Brownyard brings toothy tips to the classroom

Since February is National Dental Health Month, local dentist Dr. Brian Himelwright is continuing his tradition of sending out one of his dental hygienists, Erin Brownyard, to local schools to talk to children about dental health and the importance of caring for their teeth. One of Brownyard?s recent visits was to Ms. Mildred Simmons? class at Covenant Academy.

?We do this to teach dental health in the schools,? Brownyard said, ?to teach them how to take care of their teeth and prevent cavities.?

Brownyard says dental care is very much a part of improving the overall health of children.

?If they practice good oral hygiene, keep their mouth and teeth healthy, then they?ll be more healthy individuals.?

During her presentation, Brownyard says she touches on several things that can have an effect on dental health.

?We tell them how the bacteria is living on their teeth,? Brownyard said, ?and how the bacteria eats the sugar, which turns into acid which causes the cavities. We also teach them about sugar, and how the intake of a lot of sugar can affect them.?

Brownyard says parents should also work to help their child develop good dental care habits.

?Children are not very good about remembering things,? Brownyard said. ?So parents should always remind their children they should brush their teeth, floss their teeth, and make the products they need to do those things available to them. There are some children who actually don?t have a toothbrush. So they need to keep toothbrushes in the house, along with toothpaste and dental floss. They should also buy products that are sugar free and limit sugar intake.?

With that in mine, Brownyard brings a goody bag to each talk and hands out prepackaged kits with those very items for each child.

Ms. Mildred?s class enjoyed the talk and the teacher said she was pleased Dr. Himelwright provided this outreach program to local schools.

?Dental hygiene is so important to all of us our entire lives,? she said. ?And I really appreciate this. She talked about how important it is for even pre-school children to carefully brush those teeth every day and take very good care of them. This just reinforces that this is the way to better dental health.?

Brownyard will continue her visits to various local schools for the rest of the month. Parents interested in learning more can contact Dr. Himelwright?s office for a schedule of future visits.