1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,880 Well, welcome everybody to a special episode of Unlimited Parenting. 2 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:19,760 I am thrilled to have not one, but two incredible guests from Delta Dental with us today to 3 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,780 dive into the world of dental health. 4 00:00:22,780 --> 00:00:27,940 And together we're going to help answer some common questions families have and give them 5 00:00:27,940 --> 00:00:29,860 some tips they may not have known. 6 00:00:29,860 --> 00:00:35,040 So welcome to both Cammie and Heather and I will hold the floor for you to introduce 7 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:36,040 yourselves. 8 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:37,600 Cammie, can we start with you? 9 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:43,540 Hello, I'm Cammie Sinden and I am the manager of Community Outreach Direct Programming 10 00:00:43,540 --> 00:00:45,400 at Delta Dental of Idaho. 11 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:46,400 Thank you, Heather. 12 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:47,400 Thank you so much. 13 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:48,400 It's great to be here. 14 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:49,400 My name is Heather Brown. 15 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:56,640 I am the senior director of oral health and community outreach and I get to work with 16 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:00,760 Cammie and a big fun team and we get to do a lot of cool things in the state. 17 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:02,160 So thanks for having me. 18 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:07,280 Yeah, thank you guys for lending your time and your expertise for Idaho families today. 19 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:11,200 I know that you guys have some really great initiatives and I just want to make sure that 20 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:16,040 everyone in our audience knows about them and how to access them. 21 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:22,020 So I was hoping we could get started by answering the question, what is the importance of oral 22 00:01:22,020 --> 00:01:23,720 health to children? 23 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:29,200 Out of all of the other things parents have to do for their kids, well child checks, therapies, 24 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:31,340 what is the importance of oral health? 25 00:01:31,340 --> 00:01:33,880 The mouth is connected to the body. 26 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,640 It's so important that everyone understands that. 27 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:43,640 Good oral health habits formed in childhood lay the foundation for lifelong health, prevent 28 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:48,560 painful dental issues and reduce the risk of health conditions related to poor oral 29 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:56,160 health, poor hygiene, dental decay, infections, gum disease, gingivitis, things like that. 30 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:01,400 Educating kids early on empowers them to take responsibility for their own health but it 31 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:06,040 helps them understand that caring for their teeth is important just like caring for their 32 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,040 whole body is important. 33 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:12,000 And I think that you make a really good point, something to highlight there is that when 34 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:17,520 we talk about a community of children with special health care needs, an infection even 35 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:22,160 in something like the teeth is something we very much want to stay away from. 36 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:27,720 So do you have any tips and tricks on how we can instill strong oral health in children? 37 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:30,360 I know you talk about kind of making it a habit. 38 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:32,760 Is there anything else you would tell families? 39 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,120 Letting the parents duplicate, right? 40 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:40,320 Replicate what the parents are doing, showing the kids, waking up every day, rushing with 41 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:45,760 them, doing it next to them so they see their parents doing it and it just becomes a habit. 42 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:47,720 They know it's something they need to do. 43 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:51,560 They do it in the morning before they go to work, go to school, same thing at night, making 44 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:52,560 it a routine. 45 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,560 They see their parents doing it, then they know they need to do it. 46 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,760 And then just a kind reminder, of course. 47 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:00,720 Even I need some of those, right? 48 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:02,240 Reminder, brush your teeth. 49 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:04,720 That's what assistive technology is for, right? 50 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:11,400 Can I pivot a little bit and ask what community initiatives that Delta Dental has around Idaho 51 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:12,400 right now? 52 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:13,400 Sure. 53 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:16,080 We have many different programs. 54 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:20,600 We have the Grins on the Go, which is a mobile dental clinic, and we go into the schools 55 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:25,160 to provide free sealants and fluoride and education. 56 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:30,000 And that's a great way to reach the children, bringing services to the children. 57 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:34,000 Parents don't have to take off work to pull their children out of school, drive to the 58 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,960 dentist, get them taken care of. 59 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,440 And we bring those services to them. 60 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:41,480 So that's a great program. 61 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:43,400 We see so many kids. 62 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:46,960 We're in over 220 schools in all over Idaho. 