BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Local dental hygienists in Buffalo volunteered their time and skills to teach the youth in the City of Buffalo the importance of oral health.
According to the CDC, more than half of kids ages 12 to 19 have had a cavity in at least one of their permanent teeth.
Children ages five to 19 from low-income families are twice as likely to have cavities compared to kids from higher-income households.
That’s why several local dental hygienists volunteered to set up shop at the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers to ensure children get a healthy smile.
“We wanted to make sure that they know that if their teeth are not healthy, it can affect their overall health,” a dental hygienist of The Smile Team says. “And if they’re overdue, we wanted to remind them they should be going to the dentist to get back on track.”
Some kids say they fully understand the importance of keeping your teeth nice and clean.
“If you don’t take care of it like an important smile is good for you because it helps give people a better view of you,” 12-year-old Zaria says. “If you have a top cavity, it’ll go to your brain, and if you have a bottom cavity, it’ll go to your heart,” says 11-year-old Jay.
Tika-Monet Walker, director of the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers youth services, says bringing these dental care services to the youth leads to better dental hygiene.
“It’s just so important to bring these referral services to the community,” she says. “And linking them to the services they need and having information is really important.”
More public dental care services will be happening for ages one to 16 on Aug. 26th at the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers.
TIME:
8:30 am – 11:30 am
WHERE:
BFNC MOOT CENTER
292 High Street
Buffalo, NY 14202
WHO:
BFNC Staff, CEO Chandra Redfern
Community youth and families
UB Dental
DentaQuest https://dentaquest.com/
