| In recognition of Children's Oral Health Month, Head Start students were
invited to visit Calhoun Dental Medical Clinic on Friday, February 27.
With the help of her assistant Fred (a purple dragon), dental hygienist
Amber Miller quizzed the children on their oral health knowledge. They
successfully demonstrated their knowledge of when to brush their teeth
("After you eat!") and for how long ("Three minutes!"), and why tooth
decay should be avoided ("Because it hurts!"). With the children
gathered around her and Fred, Amber demonstrated proper brushing
techniques using a giant toothbrush on Fred's enormous teeth. Amber
then asked the children, "What do you do when you're finished
brushing?" The question was met with silence. "Do you swallow the
toothpaste?" she asked, and a tiny voice from the crowd said, "Aren't
you 'sposed to spit it out?" Fred nodded his head, opened his mouth, a
released a thin stream of tap water over the children. Fred was a big,
big hit.
Head Start students pose for the camera
in front of their "Bright
Smiles" art work
Front row (L-R): Jeremy Parsons, Kaden Myer, Jimmy Parsons, Kaitlyn
Toney, Cody Collins
Middle row (L-R): Nickolas Collins, Kikayla Toney, Cathy Pettry, Samuel
Poore
Back row (L-R): Sarah Hayes, Hunter Ritchie, Kamiora Myer, Christopher
Thornton, Bobby Shamblin, Dennen Stalnaker, dental hygienist Amber
Miller and Fred
Amber Miller led groups of children on a tour of one of the dental
operatories, showing them how the chair swivels and moves up and down.
She demonstrated how the air/water suction device works by inserting one
end into a vessel of colored water. Children must have a dental exam
before enrolling in Head Start, so they have some familiarity with oral
health professionals. But regular check-ups and cleaning are not a
regular part of many children's experience. Children are afraid of the
unknown, and they are often frightened by stories of bad dental
experiences told by family members and friends.
According to the American Dental Association, tooth decay is the most
common chronic childhood disease in America and is five times more
common than childhood asthma. Nationwide, 20% of fifteen year olds have
untreated dental decay. In West Virginia, that number increases to
33%. The surgeon general of the United States called dental and oral
disease a silent epidemic - a huge problem that almost no one
recognizes.
Untreated dental problems are costly, but Calhoun Dental Medical Clinic
provides a number of options. In addition to accepting Medicaid and WV
CHIP (which has dental coverage comparable to most commercial
insurance), the clinic can assist patients with applying CareCredit, a
flexible payment plan with an interest-free payment period. For
residents of Calhoun and Gilmer counties, a special sliding fee program
is available for a variety of dental services. Calhoun Dental Medical
Clinic provides services that families can count on. For more
information, call 354-6144.
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