Chilkat Valley Preschool is teaming up with Haines Dental to teach the kids about oral hygiene. The school is participating in an early education pilot program with the local SEARHC clinic. And, on Friday two dental professionals–and a dragon–visited the school to sing songs, talk teeth and offer Flouride treatments to participating students.
Chilkat Valley Preschoolers gather on the carpet, each child sitting behind their name tag. It’s Friday morning, forty-five minutes before the class heads outside to play. Some of the students sit criss-cross applesauce, while others perch on all fours. The class is at full attention, or as full as their attention can muster. They have a very special visitor.
“This dragon’s name is Sparkle.”
That’s Crystal Miller speaking. Currently, she’s the only full time dental hygienist in Haines. She’s introducing the only full time dental dragon in Haines to the class.
She holds up the stuffed animal which is blue with brown spots. It has green horns, a well-fed orange belly and a gaping grin full of large, pearly whites.
Miller says that she purchased Sparkle after the preschool – CVP – agreed to partner with the clinic in a quarterly Introduction to Oral Hygiene program.
“It has a replica of human dentician,” Miller said. “And I’ve seen before programs that have a puppet. And when I ordered this I hoped it was going to be a big puppet. And it ended up being a little plushy. Which is fine for this group because it is a small enough group that they can all see and interact with it. But this one here is going to stay at CVP. And we have a full size puppet on the way that we will be able to use in the future.”
Miller says that she hopes to expand the program to all the preschools in Haines. She says she hasn’t thought up a name for the program’s future dental puppet, but that anyone can stop by the clinic and offer suggestions.
After the lecture, preschoolers take turns practicing brushing and flossing Sparkle’s teeth. Each student performs the task for two minutes, the amount of time Miller recommends they should spend brushing their own teeth.
Sparkle doesn’t have a tongue, so the kids are able to brush and floss its teeth without the help of an adult. But, as Miller explains in the lecture, tongues can make brushing teeth tricky. She says that it takes advanced dexterity to brush around a tongue and that preschoolers should ask for help from an adult. The kids are having none of it.
“So, if you’re under eight years old then a grown up should help you brush and floss your teeth, right?” Miller asked.
“No. I’m four and I know how to floss and brush my teeth,” one kid said.
“Sometimes I can do it all by myself, too,” another kid said.
“I did it all by myself yesterday!” A third kid yelled.
Miller defers and redirects. She passes out floss sticks to students and teaches them a song about brushing and flossing twice a day, the clinic’s recommended frequency.
Alex Belcher is a dental assistant at the Haines Clinic. She says that she understands that life with a preschooler can be hectic, and that brushing twice a day can feel like a lot. She says that one way to keep the daily routine interesting is to introduce disclosing tablets. Disclosing tablets are available for free at the dental clinic. They are swished around in the mouth after brushing and hey make any remaining plague turn purple.
“We provide them for our patients,” Belcher said. “It’s just like a tool. And kids really enjoy it. I mean I use it too. Then you can see what spots you’re missing.”
After the lecture, Miller and Belcher set up a dental station in the back of the school. They apply a fluoride treatment to all the students who brought back a consent form. The kids all agree that the treatment tastes like mango.
Many localities across the country add fluoride to their supply of drinking water. Lead operator of the Haines Water Department Henry Pollan told KHNS that the Borough does not.
“No, we do not fluoridate any of our city water,” Pollan said.
The American Dental Association says that fluoride treatments prevent cavities by strengthening the outer shell of teeth. The ADA recommends that preschool-age children receive a fluoride varnish once every three months.
Belcher says that the clinic’s quarterly visits to the preschool are planned according to the recommendations. But she says that while the ADA recommends fluoride treatments, the decision is left completely up to the parents.
“We are all about bodily autonomy at our clinic,” Belcher said. “So whatever the parents and kids feel are best for them.”
All the dentists at the Haines clinic are licensed to treat pediatric patients. In addition, the clinic schedules a traveling pediatric dentist every four months. This week, from Tuesday to Friday, Dr. Sanzone will be at the clinic. The clinic has a waitlist for any patients who would like to schedule an appointment.
