Greetings to all of my little visitors!
My Visit to the CT HUSKY Health Program
Hello my little friends! February was Children’s Dental Health Month and I stopped by at the Connecticut HUSKY Health Program to check in on all of you. Oh my! I was just so impressed and excited to hear about how many of you called into my phone line to hear my recorded message and visited the website to read and hear my messages specifically for you in other languages! It made my fairy dust twinkle!
Now Time for Leprechauns
We are now back into March and as you know from last year, I introduced you to my brother Eamon, he is a Leprechaun. You know that Leprechauns like their gold and Eamon is in the family business. At one time crowns and fillings were made of gold and it was very hard to get Eamon to part with crowns and fillings he made for people’s teeth. Well, he is a very good crown maker but with the invention of newer dental materials, gold crowns are not needed as much as they once were.
Tooth Crowns
What you never heard of a tooth crown? A tooth crown is not something fancy that you would see on a king or queen’s head but it is pretty cool. A crown is an artificial or fake tooth made of a very hard material that fits around what was a tooth. The poor little darling needs protection if the tooth is going to stay in someone’s mouth. So Hermie makes a replica of what is left of the poor little darling and sends it off to Eamon to make a whole new tooth. Because Eamon doesn’t like to part with his gold, he can make the tooth out of porcelain, zirconia (not to be confused with the artificial or fake diamonds) or even a plastic or stainless steel. What type of material is used depends on the situation. When Eamon finishes with the tooth in his laboratory, he sends it to Hermie who then checks and makes certain the tooth fits perfectly with all of the other teeth. When it does, he puts i the artificial tooth, called a crown, with a special dental cement. Hermie will then check the bite again to make certain everything is 100% tip top shape.
Sealants and Fluoride
All of you have been taking such great care of your teeth with brushing and flossing. I am so proud of you. I also know that most of you are visiting the dentist and hygienist regularly like you should. The dentist and hygienist have a nifty solution to help you keep your pearly whites in tip top shape too. They will apply sealants to your back teeth (and sometimes to other teeth too) in order to keep cavities from forming in the grooves of your teeth where the toothbrush bristles can’t reach. That is why it is important to go to the dentist office – to get your fluoride treatments and to get your sealants before cavities can happen.
Sealants can last many years. If the sealant falls out, it can be replaced. What? What was that I heard? Do getting sealants hurt? NO! Getting a sealant is quite slick. You lay back in the dental chair and the dentist or hygienist will give you a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes from the special ultraviolet (UV) light that is used to harden the sealant. A day at the beach is so much fun! You just open your mouth; the doctor or hygienist will dry off the surface of your tooth with a cotton roll and some air from the air hose. Then the person will take a paint brush that is just for you and paint the sealant material on your tooth. Then here comes the UV light for about 30 seconds and the sealant becomes hard and is ready to protect your pearly whites! No pain at all! It is one of my favorite things to do because it keeps teeth healthy and cavity free!
Hear it Directly from Me!
Be sure to listen here to learn more:
English
Spanish
Portuguese
Polish
Arabic
Well, my little darlings, I so much enjoyed visiting with you all. I hope to visit again next year, and I look forward to hearing about everyone who have read my stories and keeping good oral health with your pearly whites. Please feel free to call my buddies at the Connecticut Dental Health Member Services call center or send me an email message.
If you have any questions, don’t forget that you can call my friends at the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership:
Dr. Tooth Fairy
855-CT-DENTAL Monday-Friday 8AM – 5PM
Ta ta until next month!
