JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, Washington, D.C. –
Airmen from the 579th Dental Squadron on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB) stopped by Child Development Center (CDC) I to promote the National Children's Dental Health Month. The preschoolers learned the importance of taking care of their teeth and eating healthy snacks while having fun.
The yearly observance is the brainchild of the National Dental Association and this year's national theme is Sugar Wars to combat the effects of sugar.
"February is the National Children's Dental Health Month," said Air Force Senior Airman Sade Underwood, dental assistant at the 579th Dental Clinic. "Dental technicians and dentists come to the CDCs and do rotations through every class [to] remind the kids that they need to brush their teeth and how [to] do it at home with their parents."
For the entire month, a team of two dental residents and three dental assistants conduct a couple of sessions a day on JBAB to encourage youngsters to maintain good oral health and to visit the dentist regularly before they become dentophobes -- those who fear the dentist.
"We have a lot of adults that are scared of the dentist," said Underwood. "We get them excited to come to the dentist."
Activities at the CDC included an interactive game that teaches kids what is good for their teeth and what's bad for their teeth, as well as the video "The Berenstein Bears Visit the Dentist". The amusing and informative story is about a pair of pre-school siblings' trip to the dentist to get a cavity filled and a tooth pulled.
"It starts early. Kids who have good experiences as a child at dental offices grow up not fearing it," said Air Force Capt. Jean Yoon, a 579th dental resident. "When you get traumatized in the initial dental visit ... it lasts your lifetime. We want to avoid that."
"Don't be afraid to visit dentists," stressed Yoon.
Another takeaway was the importance of home care. Yoon recommended bringing kids to the dentist as early as six months old. She believes that good oral habits and visiting the dentist are important even when a child has baby teeth.