October is National Orthodontic Health Month and the staff at Dr. Charles Munk’s Clarkston office is working hard to promote the benefits of good oral hygiene.
Jan Long, an orthodontic assistant, will visit sixth and seventh graders at Cedar Crest Academy and Sashabaw Middle School at the end of the month to present tips and advice on how to achieve healthy teeth.
‘We do a lot,? Long said. ‘We try to bring them in and answer a lot of questions. We try to make it as much of a group [activity] rather than just a lecture.?
Students will receive information on the basics of orthodontics, how braces work and how to achieve good oral hygiene.
‘The middle-school age is the most common age to start orthodontic treatment,? Dr. Charlie Munk said.
Not only will students receive valuable information, they’ll also receive a bag of ‘goodies? to make sure the lessons learned in school go home.
‘This is a good time to get out and spread the message,? Munk said.
Since ages 10-12 tend to see the biggest start in braces, working with local middle schools made sense.
‘It’s a good age to talk about not just braces, but oral hygiene,? Munk said.
Oral hygiene is also important during October because of Halloween. Munk and Long advise trick-or-treaters with braces to avoid sticky and hard candy to make sure braces are kept in top shape.
More and more children are getting braces, according to Long, and that’s a trend that signifies the importance of orthodontics.
‘In this day and age, with everything we know about dentistry in general, there shouldn’t be a child born in America who can’t have healthy teeth their entire lives,? Munk said.