Zip the “toothless hillbilly” jokes if you don’t mind: West Virginia’s poor dental health is nothing to laugh about.
Cavities can turn into cardiac issues later in life and lead to other conditions, if left untreated.
The Mountain State, much maligned for its crooked teeth, and gaps where teeth should be, is an example of that.
West Virginia is constantly near the bottom of the quality of life rankings when it comes to that dental health, or lack thereof. Residents are paying the medical price because of the correlation.
Even in relatively prosperous Monongalia County, it isn’t always easy for kids to open up and say ahh in the dentist chair, Susan Haslebacher said.
While the local school district offers a range of dentistry options for students, Haslebacher, who directs health services for Mon’s school system, is still encouraging families to take advantage of Friday.
“Having good dental health means having good overall health,” Haslebacher said.
This month is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and the dentists and dentists-to-be at the state’s flagship are ushering in the observance with free screenings motivated by just that.
“Give Kids a Smile” is geared to patients who might still have their baby teeth – and others for whom wisdom teeth have yet to pop through. It will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday at WVU Dental, on the Evansdale campus.
It’s an opportunity for parents and other caregivers to get children aged 1-17 to the dentist chair – where the patients could be eligible for professional cleanings, fluoride treatments and other screenings, if needed.
And, as Dr. Gina Graziani says, it doesn’t take long for problems to crack the enamel, as it were, if all the conditions are present. She chairs the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at WVU.
That’s because in places such as West Virginia, it doesn’t take long for unhealthy dietary habits to foster, often in the form of sugary sodas and top-loaded coffee drinks.
“We continue to see an increase in the volume of pediatric patients who need emergency and comprehensive care,” the pediatric dentist and department chair said.
“If we can get more people willing to come for an exam and early intervention, it can help decrease dental disease burden in our children.”
Part of it is economics and access and a bigger part of it, still, is angst: Fear of the dentist drill, or the needle delivering the numbing agent.
Call “Give Kids a Smile” a gentle introduction, Graziani said.
“A dental clinic is full of new sights, sounds, tastes, textures and experiences for your child,” she said.
Friday’s first-timers, she said, will be checked out on the dentist chair, also. They’ll learn how it reclines and what the exam lights do. They’ll learn what a cleaning feels like.
Call 304-293-6208, for more information and to make an appointment.
WVU’s event is also part of the national “Give Kids a Smile” observance. It was launched nationally by the American Dental Association in 2003. Since then, more than 6 million children have received care.
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