Teeth and Baseball

Did you say Teeth and Baseball? 

Yes, that is correct, teeth and baseball sounds like a strange combination, but for the members of Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity at Tufts University and the Boston Redsox, it’s not so strange.  On July 7th, the Boston Red Sox along with Alpha Omega held their 10th annual Tooth Day at Fenway Park.

Tooth Day is a dental health outreach day hosted at the stadium where fans can receive oral cancer screenings, brochures, and free samples of toothpaste and toothbrushes by the students and faculty of Tufts Dental School and mouth guards (donated by Delta Dental of Massachusetts).

A little history on Tooth Day

Tooth Day was founded in July 2006 by Dr. Heidi Birnbaum Aaronson, an AO member and Tufts Dental alumna. She created the day as a way to raise awareness of the health risks associated with chewing tobacco, while she was attending Tufts Dental School. She was able to bring this day to life with the help of her school and the Boston Redsox. Ever since then, this has become an annual event that is fun for all and also helps people too.

Each year, the event takes place before a game with an opening ceremony. At this year’s event, Dr. Birnbaum presented the Red Sox mascot, Wally the Green Monster, with a toothbrush in the shape of a baseball bat to encourage kids to brush their teeth during the opening ceremony. It’s so important to encourage children at a young age to brush their teeth because it will promote better oral health and oral hygiene routines in the future. Furthermore, it will help decrease the number of cavities in children.

This day has given many dental supplies to fans and RedSox employees. It has also deleted cancerous lesions, which would have otherwise gone undetected.  It is truly a great way to improve the health and lives of people in the surrounding area. There should definitely be more events like this nationwide. If more events like these occur, then cavities will decrease, oral health will improve, and more oral cancers can be detected early, thus saving lives.

If you would like to read more about the day, you can read the following article. https://burlington.wickedlocal.com/article/20150730/NEWS/150739392

As Always…

Don’t forget to see your dentist regularly, floss, and brush your teeth twice a day!

Dr. Potts is a gentle, caring dentist who uses the most advanced materials and procedures available. He practices comfortable, health-centered dentistry, with a strong emphasis on getting to know each patient. In addition to his technical proficiency, Dr. Potts is a careful listener. He makes sure to understand what you want and will explain beforehand what treatment is best for your individual needs, along with all options available to you. Check out our Twitter, Facebook page, and website.