Whitehall Schools Nurses Check-In

February is Pediatric Dental Health Month. We are lucky that Sealants for Smiles came in Tuesday, February 7th to see many of our elementary students. Visit http://www.montanasmiles.org/resources/for-parents/ to see the parent resources on their website. If you didn’t sign your child up this year, we encourage you to consider having them participate next year!

Teaching your child to place importance on good oral health is a great habit to maintain into and through adulthood. When your teeth don’t hurt and you have all your teeth, it allows you to be a more confident person. You are more likely to show them off with a smile!

It is not just about brushing twice a day, flossing once teeth touch each other, or using mouthwash daily, it is also about limiting juice, pop, and foods with high amounts of sugar to special occasions rather than having them all the time. Drinking a lot of water will rinse other drinks and foods off your teeth and is better for you.

Good dental health contributes to good overall physical health. Just like checkups with a medical doctor, dentists can fix little problems before they get to be big problems. Children should not think they only go to a dentist when they need rotten teeth fixed or pulled, as that is creating the fear that a dentist only does painful things.

Check out this parent guide for improving dental health for your child from the American Dental Hygienists’ Association. They state that tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among youth in the United States. Visit https://www.adha.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Something_To_Smile_About_NCDHM_Guide.pdf