63 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:50,440 So that's one of our great programs that's really helping. 64 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:57,560 Another program we have is the Land of Smiles program, which is a virtual video kids can 65 00:03:57,560 --> 00:03:58,560 watch. 66 00:03:58,560 --> 00:03:59,560 It's fun. 67 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:04,640 It's got superheroes, characters, but it teaches the importance of oral hygiene, how to brush 68 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:10,120 and floss and avoid sugary drinks and have a healthy diet. 69 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,040 It's a fun way for the kids to learn. 70 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:16,360 And then we also, there's a pre and post test that they can take so we can ensure that the 71 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:20,680 kids are learning from that program as well. 72 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:26,240 If my school is not a part of that program, is that something I could ask my school to 73 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:27,520 ask about? 74 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:28,520 Absolutely. 75 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:32,400 So the Grins on the Go, we do target the lower income schools. 76 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:37,240 So we do use the free and reduced food lunch report to determine if they're 50% or greater. 77 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:41,800 They qualify for Grins on the Go for the free dental services. 78 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:44,080 But for the Land of Smiles, all schools qualify. 79 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:48,320 They just need to reach out if they're interested in having the educational program. 80 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:49,320 Fantastic. 81 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,240 And these are statewide, correct? 82 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:52,800 Not just in Treasure Valley? 83 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:53,800 Correct. 84 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:54,800 Wow, that's great. 85 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:55,800 Yeah. 86 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,600 And then we also do a lot of health fairs, community events. 87 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:02,800 We go to food banks, Salvation Armies. 88 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:08,800 We pop up everywhere to provide day clinics where we're providing screenings. 89 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:10,920 And we usually will see everybody at those. 90 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,160 We'll see their parents, the kids. 91 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:17,080 So we have a lot of different, we're just not scheduled, but we do have a lot of different 92 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:20,320 events that we attend as well on top of those programs. 93 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:21,320 Yeah. 94 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:27,480 And I'd like to add that we also have a Rethink Your Dream program. 95 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:30,000 And those are in schools. 96 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:36,120 And what it is basically, a school can apply for a grant to have a water bottle filling 97 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:40,120 station installed in their school. 98 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:46,240 And around the water bottle filling station, we provide water bottles for everyone at the 99 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:47,240 school. 100 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:53,760 There's lessons and teachings and stuff to help children kind of decide between a sugary 101 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,200 beverage and a water beverage. 102 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:01,080 And so that's been a very, very successful program. 103 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:08,520 And those grants and those water bottle filling stations can be basically applied for by any 104 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:09,520 school. 105 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:13,920 We initially started out with lower income schools, but we have grown the program and 106 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:20,600 it has been extremely successful as Kami's program has as well. 107 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:22,640 So that's been a great add on. 108 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:24,480 I think we've done it for a couple of years now. 109 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:25,480 Wow. 110 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:30,160 I definitely want to encourage my school to get access to that. 111 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:36,640 More specifically, can I ask in what ways Delta Dental of Idaho has provided support 112 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:40,120 to the special needs community? 113 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:41,400 I'll take that one. 114 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:47,360 And I'm really proud to report that a couple of years ago, there's a federally qualified 115 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:49,640 health center called Family Health Services. 116 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:51,800 It's in Jerome. 117 00:06:51,800 --> 00:07:00,120 It's chaired or the cheerleader and the dentist in that community asks for some funding to 118 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:07,280 actually build a special needs clinic attached to the federally qualified health center and 119 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:09,100 it's called Your Healthy Smiles. 120 00:07:09,100 --> 00:07:10,640 So her name is Dr. Brooke. 121 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:17,440 We not only funded building the clinic and I'm saying like, you know, tactile rooms, 122 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:26,400 but kind of wow, a different place for these folks to be able to be treated well and professionally. 123 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:32,460 And one of the things we did actually add on to that build was a special compact wheelchair 124 00:07:32,460 --> 00:07:38,480 recliner that I think there's like two in the whole state of Idaho and we, Delta Dental 125 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:39,880 of Idaho funded both of those. 126 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:46,520 But this wheelchair chair actually can hold either a electronic wheelchair or a powered 127 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:51,800 wheelchair or, you know, regular wheelchair and you just, the wheelchair just kind of 128 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:53,280 goes back into the chair. 129 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:55,600 The patient doesn't have to get out of the wheelchair. 130 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:57,960 It tips back the way it's supposed to. 131 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:05,120 It makes having treatment done for the patient much, much more comfortable, but also the 132 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:06,120 provider. 133 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:13,000 And so Dr. Brooke, who uses this in her clinic, she is able to treat people that she was not 134 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,480 able to treat in a comfortable or respectful manner. 135 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,720 I know that sounds weird, but like I actually, she actually sent me pictures one day and 136 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:27,240 there was a patient sitting on a bench and she was like on the bench, like try to pull, 137 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:28,760 I don't know, a tooth or something like that. 138 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,000 It was just, that's because they don't have the equipment they need. 139 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:37,520 So we also bought one for Terry Riley Health Center, which is down here in Boise and they 140 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:39,000 use it a lot. 141 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,040 And so it's a very special chair. 142 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,400 They're not, they're not inexpensive. 143 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:48,400 Unfortunately, I wish everybody could have one, but it's something that we felt was really 144 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:49,600 important for this community. 145 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,360 And people literally will drive three or four hours to go to Dr. Brooke's clinic. 146 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,480 So that's what I was thinking is that that's where they are. 147 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,480 That's where I would want to drive to receive that service. 148 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:00,480 Absolutely. 149 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,680 And not only that, she's just amazing dentist anyway. 150 00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:04,700 So she loves this population. 151 00:09:04,700 --> 00:09:10,320 So you're going to get great treatment from her, but also any place that has one of these 152 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:14,120 chairs or wants it, you know, that's, that's really for them to decide. 153 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,360 And it's, it's just good all around. 154 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:22,680 Do you think that it would be fair to say that without access to a chair like that, 155 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:28,520 some of, some of our kids may have needed, you know, sedated dentistry in a hospital 156 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:30,200 to receive that kind of service. 157 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:35,380 And with this chair, now they can access that same level in the community clinic. 158 00:09:35,380 --> 00:09:36,720 I think that's a possibility. 159 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:41,920 I think sometimes, or what I know is that a lot of times the children that are going 160 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:49,320 into the OR and being put under, it depends on their case, you know, like do they have 161 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:52,160 to have their whole mouth restored? 162 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,060 That might be a reason for going under anesthesia. 163 00:09:55,060 --> 00:09:58,880 If it's something less than that, they just can't get comfortable or whatever. 164 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,920 I mean, this chair could definitely be a help there. 165 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:09,560 Or it's at least a start to see if the child or the grownup can manage themselves while 166 00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:10,560 in the chair. 167 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:13,800 So yeah, but I think it's case dependent really. 168 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:18,520 Is there, can we expect in the future potentially any more chairs like that? 169 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:23,600 Is that part of the community initiative or is it just this was, we saw a need in this 170 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:31,160 one particular community and we had the ability to make that, to grant that wish at that time. 171 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:33,360 Yeah, to make that happen. 172 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:38,680 Honestly, that's kind of how it panned out, but I can tell you that Delta Dental of Idaho, 173 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:43,080 I think it's in its, we've done this about a year and a half now. 174 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:48,680 Delta Dental of Idaho Community Outreach has a grant program and this is the money that 175 00:10:48,680 --> 00:10:50,920 we offer grants twice a year. 176 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:52,920 We do one in a grant cycle in April. 177 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:56,160 We do one in November or October. 178 00:10:56,160 --> 00:11:03,160 It just closed for this year, but any entity that is interested in purchasing something 179 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:09,440 and doesn't have the money or has half and wants to apply for a grant for the other half, 180 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:14,720 we're always interested in helping other entities get what they need. 181 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:20,520 So yeah, it's something that we provide grant, we can provide grant money for. 182 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:23,360 And the grant process is pretty simple. 183 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:27,840 It's not a federal grant, like 25 pages or anything like that. 184 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:31,600 So yeah, if there's somebody out there that's interested, we're happy to take a look at 185 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:32,600 it. 186 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:33,600 Yeah, that's great. 187 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:34,880 That's good information to know. 188 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:42,460 For parents of children with sensory needs or dental anxiety, these visits are really 189 00:11:42,460 --> 00:11:44,420 extra challenging. 190 00:11:44,420 --> 00:11:50,080 Do you know, does Delta Dental support any kind of specialized training for providers 191 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:52,160 to make dental visits smoother? 192 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:54,720 Well, it depends on the go. 193 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:59,560 For our programming, and I should mention both Heather and I are hygienists as well, 194 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:05,720 we do have training for sensory issues and just, you know, each child's a little different 195 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:09,460 no matter who the child is, just how we're working with them. 196 00:12:09,460 --> 00:12:14,280 So we are trained in working with different issues so that we can accommodate what that 197 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,300 child is needing a lot. 198 00:12:17,300 --> 00:12:24,280 There are some programs for the dental community to do some training as well. 199 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:28,560 And I would encourage everyone to go out and get that training because each child's a little 200 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:29,560 bit different. 201 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:30,740 Yeah, absolutely. 202 00:12:30,740 --> 00:12:35,760 And I think that that takes a lot of weight off of the parents when they're considering 203 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:40,980 what dental clinic to take their child, knowing that maybe if they are with Delta Dental, 204 00:12:40,980 --> 00:12:44,000 they might have a little bit of extra knowledge and know-how. 205 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:49,640 And I might be more inclined to take my child there if I know that they are going to be 206 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:54,480 very calm and receptive because if it's one thing that parents of children with disabilities 207 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:58,760 know is sometimes that providers can lose their patience a little bit. 208 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:00,040 So I appreciate that. 209 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:01,040 Yeah. 210 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:04,880 And one thing we've had, we actually had a mom call and thank us. 211 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:08,160 We do the special needs classes as well at the schools. 212 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:10,280 And we had a little boy. 213 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:14,880 Yes, we make sure that we get into the special needs classes. 214 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,200 All of our hygienists and assistants are moms. 215 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,240 We work really well with the kids plus our special training. 216 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:26,400 But we did have a little boy, an autistic boy, and we were able to get on all of his 217 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:32,880 sealants and the mom just called us just thrilled saying that she's never been able to get him 218 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:34,480 even in the chair at the dental office. 219 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:36,000 And it took some coaxing. 220 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,420 We did have to, you know, he came the first day. 221 00:13:39,420 --> 00:13:41,440 We are usually at the school for a few days. 222 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:44,800 He came in the first day and was like, no, no. 223 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:53,360 And then the next day, his special ed teacher brought him back in and it warmed up to us, 224 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:56,960 sat in the chair, opened up, let us do everything. 225 00:13:56,960 --> 00:13:57,960 We've had quite a few. 226 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:00,880 We had another girl, same thing in middle school. 227 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:01,880 She's like, nope. 228 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:03,200 And she kind of let us have it. 229 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:07,580 And then the next day is so the issue was she needed to know what was going on. 230 00:14:07,580 --> 00:14:10,160 So then we scheduled her, had it on her schedule. 231 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:15,560 She knew she was coming the next day and came back, hopped in the chair and we were just 232 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:16,680 the best thing ever. 233 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:20,080 And she let us do, we were able to get 16 sealants on her. 234 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:23,120 We were able to seal her premolars as well. 235 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:26,600 And it's amazing that she was in junior high and they were still, you were still able to 236 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:29,420 put the sealants on all of her teeth and no decay. 237 00:14:29,420 --> 00:14:31,080 So that was awesome. 238 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:36,240 But we've had some great success stories and it's really, we have the time with what we 239 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:40,240 do and sometimes dental offices don't always have that luxury. 240 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:46,160 They have a schedule and patients waiting where we can take the time, work with them. 241 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:50,980 We don't have to have a strict schedule where we can just stay with that same kid for and 242 00:14:50,980 --> 00:14:55,320 give them the extra time needed or let them come watch as long as it's okay with the other 243 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:58,840 child, let them watch for a little bit and see what we're doing and then maybe come back 244 00:14:58,840 --> 00:14:59,840 the next day. 245 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:04,320 I do appreciate that we don't have to be on such a tight schedule so we can work with 246 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:10,520 the kids and let them ease into it so that we can place sealants or even if it's just 247 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,520 a fluoride treatment, you know, and they've never been able to have that, you know, the 248 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:15,960 sensory issues, they don't like things in their mouth. 