Workers at the offices of Tina Merhoff and Amy Cummings held a free dental clinic for some tiny patients on Friday.
WINSTON-SALEM -- Workers at the offices of Tina Merhoff and Amy Cummings held a free dental clinic for some tiny patients on Friday. It was all part of the national campaign, Give a Kid a Smile.
"Children's families may not be able to afford the dental care,” said Merhoff. “So this is a time for us to be able to treat them.”
Royce Barrett jumped at the opportunity to have his 4-year-old son Caleb seen.
"I think it's wonderful,” said Barrett. “He had a couple of cavities in his mouth and I just want to get those taken care of. For them to have him come in and all the work to be absolutely free, I just thought it was wonderful. I thought it was a blessing."
Merhoff, a pediatric dentist, joined the national campaign five years ago after noticing a disturbing trend.
"Every other Friday, Dr. Cummings and I are seeing at least two children in the operating room under general anesthesia treating a child with severe dental carries, often abscessed teeth. And that's as early as the age of two."
The root of the problem Merhoff said are sugary snacks. A 16 oz bottle of Mountain Dew for instance, has 62 grams of sugar. That adds up 1/3 cup of sugar or a third of the bottle.
It was all part of the national campaign, Give a Kid a Smile.
"The diets have changed. The American diet has changed tremendously. Children are drinking soda pops early on, just high sugary drinks. The juice boxes are often loaded with sugars."
That’s one reason Merhoff says it's important for parents and kids to adopt healthier eating habits.
"We really want to talk to parents today and to the children about the foods they eat. The sugary diets they are taking in, encourage them to eat more fruits and vegetables, drinking more milk and water."
It’s a tough proposition for parents, though Barrett admits it is less painful in the long run.
"Try to keep it away from them as much as possible. I know all kids love candy but you just don't want to be sitting here like I am."
Merhoff recommends parents start brushing their children's teeth as early as the age of one.
And never let an infant sleep with a bottle.
Most of the children who participated in Friday’s free clinic were referred by the Forsyth County Health Department.
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