Clinic
Health
CHA-MAY WEEYA - MEDICINETALK
Siletz
Community
Exercise Safety
Considerations
Tooth Talk
by Marv Ellen Volansky, RDH, MS
Healthy Smiles for Siletz Valley School Students
The tribal Dental Clinic seals all
children's teeth and many adults' teeth
as well. And once a year Dental staff
provides screenings and dental sealants
to children at Siletz Valley School. This
year, we will see children in grades 1-12.
Why are sealants important? Be
cause they prevent cavities on the bit
ing surfaces of molars and premolars
- where we get our first cavities. Are
sealants painful to have placed on our
teeth? No.
How do sealants prevent decay? By
sealing the biting surfaces of our mo
lars and premolars.
All our teeth form by the fusing of
bud-like structures in our jaw. Gener
ally this fusing of these tooth-forming
buds (three to five, depending on the
size of the tooth) creates a smooth tooth
surface.
There are exceptions. Got a 5- or
6-year-old in your life? Check out the
biting edge of his or her front teeth.
When these teeth first erupt, there are
small scallops on this edge. As children
use their teeth, the scallops wear off,
giving front teeth the smooth edge
we're familiar with.
Another exception to the smooth
fusing of tooth buds is the cusps of
molars and premolars. These larger
scallops, which aid our chewing, are
meant to be sharp projections. Where
does the problem come in?
Try this: Take the fingers of one hand,
place the pads of our five fingers to
gether and gently squeeze. Look down
at the tips of your fingers. What do you
see? Pits and grooves where the lin
gers come together, just like the smaller
pits and grooves of our molars and
premolars where the buds fuse together.
The pits and grooves of our teeth
are huge to bacteria and sugar particles.
The combination of bacteria and sugar
yield cavities. It’s in these pits and
grooves that each of us got or will get
our first cavities.
So it's not a far stretch to place plas
tic onto these pits and grooves to seal
them. The bacteria inside cannot get more
food. Without food the bacteria die. So
if we can seal molars and premolars
soon enough, we can stop cavities from
forming. In very small cavities, seal
ant can stop the progress altogether,
blocking out food and the re-entry of
new bacteria.
Siletz. Valley School and the tribal
Dental Clinic are working together
again this year to provide sealant to
SVS students’ teeth that are appropri
ate for sealing. “Appropriate" teeth are
those that do not have decay or fillings.
Please read the oral health informa
tion your student will bring home this
month. To have your child participate in
this free Sealant Clinic, you must fill out
the permission form, sign it. and return
the signed form to Siletz Valley School.
Help us help the students at Siletz
Valley School have healthy smiles!
This information and that shown
below were taken from the National In
stitute of Dental and Craniofacial Re
search, National Oral Health Informa
tion Clearinghouse.
Reach them online at www.nidcr.
nih.gov. Their booklets on oral health
are free and easily downloadable. If
you have questions, send an e-mail to
toothtalk @ctsi.nsn. us.
What are Dental Sealants?
Sealants are thin, plastic coatings
painted on the chewing surfaces of the
back teeth.
Sealants are put on in dentists' of
fices, clinics, and sometimes in
schools. Getting sealants put on is
simple and painless. Sealants are
painted on as a liquid and quickly
harden to form a shield over the tooth.
How are Sealants Put On?
I
The tooth is cleaned.
4. The tooth is rinsed and dried. Then
new cotton is put around the tooth
so it stays dry.
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Siletz News
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2. The tooth is dried and cotton is put
around the tooth so it stays dry.
3. A solution is put on the tooth that
makes the surface a little rough.
(It’s easier for the sealant to stick
to a slightly rough surface.)
5. The sealant is applied in liquid
form and hardens in a few seconds.
6. The sealant is in place.
April 2007
Physical activity can lower your
blood glucose (sugar), blood pressure,
and cholesterol. It also can reduce risk
for heart disease and stroke, relieve
stress, and strengthen your heart,
muscles, and bones.
Consider the following when you
exercise:
•
•
•
•
•
Drink plenty of fluids before and
after exercise.
Do not exercise if your blood sugar
is greater than 250 mg/dl.
If your blood sugar is less than 100
mg/dl before you start exercising,
eat a snack.
Have carbohydrate-based foods
with you when you exercise to treat
a low blood sugar that might occur
during exercise.
Take good care of your feet! Wear
good-fitting athletic shoes that
cushion your feet. Choose clean
socks with flat toe seams and with
out tight elastic.
Learn More
About Parkinson’s
Disease
On April 15. Parkinson's Resources
of Oregon will host a conference for
patients, families, and health care pro
viders interested in learning more
about Parkinson's disease at the Valley
River Inn in Eugene, Ore.
The full-day education event be
gins at 10 a.m. with a keynote presen
tation, Neuroprotection in Parkinson’s
Disease: An Elusive Goal, by Dr. Kevin
Biglan of the University of Rochester.
Additional workshops include pre
sentations on nutrition, medications,
eye problems, choosing the right resi
dential care facility, and more.
Registration is $25 per person, with
a discount for additional family mem
bers. Limited funds are available for
scholarships. Registration and scholar
ship information can be obtained by
calling 1-800-426-6806.
Participants also are invited to join
Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon on
April 14 for a dinner presentation by
Dr. David Heydrick. a neurologist suf
fering from Parkinson's disease. He
will talk about The Parkinson’s Pyra
mid™, a strategy he developed to cope
with the symptoms of the disease.
Dinner is $25 per person. It's at the
Valley River Inn at 6:30 p.m.
For a free newsletter, information, and
support, call toll-free 1-800-426-6806.