249 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:20,280 So if we can get to that or even sometimes they'll let us get in there with a toothbrush 250 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:25,200 and just brush and just ease them into that treatment. 251 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:29,080 It's just, it makes us all super happy when we see that progress. 252 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:31,200 Yeah, that's fantastic. 253 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:36,240 And as a parent myself of three children with disabilities, hearing kind of those success 254 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:43,000 stories makes me very much feel relaxed and more likely to want to make that my one thing 255 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:47,320 that we need to push for out of all the sea of other things that we have as parents to 256 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:49,040 take care of and do. 257 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:53,880 This is one of those things that kind of relieves some anxiety so that I can make sure that 258 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:55,120 that becomes a priority. 259 00:15:55,120 --> 00:16:02,600 Kind of in that same vein, can I ask what are some specific like dental services or 260 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:09,160 accommodations that maybe parents could ask for when they come in to see if they need 261 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:11,080 extra support for a visit? 262 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:16,200 If I'm going to Grins on the go, is there anything, any language that I could use to 263 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:20,920 help ask for things or let a provider know that maybe my child would need some extra 264 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:21,920 supports? 265 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:25,120 Especially when you let them know, hey, they have some sensory issues. 266 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:30,640 We have some different toys that children hold, sensory toys, you know, where they can 267 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:34,960 pop things with their fingers and they'll lay back in the chair and hold those. 268 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:37,080 And just being aware of what they like. 269 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:42,080 You know, sometimes we may think we're comforting by rubbing their arm and that is not a comfort 270 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:43,300 for some kids. 271 00:16:43,300 --> 00:16:47,440 So just being aware and communicating with your provider and anything. 272 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:52,040 We have online slips and we have paper slips and we always, we have a section where it 273 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:56,200 says, please let us know, is there something we need to know about your child? 274 00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:01,760 Always just communicate that if there's something that you know, don't do this, whether you're 275 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:07,360 at the dentist or filling out a slip for a school program, just communicate that. 276 00:17:07,360 --> 00:17:11,240 And every providers just want to do right by everybody. 277 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:15,600 So if they have that information right up front, it's, it's going to help out. 278 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:17,480 Parents know their kids better than anyone. 279 00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:20,240 And sometimes some of our training isn't always correct. 280 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:23,320 We may think we're helping when we're making the child more anxious. 281 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:24,320 Wow. 282 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:25,320 Thank you. 283 00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:26,320 I appreciate that. 284 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:31,560 And we've actually had parents come, they've called and said, may I be there? 285 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:33,520 And of course for us, that's not a problem. 286 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:37,120 We just ask that they call the school, make sure that's not going to be an issue. 287 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:43,600 But in the past, they've always coordinated if the parent has wanted to be there and they 288 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:47,120 will just, you know, we'll make sure we pull the kid at a certain time when they're there 289 00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:51,000 and they can be back there if they think that that would help their child. 290 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:52,640 Sometimes it does, sometimes it makes it worse. 291 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:57,640 So but that's truly really accommodating and really trying to meet the needs of the child 292 00:17:57,640 --> 00:17:58,640 where they are. 293 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:03,880 I mean, not only are we talking about a service that's not at a dental office, you're making 294 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:06,440 it more convenient for everybody. 295 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:11,240 And then allowing a lot of flexibility just makes it just seals the deal for me. 296 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:13,000 I will definitely be looking into that. 297 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:19,840 I think for the last question that I have is what would you say is the single most important 298 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:25,680 piece of advice that you could give to families from your perspective on dental health? 