The Importance of Dental Care 牙科護理至關重要
Keeping you healthy Taking good care of your teeth throughout your life can help prevent problems as you get older... Keeping your teeth healthy Simple steps such as brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, flossing every day, and seeing your dentist on a regular basis will help to maintain a healthy smile. 2 中文版請到第 12 頁
Fluoride helps to strengthen teeth. Speak with your dentist about the benefits of fluoride and ways to find it. 3
& Infants Children Speak with your child s dentist about dental sealants and fluoride varnish. A dental sealant is a special coating applied to the back teeth to protect against tooth decay by keeping germs and food particles out of the grooves. Fluoride varnish is a highly concentrated fluoride coating that is applied to the teeth. A baby s first set of teeth is completely formed at birth and hiding under the gums. As your baby ages, teeth will begin to grow allowing your baby to chew foods such as soft fruits and vegetables. More importantly, the first set of teeth hold the space where your child s permanent teeth will eventually be. 4 Steps to caring for your child s teeth: Starting at birth, clean the gums with a soft infant toothbrush or by rubbing them gently with a clean wet washcloth. As soon as teeth begin to appear, use a small soft bristle toothbrush or wash cloth to gently clean your child s teeth twice a day using fluoride-free toothpaste, unless directed otherwise by your dentist or doctor. Do not nurse your child to sleep or let your
child sleep with a bottle containing milk, juice, or other beverage that can sit on the teeth and cause tooth decay. Use water should your child need a bottle to sleep. For healthier teeth, limit the servings of foods high in sugar. Teach your children how to brush their teeth and the importance of maintaining clean teeth. Take your child to the dentist regularly. The American Dental Association recommends that children see their dentist when the first tooth appears or no later than the child s first birthday. A check-up every six months is recommended in order to prevent cavities and other dental problems. Talk to your dentist about dental sealants and fluoride varnish. These painless dental procedures help to protect your child s teeth from decay and cavities. A check-up every six months is recommended in order to prevent cavities and other dental problems. 5
&Teens Adults Taking good care of your teeth will help you have good breath, a nice smile, fewer cavities, and less dental problems. Simple steps you can do to keep your teeth healthy: Brush your teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Replace your toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. Floss your teeth at least once a day. Don t smoke or chew tobacco, which can stain your teeth, give you bad breath, and cause cancer. See your dentist regularly for check-ups and cleanings. Remember to schedule follow-up visits as recommended by your dentist. 6
See your dentist regularly for check-ups and cleanings. 7
