exercising daily This daily management can be difficult because it involves changing behaviors. The Siletz Diabetes Program created a three-day retreat called The Path to Wellness: First Steps. The retreat was designed to take people away from their current routines and give them a fresh start to practice these behaviors. Support people also were involved, such as family members or tribal staff who want to learn more. Highlights of the retreat included: • • All meals and lodging were provided. Our dietician, diabetic programs assistant, and the chef planned special meals and snacks. A supermarket tour lead by experts. A chance to compare prices, contents, and nutrition of the food people are interested in. Exercise sessions lead by two Native fitness trainers. Easy, fun exercises! Lessons on nutrition, medications, blood sugar testing, and other important aspects of diabetes management Tips for communicating with family and doctors Stress management Time to talk with others who have diabetes and get practical ideas for changing behavior The clinic held its second retreat at Chinook Winds. These retreats have helped many people gain knowledge, skills, and support to take better care of themselves. Advanced retreats are planned for later this year. Contact the Diabetes Program at the Siletz Clinic for more information. Dr. Christensen Leaves Clinic Kent Rilatos participates in exercises at the Diabetes Program retreat. Tooth Talk by Linda Kreutzer, RDH Why is “Follow-up” Important at the Dentist Office? Ever been asked by your dentist to come back in a week or two? There are many good reasons to return to the office in the time recommended by your dentist. Here are a few: 1. Sutures (stitches) need to be removed after some types of dental extractions. This will allow the dentist to check the area for healing as well as painlessly remove stitches. 2. Check on a tooth treated for an abscess. The process is called “open and drain.” An opening is placed on the surface of the tooth. A temporary filling may or may not be used. It is very important for the dentist to check on the tooth in a timely manner to see if the infection is gone and begin the next step in the process of saving (or restoring) the tooth. This process is called root canal therapy or endodontics. This procedure is sometimes referred to a dental specialist called an endodontist. Follow-up is extremely important if this happens to you or to someone you care about. This includes taking all of the medication prescribed by your dentist, including antibiotics. Take them all! 3. Root canal therapy sometimes requires a number of visits to the dental office. It sometimes may not seem like it, but progress is being made. The tooth must be free from infection and become thoroughly cleaned and refilled. This takes time. Please allow your dentist the number March 24 was Dr. Steven Christensen’s last day at the Siletz Clinic. A potluck luncheon was held in honor of the time he spent working at the clinic. I Walt Klamath said the blessing and performed a ceremony for Dr. Christensen (above). Judy Muschamp, health director, presented him with a Pendleton blanket from the Clinic Sunshine Club. Dr. Christensen will be missed by many. We all wish him the best as he goes back to private practice in Waldport. of visits it takes to do a great job for you. Although the tooth no longer hurts, it’s important to revisit the dental office two or more times to have a root canal completed. 4. Temporary fillings and crowns are exactly what they are called, temporary. They are not strong enough to sustain chewing force for any length of time. They can do a good job of “holding you over” for two or three weeks until your next dental appointment, but if left in the mouth too long, problems may occur. It’s possible to break off more tooth structure along with a temporary, resulting in the need for root canal therapy or extraction of the tooth. 5. Denture and partial denture care. When new plates are made, the dentist always expects minor fitting adjustments to be necessary. Sore spots can develop on the gums and mouth if the dentures and partials are worn too long with an improper fit. It’s important to return to the dentist office within one week of receiving your new dentures or partial dentures to ensure a great fit without sore spots. 6. Get your teeth cleaned twice a year! This goes for people with healthy gums. If gum disease is a problem, it’s necessary to see the hygienist three or even four times a year. In the dental world, follow-up has many meanings, all of them important! 27
