Mobile dentist offices offer cleanings, x-rays, brushing tips, and other ways to keep your child’s teeth and gums healthy — all while they’re at school.
Making sure your child’s teeth are healthy and clean is important. And a challenge. We aren’t just talking about everyday brushing and flossing. Getting them to the dentist can come with its own set of headaches.
After all, most appointments are in the middle of the day, when kids are in school and you may be at work. That means you have to take time off and your child has to miss out on classroom time.
Or do they?
Your Premier Access dental plan has a cool program that brings dentists to your child’s school for their routine dental checkups. That means you can make these all-important health visits without the familiar calendar juggling act.
In-school dental checkups are a win-win for everyone, says Elliot Schlang, D.D.S., chief dental officer of Smile America Partners, which provides in-school dental checks up for kids.
Parents and schools like it, he says, because it means fewer interruptions to the school day. Kids like it because it’s much more fun to see a dentist in a decked-out bus than in a sterile office. And the dentists who roll up to schools like it because they’re able to reach kids who may otherwise fall behind on their dental checkups.
In fact, Smile America Partners has found that school-based checkups help cut down the number of cavities and other dental problems that result in needing to pull kids out of school to be addressed.
“By enrolling your child, you are taking an active step toward ensuring their oral health doesn’t get in the way of their educational progress,” Dr. Schlang says.
Learn more about how your Premier Access dental plan can help protect your child’s teeth here.
A visit to the dentist at school is similar to a visit to the dentist in their office. Each child gets a complete exam. That includes a cleaning and a health assessment of their teeth and gums. Fillings, x-rays, and other procedures can also be scheduled.
Checkups take place twice a year. And making an appointment is easy. Just follow these steps:
Alternatively, be on the lookout for school announcements with the date and details for the mobile dentist. Complete and sign the permission form that the school sends out.
Your Premier Access plan makes it easy. No travel. No scheduling hassles. No additional cost to you! Click below to find your school and sign up.*
*You’ll be directed to MySchoolDentist to complete a permission form.
During their cleaning, the dentist and hygienist will ask kids to show them how they care for their teeth at home — and then give them good tips to help them improve their technique.
For example, Dr. Schlang says he and his team often teach kids to look for “white stuff” on their teeth (aka plaque). They’ll explain how the the white stuff is always looking for places in their teeth to make cavities, but that brushing is the best way to get rid of it.
One trick Dr. Schlang often uses is what he calls the scratch test. After kids brush, he asks them to scratch a few teeth with a clean fingernail. “If they find white stuff, I tell them they need to brush more thoroughly,” he says.
The dentist also will talk to them about some of the other easy ways they can take good care of their teeth. This light pep talk will cover the importance of:
Before they head back to class, kids can pick out a toothbrush and stickers. And they’ll be handed a “report card” of their visit to share with their parents.
It can be easy to brush off regular exams when your kids are young. After all, baby teeth fall out, right? But dental problems that aren’t treated right away can turn into bigger health issues, says Dr. Schlang.
Cavities that grow can lead to toothaches or gum pain that is strong enough for a child to miss school, for example. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, students miss more than 34 million school hours because of emergency dental care every year.
Even a simple toothache can be a distraction in class. Toothaches aren’t just painful, explains Dr. Schlang — they can also make it tough for kids to speak clearly or concentrate on class lessons. And if their mouth hurts, they may not want to eat well.
There’s a whole host of ways a child’s day to day routine can be thrown off by dental problems. “It can significantly impact a child’s ability to concentrate and learn,” Dr. Schlang says.
Finally, staying on top of dental hygiene with regular cleanings and checkups helps your child avoid the need for emergency dental care.
“Good oral health is closely linked to both overall health and academic performance,” says Dr. Schlang.
Signing up your child to get regular dental checkups at school is the best place to start.
Sources:
