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SIHF Healthcare and Touchette Regional Hospital Join Forces in Support of National Children’s Dental Health Month
Centreville, Ill. (Feb. 06, 2020) – February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and SIHF Healthcare and Touchette Regional Hospital are marking the occasion to highlight the importance of dental health to a child’s overall health.
Dr. Gary Lindsay, dentistry program chair for SIHF Healthcare, says, “The good news is that despite its pervasiveness, children’s tooth decay is almost entirely preventable with good oral hygiene practices at home and regular dental care with trusted professionals.”
SIHF Healthcare offers an extensive dental health program for children with exams, cleanings and fluoride treatments, sealants, restorative care including fillings and stainless steel crowns, and extractions.
Touchette Regional Hospital collaborates with SIHF, as well as Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine, to operate the Special Needs Dentistry. According to Touchette, children with special needs may take medication that compromises the health of their teeth, or they may have developmental or physical disabilities that make daily dental hygiene especially challenging.
The Special Needs Dentistry offers preventative and restorative dental care with options available depending on the needs of the child. Care is provided in one of three environments:
- No sedation: Dental Services Department at SIHF Healthcare, Granite City
- Minimal to deep sedation: SIU/SDM, Alton (for children of any age)
- General anesthesia: Touchette Regional Hospital, Centreville. Treatment is delivered by a Dental Anesthesiologist and Dental Surgeon (for children ages 3-10)
“Together, SIHF Healthcare and Touchette Regional Hospital are removing barriers to ensure more children have access to regular dental care,” says Dr. Lindsay, who along with Dr. Valerie Spivey, a faculty member at SIU/SDM, provide dental care at Touchette.
For more details about SIHF Healthcare’s dental programs, with offices in Bethalto, Centreville, Collinsville, Effingham and Granite City, please visit https://www.sihf.org/patient-care-services/dental-care.
More information about Touchette Regional Hospital and the Special Needs Dentistry may be found online by visiting https://touchette.org/services/special-needs-dentistry.
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About SIHF Healthcare
SIHF Healthcare operates a network of health centers across 11 Illinois counties with more than 140 medical providers who deliver comprehensive healthcare services including: adult, family, women’s health, pediatrics, dental services for children, behavioral health, and population health services. As one of the largest Federally Qualified Health Center networks in the country, SIHF Healthcare is devoted to leading individuals and communities to their healthiest lifestyle regardless of their ability to pay. For more information, visit www.sihf.org.
About Touchette Regional Hospital
Touchette Regional Hospital (TRH) has proudly served the communities of the Metro-East for more than 60 years. TRH offers Cardiopulmonary, Laboratory, Radiology, Home Healthcare, Medical Specialty Services, Pharmacy, Transportation, Sleep Center, Physical Therapy, Senior Care Services, Start Now Breast Cancer Awareness Program, 24-hour Emergency Department, Special Needs Dentistry for children, Behavioral Health (inpatient and outpatient), Medical/Surgical/Telemetry, Intensive Care and newly updated suites for Surgical Services (inpatient and outpatient). For more information, visit www.touchette.org.