Maggie McKay (Host): Getting good dental care for your children should not depend on finances. So today, dental hygienist, Colleen Krueger, will tell us about free pediatric dental screenings. Welcome to Stoughton Health Talk, a podcast from Stoughton Health. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. Thank you so much for joining us today, Colleen.

Colleen Krueger: You're welcome, Maggie.

Host: So, what services are available at a pediatric dental screening?

Colleen Krueger: Well, we meet the family. We count the teeth that are in the child's mouth. We look for visible decay, clean the plaque off. We polish, we floss. We educate them on diet and how to brush properly at home, demonstrate to the child and the parents and any siblings that are along, how to properly care for things and brush food debris off and basically take good care of their mouth.

Host: And why are pediatric dental screenings important? Because people might think, "Oh, they're just their baby teeth."

Colleen Krueger: While people do say that a lot, your baby teeth are important for your bone structure and also holding space for your permanent teeth. So, the baby teeth in the back of your mouth stay in your mouth until you're around 10 or 12 years old, which is a lot longer than people imagine. Educating kids and families on preventing any oral problems is important so that they can have a healthy systemic life and also identifying any oral conditions that may need management in the child's future.

Host: Colleen, are parents involved in the process? Because I know a lot of parents get nervous and they want to be right there, understandably, with their child.

Colleen Krueger: Absolutely. The parents are asked to be involved. Hopefully, they want to be involved. We actually show them how to brush their child's teeth. We show them what's going on in their child's mouth. And believe it or not, most of the small patients we see don't buy their own groceries. So, it's important for the parents to know things that are maybe hidden sugars in foods and things that they maybe don't want their kids eating that they perceive as a healthy treat that really isn't.

Host: And you talked about why pediatric dental screenings are important. Why is early dental care important?

Colleen Krueger: Well, it's important to assess the risk factors early on and identify any trouble areas or conditions that I said before that might need management throughout their childhood, and then just starting good habits and also building trust. Having somebody look in your mouth puts you in a vulnerable position. And we want kids to be comfortable with that so that through their life, they can be comfortable visiting a dental "home" and get good care through their entire life.

Host: And who's eligible for a free pediatric dental screening?

Colleen Krueger: Well, right now, the Neighborhood Free Clinic is seeing kids ages one through nine. The people that are eligible, I think, in Dane County, they're within the Stoughton Health Services area, which is Albion, Brooklyn, Cambridge, Cottage Grove, Evansville, Edgerton, Deerfield, McFarland, Oregon, Stoughton, just that area.

Host: And where are you located?

Colleen Krueger: Well, the clinic is located across from Kegonsa Elementary School, which is 1520 Vernon Street in Stoughton.

Host: How does someone get a hold of your clinic?

Colleen Krueger: Well, probably the best way to get a hold of the clinic, there is a website that they have, and then there's a phone number that you can call, which is 608-205-0505. And there's a separate number for text messages. And that number is 608-400-7153.

Host: Colleen, is there anything else you'd like to add in closing?

Colleen Krueger: Oh, I'm happy that you're kind of getting the word out there. We really hope that people will utilize this clinic. It's a great thing for our community and we're happy to be offering it.

Host: It's awesome. I mean, what a great opportunity. Free dental screenings, I mean, if you went to a dentist, how much would it be?

Colleen Krueger: Gosh.

Host: Over a hundred?

Colleen Krueger: A couple of hundred dollars. Yeah.

Host: Right. Exactly.

Colleen Krueger: I do want to say that our dental clinic does not have a dentist on staff right now. But if there are any concerns that we perceive during a screening, we are able to refer the patient and family to a place where they can receive dental care.

Host: That's great. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise. This is so important for parents to know. We really appreciate your time.

Colleen Krueger: Absolutely. Happy to do it.

Host: Again, that's Colleen Krueger. If you'd like to find out more, please visit neighborhoodfreehealthclinic.org. That's neighborhoodfreehealthclinic.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thank you for listening. I'm Maggie McKay. This is Stoughton Health Talk, a podcast from Stoughton Health.