“I do feel that good dental health makes a difference to my overall health.”
Dylan Cuevas
Student, Henry Viscardi School at The Viscardi Center
I love sports. I am a big New York Rangers fans, and also like the Yankees, the Mets, and the Seattle Seahawks. I get excellent grades in school, and some of my favorite subjects are math, technology, science and Spanish. I am “muy bien” in Spanish.
While I enjoy all of these things, what I sometimes don’t enjoy is what it takes to maintain my overall health. While I know how important it is, it is also a lot of work. I have to keep up with medications, therapies, and respiratory treatments. I need to go to my yearly doctor appointments, make sure my vaccinations are up to date, and get my yearly flu shot. I also make sure to practice good personal hygiene. All of this helps to keep me alive.
For my dental health, one of my parents, or one of my nurses, brush my teeth two to three times a day. I also use mouth wash. They also need to suction my mouth every so often to prevent saliva build up, as I am unable to do so. That is why it’s important for me to brush my teeth several times a day to prevent any bacteria. It helps to keep your teeth and gums healthy and prevents infections. I do feel that good dental health makes a difference to my overall health.
When I was younger, I was scared to go to the dentist, but not anymore. I know it is hard for the dentist to work on my teeth because my jaw is stiff, but they always do the best job that they can. Now I am no longer scared to go to the dentist.
I wish more doctors and dentists knew how difficult it can be for patients with disabilities. For instance, my jaw muscles are very tight and it is hard for me to open my mouth wide. It would be great if one day the dental industry could design special dental tools for kids and adults like me. Then it could be easier for the dentists to work on us patients and make treatment a lot more comfortable.