299 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:30,480 Good oral hygiene, educating your kids on the importance of good oral hygiene, living 300 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:36,880 it yourself, actually waking up and brushing and flossing and demonstrating that for your 301 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:42,800 child, choosing water over the sugary beverages, not saying you can't ever have that if you're 302 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:46,440 going to choose that, have it with a meal, but definitely drinking water throughout the 303 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:55,080 day and choosing a lower sugar diet as well, not just those drinks and regular visits, 304 00:18:55,080 --> 00:19:00,160 just bringing, going to the dentist, living it for your child and bringing your child 305 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:04,800 going in every six months, doing the preventive services so that you don't get to the point 306 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:10,280 where you have a lot of decay and issues where you're having to be numb and go through the 307 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:13,320 treatment, that's what scares the kids. 308 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:18,080 And definitely don't think it's funny to tease their kids about getting numb, things like 309 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:19,280 that. 310 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:24,000 We run into so many parents that think it's so funny to say they're going to get a big 311 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:26,320 shot. 312 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:27,320 Don't use those words. 313 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:29,520 We have different words that we use. 314 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:34,400 Of course, we don't give anyone numb with the Grand Theumago program, but we have different 315 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:35,640 words that we use. 316 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:40,760 We explain everything to the children, but we don't show them scary things, just tell 317 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:42,360 them what it's going to feel like. 318 00:19:42,360 --> 00:19:47,960 So there's no surprises, but we don't have to use needle-angle shots. 319 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:52,840 That's really helpful to know because sometimes as an adult, I want to prepare my child for 320 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:58,180 every eventuality when you guys are the experts in that and have it under control and I can 321 00:19:58,180 --> 00:20:00,200 just kind of trust the process. 322 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:06,160 Yeah, so instead of an injection with a needle, we'll say a cold sprayer. 323 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:07,800 And I explain exactly what it is. 324 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:08,800 It's a cold sprayer. 325 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:09,840 It's going to feel very cold. 326 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:10,840 It feels tight. 327 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:11,840 You feel like a little pinch. 328 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:14,400 It feels really tight and then it feels really, really cold. 329 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,520 And then your lip starts to feel really fat and funny. 330 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:19,760 Kids hear that and they're like, okay, it's going to feel tight. 331 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:20,760 It's going to feel pinched. 332 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,080 There's that. 333 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:24,080 It's amazing. 334 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:27,720 I worked in a pediatric office for years and that's all I did was numb up kids all day long 335 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:28,720 for treatment. 336 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:32,400 And I don't know that I really had a failure. 337 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:37,200 You tell the kids what they're going to feel and it's not a surprise. 338 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:38,240 They understand it. 339 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:43,720 But if the parent has been there telling them how they're going to get a big needle, they're 340 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:44,720 just done. 341 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:46,600 They're done before they even get in the chair. 342 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,200 So yeah, it's not funny. 343 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,600 It's not funny to tell your kids those things. 344 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:56,280 Just let us get in there and tell them what we're going to do. 345 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:57,280 We're not going to scare them. 346 00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:58,840 We're not going to surprise them. 347 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:02,080 But let us do the words. 348 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:05,560 We Mr. Thirsty, a cold sprayer. 349 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:09,320 We've got the cute words and we tell them the suction's very loud. 350 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:13,000 You're going to hear a lot of noise and all it's doing is sucking out the spit. 351 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:14,600 Once they know, they're fine. 352 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:19,080 But just coming in blind and hearing all these crazy noises and knowing a big needle's coming, 353 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:20,080 that can be scary. 354 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:22,480 So we don't like to use certain words. 355 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:23,480 Yeah. 356 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:28,120 I just like to, I mean, and I sure, Cammie, you've heard this many times, but I mean, 357 00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:31,840 when I was treating children, like a parent would literally say to their child, while 358 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:37,440 I'm trying to take an x-ray or something like that, like, we have a really bad gag reflex. 359 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:39,740 And I'm like, okay, well, hold up. 360 00:21:39,740 --> 00:21:45,200 You might have a bad gag reflex, but let's not teach like what Cammie was saying. 361 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:49,040 Like, just let the child experience what they're going to experience. 362 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:54,400 And what your experience as an adult may have been doesn't necessarily have to be the same 363 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:55,400 for the child. 364 00:21:55,400 --> 00:22:02,280 And something I do want to add on very quickly is that children should see a dentist, I think 365 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:07,520 it's by the age of one or when the first tooth has erupted, which is the two little baby 366 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:10,320 centrals in the mouth. 