Essex dentist Tony Clough has been chosen to manage the team of dentists who will care for the teeth of thousands of Olympic athletes at the 2012 Games. Tony, from Chelmsford, is well experienced in the area, having provided dental care for the competitors, their back-ups and the officials at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Tony points out that they were likely to see a lot of emergency dentistry treatments carried out among the 40,000 strong Olympic team, with the focus on quick procedures that can keep the events rolling along smoothly. He says; ‘If it’s something that is minor we can patch it – maybe a tooth that’s broken. Within about five or ten minutes they’re back on the field of play. If they’ve got a loose tooth we can splint it and get them back on.’
Athletes, although in good shape physically, can sometimes neglect their teeth whilst training and competing, leading to problems such as abscesses and gum disease. Tony comments that a lot of athletes come from underprivileged backgrounds, and so haven’t received a good quality of dental care thus far. He adds ‘It’s because they’re constantly drinking sports drinks, fizzy drinks and sweet drinks, because they need to. For example, with a rower, they need to put in 4,000 to 6,000 calories per day and the way they do that is through drinks.’
Mr Clough and his team will be based at the Olympic Park in Stratford, with two satellite clinics working in Weymouth and Eton.