A new program to get more preventive dental care to seniors is launching at the Community Center at Mercer View. Deb Fredrikson, RDH, will provide low-cost teeth cleaning, oral cancer screenings and preventive oral health care instruction via her mobile dental hygiene business, Dental Hygienics. Seniors who need more extensive treatment can get referrals to area dentists willing to work with them.
By bringing mobile services to senior centers, Fredrikson hopes to make it easier for seniors 60 years and over to take care of small problems before they become bigger ones and help manage the costs of dental care. The program is made possible by a change in state law, which allows dental hygienists to clean teeth and provide other preventive oral health services in senior centers.
She will offer a free oral cancer screening on May 30 at the community center. Oral health classes will be held on the third Friday of every month. All classes are free of charge. Pamphlets and information packets are available at the center.