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Pregnancy You should visit your dentist at least once during your pregnancy to have regular cleaning and routine dental checkups. Don t skip your dental checkup appointment simply because you are pregnant and believe this appointment is not important. Now more than any other time, regular dental exams are very important. Pregnancy causes hormonal changes that put you at increased risk for periodontal disease and for tender gums that bleed easily a condition called pregnancy gingivitis. Pay close attention to any changes in your gums during pregnancy. If tenderness, bleeding, or gum swelling occurs at any time during your pregnancy, talk with your dentist or periodontist as soon as possible. Follow good oral hygiene practices to prevent and/or reduce gingival problems, including brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing at least once a day. 9
Dentures If you ve lost your natural teeth from periodontal disease (inflammation of the gums), tooth decay or injury, dentures can replace your missing teeth and bring back your smile. Replacing missing teeth will make you feel good, allow you to eat a variety of foods, and improve your health. Dentures act like natural teeth and help to support your facial muscles. Without dentures your facial muscles will sag, making you look older. Just like your natural teeth, dentures require care and maintenance. Begin by brushing your gums and tongue every morning with a soft-bristled brush before you insert your dentures to stimulate circulation in your tissues and help remove plaque. Remove and rinse dentures after eating. Run water over your dentures to remove food debris and other loose particles. You may want to place a towel on the counter or in the sink so that the dentures won t break if you drop them. Clean your mouth after removing your dentures. Use a softbristled toothbrush on natural teeth and gauze or a soft toothbrush to clean your tongue and palate. Scrub your dentures at least daily. Gently scrub your dentures using a denture cleaner, mild soap or dishwashing liquid and a denture brush or soft toothbrush to remove food, plaque and other deposits. 10 Tips for a healthy smile 1. Eat a variety of healthy foods. Choose foods from each of the five major food groups: Grains (including Source: American Dental Association, www.ada.org
breads, cereals and other grain products), fruits, vegetables, protein (including meat, poultry, fish, and beans), and dairy (including milk, cheese, and yogurt). 2. Limit the number of snacks that contain a high amount of sugar. 3. Choose healthy snacks made up of nutritious foods such as cheese, raw vegetables, plain yogurt, or a piece of fruit. Information and Resources Visit your dentist regularly. Your dentist can help prevent problems from occurring and catch those that do occur while they are easy to treat. For more information and resources contact: DentaQuest to find a Healthfirst network dentist or speak with a representative at: 1-800-508-2047, Monday to Friday, 9:00am 6:00pm, TTY 1-800-466-7566 (E.S.T.), or visit dentaquestgov.com. Healthfirst