News Bite

Staying abreast of the new Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The American Dental Association has published the ADA Coronavirus Center for Dentists and Patients.

The CDC Division of Oral Health has also published useful recommendations on oral health during this pandemic.

Urgent Dental Care is Still Available

Dental providers in Washington have been directed by Governor Inslee to address emergencies and urgent dental care only. If your client has a dentist, have them call their office directly for urgent dental needs. Please visit an Emergency Department only if the condition is life-threatening.

If a client needs help finding urgent dental care, contact the Dentist Link referral team. They have a current list of dental providers. Please call or text Dentist Link to get connected to urgent dental care.

What is Urgent Dental Care?

Toothache pain that is interfering with normal activities
Swollen gums, face, or neck
Bleeding in your mouth that doesn’t stop
Infection or a substantial risk of it (might include a sore or pus on the gum)
Recent trauma to the mouth that involves the loss of your tooth

What Can Be Scheduled for Later

Regular exams and cleanings
Treatment of cavities that aren’t painful
Removal of teeth that aren’t painful

If you would like to get connected to dental care—now or later—call or text us at 844-888-5465.

DentistLink.org is a free referral service for anyone in Washington, brought to you by Arcora Foundation, the foundation of Delta Dental of Washington. Our friendly referral specialists work hard to help connect people to dental care in their community. Open to Apple Health (Medicaid), uninsured, and insured.

Schools - Great opportunity to establish a dental Sealant Program!

Community Health Center of Snohomish County (CHC) offers a school-based sealant program as a way to engage students in their oral health and to receive preventative services. CHC provides:

Oral hygiene and nutrition presentations to students, as well as explain the benefits of sealants
Portable equipment to complete visual exams, sealant placement, and fluoride varnish for students who return a consent form
Scheduling or referral for further treatment as needed

Students in partner schools can receive valuable preventative services with no out-of-pocket costs, regardless of insurance status.

Any schools interested in partnering with CHC to bring dental services to their students are encouraged to contact Melissa Meldrich, Dental Access Coordinator, at mmeldrich@chcsno.org.

It's 2020 and Washington ABCD is 20 years old!

Did you know that dental caries is the most common chronic disease of childhood and low-income children are disproportionately affected by dental decay? ABCD has made Washington a national leader in increasing the number of young children who get dental services.

The Snohomish County ABCD Program puts young children on a lifelong path to good oral health by:

Connecting low-income families with dentists who know how to care of young kids, preventing tooth decay early and educating parents about how to take good care of their children’s teeth.
Identifying, recruiting, training and mentoring dentists to be ABCD Certified in offering the following comprehensive services in a child-friendly way: anticipatory guidance/counseling/family oral health education, dental exam, prophylaxis, risk assessment, fluoride varnish treatment, dental treatment.

Who's been doing this great work?

Snohomish County ABCD is a Private-Public Partnership with the following key players:

Our low-cost and ABCD Certified Community Dentists
Our wonderful Snohomish County ABCD Champions Drs. Sonu Lamba and Paul Kahlon of Stellar Kids Dentistry
UW School of Dentistry
Snohomish County Dental Society and Washington State Dental Association
Arcora Foundation (Foundation of Delta Dental of Washington)
Washington State Health Care Authority (Apple Health/Medicaid)
Washington Department of Health Women Infants & Children (WIC) Program

Celebrate with us by watching a lovely YouTube video by Arcora Foundation.

Interested in becoming an Apple Health (Medicaid) provider or need to find out if you are enrolled? Visit the HCA page to find out!

Need help finding a dentist? You can connect with a referral specialist at Dentist Link. Or you can refer to our Low-Cost Dental Resource List.

Health Message Bite

Some snacks don't cause cavities?

The Dentist Dad gives a no nonsense but very practical guide for preventing cavities. He says that the most important questions to ask on whether or not a snack food is going to cause cavities are:
1) Do they contain carbohydrates?
2) How long will it stay stuck on teeth?
3) How fast will it take to eat it?

Check out his snack guide below. Are you a dentist? He has a printer-friendly version and an option to get one with your logo for free!

Baby Shark

Have you made your pregnancy announcement already? That means you are due to meet the newest member of your family… your dentist! If you don’t already have one, The Mighty Mouth can help you connect with one! Fill out the form on their page.

(Source: Mighty Mouth Outreach Toolkit)

Resource Bite

For dental and health care professionals

Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) and clinical recommendations for nonrestorative treatments

Evidence-based practice guidelines from the JADA.

