SSMS students receive dental screenings

SILVER SPRINGS - During the month of February, Silver Stage Middle School and HAWC Silver Stage Dental Center teamed up to offer National Children's Dental Health Month and provided free fluoride varnishings and a free dental exam to students.

SSMS administration said in a press release, "We would like to send a big warm Coyote 'thank you' to Dr. Clyde Nelson, dentist, Milena Cummings, dental coordinator, and dental assistants Sara Hurt, Chris Faddis and Carolina Lozano-Duran for doing an outstanding job."

The free dental screening was provided through a collaboration of the Churchill, Lyon, Pershing, and Storey Counties' Regional Oral Health Coalition and the HAWC Silver Stage Dental Center.

As a result, 94 students received fluoride varnish treatments and 99 students received a free dental exam.

"It was quite impressive to see the way Dr. Nelson's team, along with Laura Webb, Registered Dental Hygienist and Chair of the Oral Health Coalition and Debbie Aquino, coalition secretary, worked together to make it a pleasant and occasionally fun experience for the students of SSMS," read the press release.

Students learned why dental care is important to students. And youngsters were made aware that toothaches may cause a student to have difficulty concentrating on their schoolwork.

They also learned routine dental care helps identify early treatment needs and provides opportunities for preventive services, plus early treatment and preventive care is cheaper and much less painful than waiting until extensive dental repairs are needed.

In addition, students learned oral health is directly related to the health of the rest of the body. For instance, many diseases and/or their treatments can negatively affect one's oral health and poor oral health can hinder the control of some other diseases such as diabetes.

"In addition, changes in the mouth often are the first signs of problems elsewhere in the body, such as infectious disease, immune disorders, nutritional deficiencies and cancer" the press release said. As Former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop was quoted in the release "You are not healthy without good oral health."

In closing, the release said, "We are lucky to have the HAWC Silver Stage Dental Center right here in our community."

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