Medical Management Department to speak with a registered nurse at: 1-888-394-4327 Monday to Friday, 8:30am 5:30pm, TTY 1-888-542-3821. More Resources at Healthfirst Healthy Living is a community health education program created by Healthfirst as part of its mission to improve the health and well-being of the people in the local communities we serve. Check out Healthfirst Healthy Living at HFhealthyliving.com for more resources, healthy tips, recipes, local activities, coupons, and more. 11
讓您保持健 一生好好保護您的牙齒能夠讓您在年老的時候避免很多問題 讓您的牙齒保持健康很多簡單的措施,例如每天用含氟牙膏刷牙,用牙線剔牙,定期去看牙醫,有助於讓您的笑容永遠健康 康 12
氟能夠 幫助強固牙齒 問一下您的牙醫 氟有甚麼好處,在哪裡能夠找到 13
與嬰兒 兒童 問一問您的孩子的牙醫有關牙齒封閉劑與牙齒表面防齲塗氟處理的問題 牙齒封閉劑是施用於臼齒的一種特殊的塗層,使細菌與 食物殘屑不會留在牙齒的溝槽,保護牙齒免於齲壞 牙齒表 面防齲塗氟處理是施用於牙齒表面的一種高密度含氟塗層 14 嬰兒最初的一套牙齒在出生時就已經完全形成,只是 藏在 牙齦之下而已 隨著您的嬰兒的逐漸長大,牙 齒開始長出來,讓您的孩子能夠咀嚼食物 諸如軟質水 果與蔬菜之類 更重要的是,這第一套牙齒為孩子的恆 齒最後生長佔好了位置 保護您孩子的牙齒應該採取的一些措施: 從出生開始,就用柔軟的嬰兒牙刷清洗牙齦或用乾淨的濕布輕輕按揉牙齦 一旦牙齒開始顯露,除非您的牙醫或醫生另有指示,否則應該每天用軟毛小牙刷或擦布蘸些無氟 牙膏輕輕地清洗孩子的牙齒兩次 孩子睡覺時不要 哺乳或讓孩子含著裝有牛奶 果汁或其他飲料的奶 瓶睡覺,以免殘留在牙齒上導致牙齒齲壞 如果孩 子入睡時需要奶瓶,瓶內應該裝水
如要牙齒健康,要限制給孩子高糖食品 教給您的孩子怎麼刷牙並告訴他們保持牙齒清潔的 重要性 定期帶您的孩子去看牙醫 美國牙醫學會 (American Dental Association) 建議在 牙齒剛開始顯露時就要帶孩子去看牙醫,最遲不 要晚於孩子的第一個生日 建議每六個月作一次檢 查,以防止蛀牙與其他牙齒問題 問一問您的牙醫 有關牙齒封閉劑與牙齒表面防齲塗氟處理的問題 這些牙科程序沒有疼痛,能夠幫助保護孩子的牙齒 不致齲壞,出現蛀牙 建議每六個月作一次檢查,以防止蛀牙與其他牙齒問題 15
與青少年 成年人 好好保護您的牙齒能讓您在呼吸的 時候氣息怡人 笑容可人,少一些蛀牙,少一些牙齒問題 保護牙齒健康可以採取的一些簡單措施: 每天至少用含氟牙膏刷牙兩次 每三四個月更換一次牙刷,如果牙刷毛磨損,則須更早更換 每天至少用牙線剔牙一次 不要抽煙或嚼煙草,因為吸煙或嚼煙草會在牙齒上留下斑痕,讓您呼吸時氣息難聞,還會導致癌症 定期看牙醫進行檢查與洗牙 記得要安排預約您的牙醫建議的跟進複診 16
定期看牙醫進行檢查與洗牙 17
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孕期 懷孕期間您最少應該 去看一次牙醫,進行常規洗牙 與例行牙齒檢查 不要僅僅因為懷孕就不去進行牙科檢查,認為這個檢查預約不重要 此時此刻常規的牙科檢查比其他任何時候都重要 懷孕導致荷爾蒙產生變化,這增加了您患牙周病及牙齦脆弱容易出血 ( 這種情況稱作孕期牙齦炎 ) 的風險 懷孕期間要密切注意牙齦的任何變化 如果懷孕期間牙齦變得脆弱 出血或腫脹,要儘快告訴您的牙醫或牙周病醫生 為了防止與 / 或減少牙齦問題,要養成良好的口腔衛生習慣,包括每天至少刷牙兩次,至少用牙線剔牙一次 19
假牙 如果您因為牙周病 ( 牙齦發炎 ) 牙齒齲壞或損傷而失去自然牙齒,假牙可以取代您缺失的牙齒,讓您重新笑逐顏開 取代缺失的牙齒能夠讓您有良好的感覺,讓您能夠吃各種各樣的食物,改善您的健康 假牙的功用就像真牙一樣,幫助支撐您的面部肌肉 沒有假牙,您的面部肌肉就會塌陷,讓您顯老 就像您的真牙一樣,假牙也要保養維護 每天早上在戴假牙之前要用軟毛牙刷刷您的牙齦與舌頭,來刺激組織的血液循環,幫助清除牙垢 進食後應將假牙取出並沖洗 用清水沖洗您的假牙表面以便去除食物殘渣和其他雜質 您可以在檯面或在水槽中放置一塊毛巾,萬一假牙掉下去才不會打破 假牙取出後記得要清潔您的口腔,使用軟毛牙刷刷牙和用紗布或軟毛牙刷清潔舌頭和上顎 假牙每天都應刷洗 使用假牙清潔劑輕輕刷洗假牙,用溫和性肥皂或碗盤洗潔精和假牙專用刷或軟毛牙刷去除食物,斑塊及其他殘餘物 20 資料來源:美國牙科學會 www.ada.org
保持健康微笑的訣竅 1. 攝取各種健康食品 從五大類食物中分別選擇食物:榖類 ( 包括麵包 麥片與其他榖類製品 ) 水果 蔬菜 蛋白質 ( 包括肉類 禽類 魚類和豆類 ) 及奶類 ( 包括牛奶 奶酪與酸奶 ) 2. 限制糖含量高的點心數量 3. 選擇由營養食品做成的健康點心,例如奶酪 生蔬菜 原味酸奶或一塊水果 資訊與資源定期去看牙醫,您的牙醫能夠幫助您避免問題的發生,在牙齒問題很容易處理的時候就捕捉到 如要瞭解詳情與資源,請聯絡: DentaQuest,找一位第一保健網絡內的牙醫或與代表通話,電話號碼是: 1-800-508-2047, 週一至週五每天東部時間上午 9:00 至下午 6:00,聽力語言殘障服務專線 TTY 1-800-466-7566,亦可瀏覽網站 dentaquestgov.com 第一保健醫療管理部,與註冊護士通話,電話號碼是: 1-888-394-4327,週一至週五每天上午 8:30 至下午 5:30,聽力語言殘障服務專線 TTY 1-888-542-3821 第一保健 健康生活 還有更多資源 第一保健 健康生活 (Healthfirst Healthy Living) 是第一保健創建的一項社區健康教育計劃,是第一保健改善其服務的社區人群身心健康之使命的組成部份 請到 HFhealthyliving.com 查看第一保健 健康生活,瞭解更多資源 健康提示 食譜 本地活動 折價券等多方面的資料 21
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Contact Healthfirst for more information. 1-866-463-6743, Monday to Friday, 8:00am 6:00pm, TTY 1-888-542-3821. 詳情請與第一保健聯絡 1-866-463-6743 服務時間週一至週五上午 8:00 至下午 6:00 聽力語言殘障服務專線 TTY 1-888-542-3821 2013 HF Management Services, LLC. INA12_11(ch)