Interim Therapeutic Restorations (ITR)

Get trained on ITR. See details below, under ABCD Trainings.

ADA on sealants

Public messaging on safety and link to clinical guidelines.

Preventing Dental Disease in Pediatric Primary Care

Resources for medical teams and parents/caregivers.

AAP Oral Health Toolkit

Education, training, and advocacy.

Training Bite

SMART Restorations Using Silver Diamine Fluoride & Glass Ionomer Cement

In this 1.5 hour webinar SMART restorations using Silver Diamine Fluoride & Glass Ionomer Cement will be discussed. The techniques shared are applicable to patients of all ages.

Participants will learn to:

Classify caries lesions and determine appropriate treatment using the ADA’s Caries Classification System
Understand the science of using Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF), partial caries removal, and Glass Ionomer
Cement (GIC) to treat caries chemically
Understand the proper placement technique of both SDF and GIC, separately and in combination
Place a silver modified atraumatic restorative treatment (SMART) restoration

Content Expert: Douglas Young, DDS, University of the Pacific

Teledentistry in WA Webinar (April 1, 2020)

Presented By: Arcora Foundation, Dr. Nathan Suter

Many people face barriers to accessing dental care including the cost of dental care, fear, geographic distribution of dental offices, and linguistic/cultural barriers. Teledentistry is an opportunity to address these barriers by bringing dental care to community sites where underserved populations receive educational, social, and general health services and to link services provided in the community with dental clinics where more advanced services can be provided. This is a proven strategy to increase access to preventive services.

More provider trainings and resources related to COVID-19 can be found on the Dentist Link.

Dental Access Coalition (DAC) Bite

Identifying a goal and project

After the November 2019 meeting, a survey was distributed to DAC members to determine the future of the DAC. By the January 2020 meeting members expressed a need for the DAC to continue and a desire to identify goals and projects.

The March meeting was held via video conference. We discussed the dental needs in the communities we serve given the pandemic. There is a need to target dental access information to vulnerable populations. Members suggested a pilot project with an identified population to address dental access.

In case you missed it, below is a link to a local cancer survivor's story. Paul Benedict survived HPV oral cancer. His story was featured last year at the HPV-linked Oropharyngeal Cancer training for dental professionals.

Paul’s story – full video; short video

Want to suggest the next training topic for the DAC? Want to add a topic to the next meeting agenda? Would you like to be added to the email distribution list? Send an email to Sarah de Jong at sdejong@snohd.org.

The ABCD Program participates in the DAC. Meetings are held quarterly on the fourth Friday from 9 to 10:30 am at the Snohomish Health District in conference room 309 AB. The next meeting is scheduled for May 22.

Our Mission

Improve access to comprehensive, coordinated dental care.
Mobilize community resources, agencies and institutions to action
Advocate for prevention and early intervention.

Program Bite

ABCD training

Do you see children under 6 on Apple Health/Medicaid in your practice? Would you like to become ABCD certified to earn enhanced Medicaid rates? Would you like to earn free UW CE credits? Are you an ABCD trained dental practice who needs to train new providers or staff? Do you still need the Interim Therapeutic Restorations (ITR) training? If you received phase 1 ABCD training, you can get the phase 2 ITR training.

If this sounds like you, please contact the ABCD Coordinator to request a training: Felicia Cain, fcain@snohd.org, 425.339.8697

Low-Cost dental resource list

The ABCD Program updates this list quarterly. You can find the latest version here.
To be added or removed from the list, or to make edits to your listing, please complete this online form.

Need help finding a dentist for your clients?

Adult clients in Washington, whether on Medicaid, private insurance or no insurance, can contact Dentist Link. A referral specialist can find a dentist in the client’s area. A Spanish-speaking referral specialist is available. Clients or providers can call, text, or complete the online form at https://dentistlink.org/.

Need help finding a dentist for young children on Medicaid/Apple Health?

There’s extra help available through the ABCD program for children under 6 on Medicaid/Apple Health. Contact the ABCD Coordinator directly, Felicia Cain, fcain@snohd.org or 425.339.8697, or complete this online form: https://dentistlink.org/abcd-referral/.

Case management services available for your ABCD clients

Are you a private practice dental office who sees patients under 6 years old on Medicaid/Apple Health? Do they need extra help with transportation, language access, or other basic needs? If you answered yes to these questions, the ABCD Coordinator may be able to help. Contact her with your questions. Felicia Cain: 425.339.8697 or fcain@snohd.org

Spring 2020