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Waukesha Dentists Support National Children’s Dental Health Month
Each February, the American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors National Children’s Dental Health Month to raise awareness of the importance of oral health. NCDHM messages and materials have reached millions of people in communities across the country. Bayer & Fahl Dentistry proudly supports this national effort of promoting children’s oral health.
Now in its 63rd year, this month-long national health observance brings together thousands of dedicated dental professionals, health care providers and others to promote the benefits of good oral health to children and adults, caregivers, teachers and many others.
Waukesha Children Need or Support
Reports show that American students miss 51 million hours of school every year because of oral health problems. And students who are absent miss critical instruction time—especially in early grades where reading skills are an important focus and the building blocks of future learning. And students who have experienced recent oral health pain are four times more likely to have lower grade point averages than their counterparts who have not.
The ADA offers free downloadable information, kid-friendly oral health worksheets and games on MouthHealthy.org, the ADA’s consumer website. Click on the For Kids tab on the left side of the page for a variety of age-appropriate activities, games and videos and presentations. There are also teaching guides that adults can use at home, in the classroom or in other community-based settings.
MouthHealthy.org also offers a variety of tools to help consumers learn more about oral health or address their concerns, including the new ADA Dental Symptom Checker. This new tool is designed to understand what your dental symptoms may mean so that you can make informed decisions about your dental health.
Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children to get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.
Whether you’re a member of the dental team, a teacher or a parent, the ADA has free online resources that can help you with oral health presentations, ideas for the classroom, and activity sheets that can be used as handouts.