Free dental sealant clinic

IU South Bend Dental Hygiene Clinic will be providing the community with a free dental sealant clinic for kids ages 6-14.

The clinic will be held on Friday, March 26, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday March 27, 8 a.m. to noon and will take place in Riverside Hall, 1960 Northside Blvd.

“A dental sealant provides a protective barrier to the chewing surfaces of the molars and premolars, which are the teeth that are most often subjected to decay,” said Kathy Gipson, clinical lecturer in dental education at IUSB.

Gipson is the coordinator of the community practice class and will be assisting students in organizing the dental sealant clinic.

“The free sealant clinic is an annual part of the Dental Hygiene program, said Gipson. “The students get the opportunity to provide service to their local community.”

The free clinic is also an opportunity for parents to save money, provide their kids with healthy dental hygiene, and support the IUSB Dental Hygiene program.

“General dentists will charge approximately $40 per tooth,” said Gipson. “We normally charge $5 a tooth at the Dental Hygiene Clinic.”

The clinic is a simple process that is fairly quick and easy to complete, but provides many years of protection and prevention of decay. The small amount of time taken to complete the process out weighs the time and money that may be spent on extra visits to the dentist in the future.

“The sealant process is a painless procedure where a sealant is applied to permanent posterior teeth, said Dental Hygiene student Susan Schroeder. “The appointment only takes about a half hour to complete.”

Dental sealants are a common procedure for the prevention of cavities and tooth decay. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 40.12% of kids age 9-11 in the United States received dental sealants from 1999-2004.

“We are trying to prevent the cavities before they start,” said Schroeder. “Preventative maintenance is the main goal of dentistry.”

To schedule an appointment call: (574) 520-4156. Walk-in appointments will also be accepted if there are empty chairs available. For more information on the IUSB Dental Hygiene Clinic, visit: www.iusb.edu/~sbdental/Dentalhygieneclinic.shtml.

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