Give a Kid a Smile Today and Every Other Day

For children and young adults, health and education are inextricably connected. As the former U.S. Surgeon General once said, “You cannot educate a child who is not healthy, and you cannot keep a child healthy who is not educated.” Oral health is not to be discounted, as more and more studies are starting to reveal that not only does oral health impact overall health, but it too can detract from a child’s ability to learn.

The Negative Impact of Poor Oral Health

Poor oral health in children has a greater negative impact than many people give it credit for. For instance, children with poor oral health have fewer opportunities to grow, learn and become healthy, productive adults. This is in part because they miss a lot of school, in part because they’re unable to complete their homework assignments and in part because they demonstrate a decreased ability to concentrate.

But how exactly does oral health affect a child’s ability to learn? Good question. According to a report titled “Oral Health and Learning,” the millions of children who do exhibit poor oral health experience the following:

·     Persistent dental pain

·     Dental abscesses (infection of the mouth)

·     Inability to chew comfortably

·     Embarrassment because of discolored or damaged teeth

Each of these factors leads to distraction from both play and learning, therefore inhibiting not only their classroom education, but their social education as well.

Some of the findings from the report mentioned above include:

·     Children with dental problems are more likely to have problems in school and are less likely to complete their homework

·     Children with dental health issues are more likely to experience emotional health issues

·     Children who experience tooth aches and who are from low-income families are 6 times more likely to miss school than their healthy counterparts

Bottom line? If we want our children to succeed, we must take care of their teeth. But more importantly, if we want the younger generations to do well, we must help out where we can.

Give a Kid a Smile Day

At Lakeshore Family Dentistry, we believe in giving back to our communities where we see a need. And we recognize that there is a great need for dental care amongst our younger citizens.

Last month, on February 7^th, we celebrated “Give a Kid a Smile Day” by opening our office to children and families in need. We had three of our rock-star hygienists volunteer their time to help us out, and while they were giving exams, Dr. Kron and I were taking care of any restorations or fillings that came our way.

If you’re interested in how else we choose to give back to our community and to further the health and education of our generation and those after us, visit http://www.lakeshorefamilydentist.com/education.html?query=All+on+4&submit=Search or give us a call at 651-429-3348. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.