Today, our Kids Against Cavities went somewhere it’s never been before — Adams County!
Our staff visited kids at VIDA Charter School to provide mandated school screenings. Also, the school decided to bring us kids who, according to their paperwork, did not have a dental home or hadn’t visited the dentist in more than 6 months.
Some even admitted that they’d NEVER been to a dentist. And we’re talking about kids up to 6th grade. We are working to change that.
The goal? To check on the status of their teeth AND encourage follow-ups and routine care. Papers go home with the kids whose parents can indicate they already have a dentist or ask for help in getting their kid into a dental home — maybe the Family First Health Gettysburg office perhaps!?
Our dental directors Joe and LaJuan Mountain and our new dentist Maria Fletcher saw 93 kids in only an hour and a half Thursday. That’s a lot of teeth.
Many of these kids told us they did not brush twice a day … and for many reasons. Some said they just forgot. Others said they were rushed to the car in the morning and told not to waste time doing so. Another told me that her sister threw out her toothbrush and her parents didn’t buy her a new one.
During the school screenings, our staff count teeth, check for sealants and cavities, check the overall hygiene and of course, note a need for follow ups and urgent care.
During the month of February, we’re raising money to help Kids Against Cavities reach more children. It is Children’s Dental Health Month of course.
In 23 visits to York, Pa., schools and child-care programs, Family First Health’s Kids Against Cavities program treated 1,887 kids. Dental staff identified a total of 2,351 cavities. So we want to raise $1 per cavity found.
Through these photos of our work at VIDA, you can really get your mind around EXACTLY WHERE your donations are going. It’s as simple as this:
$25 – Gets toothbrushes and toothpaste into the hands of 10 children.
$50 – Covers the cost of a dental cleaning for one child.
$75 – Covers the cost of a comprehensive oral exam for one child.
$100 – Covers a panoramic X-ray of a child’s mouth.
The work this staff does taking dental care into our schools is amazing and empowering. The help of our community enables us to keep doing this work.