“The widespread use of masks as an infection prevention tool reduced RSV and flu levels during the past two winter seasons,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. “Without those preventive measures, these illnesses are back, and disproportionately affecting our community’s youngest residents. These are common viruses, but they can be uncommonly severe for infants and young children. It’s incumbent on each of us to take steps to maintain our own health and protect vulnerable people in our community.”

ECDOH and OCH are echoing the messages shared by the New York State Department of Health on protecting against the “triple threat” of respiratory illnesses this winter season: RSV, flu and COVID-19.

• Stay up to date with flu vaccines and COVID-19 vaccines.
• Stay home from school, work, daycare and other activities if you are sick. 
• Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth if you have symptoms of respiratory illness – coughing, stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat. 
• Masking indoors and social distancing may be important for those who live with higher risk individuals: infants, older adults, pregnant people, and people born pre-term or those with underlying health conditions. 
• Wash your hands often with soap and hot water for least 20 seconds to protect yourself from germs and avoid spreading them to others. 
• Do not cough or sneeze into your hands. Instead, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Teach and remind children to do this, too.
• Carry an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol to use when soap and water are not available. 

At UPD, we care about the health of our community, and we partner with various healthcare professionals to ensure that we stay healthy. To us, oral health is deeply connected to our overall health. It has come to our attention that New York State has published information on Tick-Borne diseases, which have more than doubled since 2004-2016. Seven new pathogens have been detected in the US. due to expansion, weather, development, and climate. Not all ticks can cause disease and not all bites will make you sick, but as these diseases become more common it's important to learn how to prevent a bite, how to remove a tick and what to do if you think you could have a tick-borne disease.

Lyme disease is the most common disease spread by ticks in New York but there are other serious illnesses spread by ticks. And like Lyme, the other diseases will begin to spread to other regions across the state. We want our patients and families to be safe, and urge you to watch the video below about the use of tick repellents and how they may help.

Most of us are familiar with the myth of the Tooth Fairy, a magical being, who whisks away discarded baby teeth from under our pillows, and replaces them with money. If you think about it, it is a strange tradition. We encourage children to barter away their teeth for a cash reward, in a deal that takes place while they sleep. Very few of us, however, know how this practice originated.

Teeth grinding, also known as “bruxism,” is the gnashing and clenching of your teeth. According to the American Sleep Association, roughly 30 million Americans are affected by this condition annually.

The overall goal of sedation and anesthesia is to provide the utmost comfort and ease to the patient. The type used depends on the patient’s age as well as the kind of procedure being performed. Click to find out more.

Root Canal: The term might scare you, and make you think of a complicated dental surgery involving a lot of pain; but the procedure is actually quite simple, and relieves the pain that comes along with an infected pulp chamber.

At UPD Dental Associates we do everything we can to make our patients comfortable and make their overall experience a pleasant one; but we also understand that many people, especially little people, have an irrational fear of visiting the dentist.

Tooth pain can have profound implications for your child’s overall success in life. Get the facts here!

It’s no secret that children with decaying teeth often suffer through debilitating pain and embarrassment. But did you know that crooked teeth are a significant cause of bullying?