Florida kids benefit from one-day clinic
Youngsters in Florida attended a special one-day clinic last week to celebrate dental health as part of the national Give Kids a Smile programme.
The one-off clinic, which was held at the Suncoast Community Health Center in Ruskin, offered around 50 children aged under 17 free dental care. The event is part of the series of events and celebrations being held right across America to help improve standards of dental health amongst children.
The clinic offered services to children from low income families; due to the high demand for affordable care, the clinic only invited children from families that were classified as poor according to the federal poverty guidelines; these families have an annual income of less than $44,000 and therefore struggle to pay for insurance and health and dental care.
During the day the children received more than $45,000 dollars worth of free dental care, which included fillings, extractions and polishing; in addition, many children benefitted from preventive services, which will help to protect their teeth and gums in the future.
After the children had been treated, dentists involved in the event lamented the state of oral health amongst young children from underprivileged backgrounds; many of them were suffering from extensive decay and gum conditions.
Dentists across America have called for improved services and increased government support for poorer children; investing money into educating children and providing preventive services, such as sealant programmes and screening, will save millions of dollars in the long-run and will help children to understand the importance of good oral health.
Targeting children will help to reduce government spending in the future and save children from having complex treatments as a young age; children that grow up with a good oral hygiene routine are also more likely to pass on their good habits to other generations, which will further improve standards of oral health in the future.
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i need help with braces i dont have lots of money please help with any info i have medicaid but they do not pay.