“Cha-may weeya
Siletz
Community
Health
Clinic
Medicine Talk
Missed the Great American Smokeout?
Commit to Quit in the New Year
Preparing to Quit?
10 Suggestions
Get quit kits at the
Siletz Community
Health Clinic
Deanna Pearl,
TPEP coordinator
541-444-9659 or
1-800-648-0449,
ext. 1659
Oregon Quit Line
1-800-270-7867
Get a free quit kit from the nurse or tobacco prevention.
Read a pamphlet or booklet about quitting.
Make a list of challenges to quitting.
For each challenge, write down what you are going to do about it.
♦
Make a list of things you are going to do instead of smoking.
Mark your quit date on your calendar.
Toothtalk
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Remind yourself why you are quitting - every day!
Tell your partner, family, and friends that you are trying to quit.
Plan how to spend the money you will save!
Practice drinking more water.
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Bonus Suggestion: Practice not smoking!
by Teri (the tooth fairy) Coddington
Guidelines
Can Dental Plaque Cause Respiratory Infections?
A recent study proved that germs
found in dental plaque could make their
way into the lungs and cause potentially
fatal pneumonia in elderly nursing
home patients, U.S. researchers say.
Though the study was small, the
researchers said they found clear evi
dence in eight patients who developed
pneumonia while in the hospital that had
originated from their own dental plaque.
“This was the first study to estab
lish a link between dental hygiene and
respiratory infection,’’ reported Dr. Ali
El-Solh of the University at Buffalo in
New York.
The oral cavity is a complex bio
logical environment. In dental hygiene
practice, daily self-maintenance and
care of oral tissue is essential. Control
ling the microbial content in the mouth
directly impacts your oral health and
your systemic (overall) health.
Therapeutic care must target the
infectious agent known as dental
plaque biofilm. Biofilm is a complex
three-dimensional arrangement of bac
teria living together as a self-sufficient,
secure, self-sustaining community.
Dental plaque biofilm begins to form
by the development of an acquired pel
licle, a thin protein layer attached to the
tooth surface and derived from the saliva.
Specific bacteria bind to the pellicle,
forming a biofilm colony. The bacteria
excrete a slimy, glue-like substance that
helps them attach to the oral surfaces.
The next generation of colonizers
binds to the proliferating cells and ex
tra cellular products of the first genera
tion, leading to a biofilm community.
This community acts as a higher-level
organism capable of coordinating the
efforts, division of labor, and commu
nication among its members, as well as
the defense of its thriving community.
Recognition of the complex nature of
the biofilm helps explain why periodon
tal disease has been difficult to control.
Biofilm/plaque is best removed by
mechanical therapies, such as having
your teeth cleaned by a dental hygien
ist. Research conducted over the past
century validates the importance of spe
cific bacterial germs as a risk factor in
oral disease initiation and progression.
Client knowledge of the character
istics of the biofilm provides a ratio
nale for frequent subgingival root
debridement (periodontal therapy) by
the dental hygienist, because biofilm in
periodontal pockets cannot be reached
by toothbrushes, interdental cleaners, or
mouth rinses.
Removing biofilm via meticulous
toothbrushing and flossing remains the
first line of defense against periodontal
disease. Devices such as the Sonicare
Elite electronic toothbrush that have the
ability to create dynamic fluid forces
have been shown to remove the dental
biofilm in spaces between the teeth, be
yond the reach of toothbrush bristles.
When to Call Your Doctor
Throat
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Ears
If your throat is sore for more than
48 hours.
If the inside of your throat is beefy-
red (not just pinkish-red), swollen,
and pus-covered.
If you have been exposed to some
one who has strep throat (a bacte
rial infection).
If you have a red rash that feels like
sandpaper (could mean a bacterial
strep throat).
Nose and Head
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Fever
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If you have a runny nose for more
than 10 days.
If your nasal discharge is yellow or
green and lasts all day long.
If you have severe facial pain or
headache.
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If your cough lasts longer than
10 days.
If coughing is severe, or if it hurts
to cough, or if coughing produces
a thick, rusty, or greenish mucous.
If you have chest pain when you
breathe, or if you have difficulty
breathing through your mouth.
If you have a temperature of 101 °F
or greater; if your fever lasts more
than four days.
If you have shaking chills, soaking
sweats, shortness of breath, or men
tal confusion.
If a fever over 100°F begins after
the third day of illness.
Abdomen
Cough
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If you have severe pain in, or dis
charge from, your ear.
If your ears are still bothering you
after 10 days.
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If you have persistent pain in your
abdomen or rectum, or if pain is lo
calized in one area of your abdomen.
If you have black or bloody stools
or vomit, or if there is a “coffee
grounds’’ appearance to your vomit.
If you have more than eight bowel
movements per day.
These are guidelines. In all cases,
if the illness is very worrisome or if the
patient looks very sick, call your doctor.
“The symptoms of the common cold, if treated vigorously, will go
away in seven days. If left alone, they will disappear over the
course of a week.”
Popular physician witticism
January 2005
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Siletz News
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