Dental Health
Programs & Resources
|
Dental Health |
|
|
|
Programs & Resources
|
|
The Public Health Department offers a Dental Health Clinic for children ages 2 through age 18. Services offered include comprehensive dental screenings, fluoride treatments, cleaning, and sealants. Children with simple restorative needs will be seen at the Clinic under a grant from the High J Andersen Foundation.
The Clinic is staffed with a dentist and a registered hygienist.
Schedule
Dental services are provided two Mondays per month, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. To set up an appointment, call (715) 273-6755. Medical Assistance is accepted. A sliding fee scale is available for those families below 185% of poverty who are not covered by Medical Assistance. Services available to Pierce County residents only.
For more information or to volunteer your dental talents call 715-273-6755.
Acknowledgements
In 2007, the Dental Program was funded through the generous support of:
* The Hugh J. Andersen Foundation
* Children’s Health Alliance
* St. Croix Valley Foundation
The Dental Program also received support, in the form of funding and donated supplies, from the following:
* Associated Dentists * 3M * Dr. Kerr - Midwest Dental * Ellsworth Order of Eastern Star 116
We’d like to extend a special thank you as well to those who helped support the Dental Program in previous years.
Early Childhood Cavity Prevention
Brief oral assessments, education, topical fluoride varnish are offered for children age 9 months to 5 years who are enrolled the Pierce County WIC program at the time of certification. Medical Assistance covers this service. Funding from the Rural Dental Health Clinic provides this service for children enrolled in WIC who are not covered by Medical Assistance. Fluoride varnish is applied to retard, arrest, and reverse the process of cavity formation.
Dental Tips for New Parents
· Brush and floss regularly! · Cavity-causing bacteria can be passed from a parent or caregiver to a baby. · Avoid sharing toothbrushes and eating utensils. · If there is not enough fluoride in your drinking water, supplement with fluoride drops, tablets or varnish. · Encourage healthy eating habits, and avoid sweets. · Do not put a baby to bed with a bottle containing milk or juice, as this can lead to “baby bottle tooth decay.” · Don’t dip pacifiers in a sweet liquid or add sugar to a baby’s food to make it taste better. · Sealants can prevent decay on the biting parts of back teeth by sealing out food and germs. · Schedule a dental visit for your child within the first six months after the first tooth appears, and no later than the first birthday.
Eating Habits & Oral Health · Sipping soda and snacking on munchies throughout the day can increase the risk of tooth decay. The sugar and acid in soda pop is especially harmful to teeth. · Bulimia, or binging and purging, is very destructive to teeth. Stomach acids (from vomiting) wear away protective tooth enamel. · Anorexia can also harm your teeth by robbing your body of necessary minerals, vitamins and proteins.
“Si Tobacco can cause oral cancer—watch out for a sore that won’t heal, leathery patches on your lips or under your tongue, tenderness or numbness of the mouth and lips, difficulty chewing, swallowing or speaking, or a change in the way your teeth fit together. Smokeless tobacco or chewing tobacco is even worse for your mouth, because it often contains sugar that can lead to cavities as well as causing oral cancer.
Baby Bottle Tooth Decay Decay in infants and children is called baby bottle tooth decay. It can destroy the teeth and most often occurs in the upper front teeth. But other teeth may also be affected. Decay occurs when sweetened liquids are given and are left clinging to an infant's teeth for long periods. Many sweet liquids cause problems, including milk, formula and fruit juice. Bacteria in the mouth use these sugars as food. They then produce acids that attack the teeth. Each time your child drinks these liquids, acids attack for 20 minutes or longer. After many attacks, the teeth can decay.
It's not just what you put in your child's bottle that causes decay, but how often — and for how long a time. Giving your child a bottle of sweetened liquid many times a day isn't a good idea. Allowing your child to fall asleep with a bottle during naps or at night can also harm the child's teeth. http://www.ada.org/public/topics/decay_childhood.asp#overview
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
