Dental Care Much Appreciated By New Mexico Students

At least one in five children in the U.S. go without annual dental care and most states lack policies that ensure care for low-income children, according to a study by the Pew Center on the States.

But New Mexico is one state that is showing promise in dental health programs for children. Elev8 has contributed to that trend by bringing dental care to hundreds of middle grade students.

Diana Burnham, RDH, MS, a dental hygienist, wrote about her experience working with one 8th grade student at Wilson Middle School:

"The first time that I met this young lady was while helping the school nurse by providing dental screenings during the mandatory 8th grade assessments. She mentioned that she had never been to a dentist or had a cleaning and that one of her teeth was causing her pain.  My assessment revealed a broken upper molar and generalized HEAVY plaque and tartar above and below the gum line. Her gums were red, severely inflamed and bled even with the slightest touch. I scheduled her for a cleaning and planned to do one quarter of the mouth at a time, however once she saw how amazing her teeth were starting to look she pleaded with me to continue.  I completed x-rays, pictures and cleaned the lower teeth during her electives on one day and she returned during her electives the next day to complete her treatment.

I have been a hygienist for awhile now and still nothing makes me happier than when I can see that my job has made an impact on someone’s life. She couldn’t believe that wher teeth were “so white”. She was unable to stop smiling and looking at her teeth in the mirror. Her excitement and the way her face lit up completely touched my heart."

The dental screening made a big impression on the student as well. She ended up writing Burnham a letter:

My first time going to the school [hygienist] was great! The [hygienist] there was really nice.  She even started calling me her friend! My teeth weren’t in the best shape but what I had was “reversable” like the [hygienist] said.  I had something called tartar on my teeth.  The [hygienist] said it wouldn’t take that long to fix.  My bottom teeth were the real problem because I’ve had tartar there from 14 years ago! But the [hygienist] fixed my teeth in 2 school days.  And I didn’t even miss a lot of schoolwork because she did it when I had my electives! Now my teeth look GREAT! I can actually feel EACH INDIVIDUAL TOOTH! That’s a great feeling. And I owe it all to my friend the [hygienist]!!!     

Thank you so much for helping me with my teeth! I really don’t know how to thank you enough. Oh yeah, I heard you have to have a really cool signature if you’re a doctor or dentist, and I want to be either or, so do you think that this is good enough?... (her signature was on the letter)

Elev8 also provides dental care to children in Oakland, CA, Chicago, IL, and Baltimore, MD.