Daniel is your typical 7-year-old boy. He loves soccer, his 3-year-old brother, Elias, and sugary treats that can wreak havoc on his young teeth.
One day, his mother, Nichole, found him picking at one of his back teeth. When she looked in Daniel’s mouth, she was shocked.
“There was a big hole right in the middle of his tooth,” she said.
Nichole knew she had to get him to a dentist as soon as possible, but not having insurance she knew it wouldn’t be easy.
When she finally found a dentist who was accepting new patients, she was told Daniel’s treatment would cost $2,200, which she could not afford. Searching for a solution, Nichole reached out to the nurse at Daniel’s school, who told her that the Smart Smiles program at Columbia St. Mary’s, Milwaukee, would be visiting the school the following week.
Smart Smiles is the largest school-based oral health program in Wisconsin. For the 2014-2015 school year, Smart Smiles will serve 43 Milwaukee Public Schools (an increase of eight from the previous school year) and five private and charter schools. All told, Smart Smiles’ goal is to provide 8,000 students with preventive dental services to help keep them healthy and free of dental pain during the upcoming school year.
Dental decay (cavities) is the most common chronic childhood disease. Despite advances in prevention, some children still suffer unnecessarily with dental pain and infection. Often, the dental conditions prevent children from attending school. Dental sealants are an evidence-based strategy for preventing cavities. However, many uninsured and low-income children lack access to regular preventive dental care, including sealants.
The Smart Smiles dentist examined Daniel and found cavities in each of his baby molars. The dental hygienist cleaned his teeth, gave him lessons on dental health and put sealants on his adult molars. Daniel was then referred to the Columbia St. Mary’s St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Dental Clinic, where the dentist filled all eight cavities.
Thanks to the clinic’s Healthy Teeth for Children initiative, funded in part by United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Daniel got his smile back.
On his last visit, Daniel told the Seton staff that he was teaching Elias how to brush and floss.
“I feel happy that I got my teeth fixed, and I think that I am being a good big brother,” he said.
Because of the care that he received from Smart Smiles and the Seton Dental Clinic, Nichole said Daniel no longer cuts short his brushing time. And Elias no longer has to be prompted to brush his own teeth – he does it all on his own.
