Manda Hughson, Healthy Smiles of Spartanburg, contributed to this blog. Thank you Manda for your work in keeping kids healthy and smiling!
Healthy Smiles Mobile Dental Clinic!
I am pleased to announce that we will be instituting a free mobile dental clinic in districts 1 and 7 this fall. This will be our first year pilot program to test the waters. If it is successful, we will implement the mobile dental unit in all districts so that we may reach all children in need.
Our mobile dental clinic will perform comprehensive dental exams, dental cleanings and x-rays. We hope to add more restorative work ( Fillings, extractions etc.)next year.
How you qualify for our program
1.) You must not have dental insurance or Medicaid
2.) You must be a student in a Spartanburg county school.
3.) You must qualify for free or reduced lunch.
We will determine who qualifies for our program through our yearly dental screenings in the schools. This program is a way to reach those that do qualify but cannot make it to our dental clinic at The Spartanburg Community College on weekends about 4 times a month. Transportation can be difficult for a lot of people.
Hand for your reading pleasure–here are some fun dental facts!!
1. 51 million school hours per year are lost because of dental related illness.
2. Flossing can increase your life expectancy by 6 years.
3. There are more bacteria in your mouth than there are people in the world.
4. Brush twice a day, floss and rinse once a day for a cavity free mouth.
5. Smiling boosts your immune system.
6. If you drink sugary sodas or juice you are 63% more likely to get cavities.
7. More people use blue toothbrushes than red ones.
8. Giraffes have the same number of teeth as humans. 32!!
9. In Medieval Germany, the only cure for a toothache was to kiss a donkey.
10. The cotton candy making machine that made widely consumed cotton candy possible was co-invented by a dentist. Before it was cotton candy, the fluffy confection was called “fairy floss.”
11. An elephants tooth can weigh 6 pounds.