367 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:12,860 So that is part of the training. 368 00:22:12,860 --> 00:22:19,840 If you're getting your child into a provider or to not necessarily do any treatment, but 369 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:26,560 it's introducing the child every six months as an infant and growing and learning that 370 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:31,320 the dentist is not a bad, horrible dragon person. 371 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:36,360 So bringing them in when they're age one or first eruption of tooth is really, really 372 00:22:36,360 --> 00:22:41,040 important and that can go for a lifetime of just being trained early on. 373 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:44,480 And that it's fun to go and that we have prizes and so on and so forth. 374 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:47,600 And I think that that's a big deal. 375 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,480 And a lot of times that's really to educate the parent too. 376 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:55,240 After they're coming in at age one or six months after that first tooth eruption, usually 377 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:58,480 about one, they may not know. 378 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,640 We do hear parents saying, it's just a baby tooth. 379 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:03,960 That's a baby tooth they're keeping till they're 12. 380 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:07,000 So it is a big deal that there's a big, huge cavity in it. 381 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,780 And an infection can spread through the body and into the heart or into the eye. 382 00:23:11,780 --> 00:23:16,360 It's just letting the parent know it is more than just a baby tooth and just a baby tooth 383 00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:20,360 toothache hurts just as bad as an adult toothache. 384 00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:21,720 And it hurts. 385 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:27,320 And it's just educating the parent, not putting them to bed with the bottle and sugary drinks 386 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:28,320 in the bottle. 387 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:29,960 A lot of it's to education. 388 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:34,760 So definitely going in for that first visit at one and then continuing it and slowly working 389 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:37,120 the child up to letting us do more. 390 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:41,480 That first one might just be a quick look, see if anything, but maybe at a year and a 391 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,280 half to we're actually starting to polish some teeth. 392 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:45,280 Great. 393 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:46,280 Yeah. 394 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:47,280 Introducing them to stuff. 395 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:52,440 And something that I teach when I'm out teaching is that I think it's about 51 million school 396 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:58,480 hours are lost every year for children that are in dental pain. 397 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:05,600 So that's a lot of hours and children can't concentrate just like Cami was saying, like, 398 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:09,080 yeah, they're just baby teeth, but they're spaceholders for their adult teeth. 399 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,560 They still have, they're still sensitive. 400 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:16,440 So children can't eat properly when they don't have proper dental care. 401 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:23,120 Their speech may be impeded, nutrition, just all kinds of different. 402 00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:25,220 And when you're in pain, you can't focus and learn. 403 00:24:25,220 --> 00:24:29,080 So oral health care as a child is really, really, really important. 404 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:32,660 And I'm really proud of the programs that we have with Delta Delta, and that we get 405 00:24:32,660 --> 00:24:35,600 to serve the entire state. 406 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:39,440 And I just have to give a shout out to Cami because she manages all those programs and 407 00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:43,880 she does a fabulous job and you can see she's passionate and I'm happy to be here with her. 408 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:49,360 Yeah, I can definitely feel, I can definitely feel the passion and I'm almost kind of, I'm 409 00:24:49,360 --> 00:24:53,920 almost kind of feel sad that parents are going to be listening to this audio only and not 410 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:59,720 see your guys' faces because there was definitely a lot of animation, a lot of heart. 411 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:01,520 I can say that for sure. 412 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,240 Yeah, that's us. 413 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:09,040 Everything that we've discussed today will definitely have a link included in our description 414 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:14,120 so parents can find ways to access that and learn more about those programs. 415 00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:19,160 I definitely want to give a huge thanks to both you Cami and Heather for bringing your 416 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:23,640 expertise and your time and sharing your knowledge with us. 417 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:25,680 Thank you so much for being here. 418 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:34,920 Yeah, thank you so much for having us. 419 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:40,960 Thank you so much everyone out there for listening in and know that if you are in Idaho or planning 420 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:46,920 on moving to Idaho and have questions on systems or services for children with disabilities, 421 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:57,040 please consider reaching out to us on our website at iPullIdaho.org or by calling us 422 00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:01,100 at 208-342-5884. 423 00:26:01,100 --> 00:26:03,160 Be sure to tune in next time. 424 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:06,160 Until then, this has been Unlimited Parenting. 425 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:07,160 Thanks for listening. 426 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:19,080 1