Cole Memorial Hospital | Cole Today | Winter 2015

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YOUR CHILD’S
CHOMPERS
BABY TEETH DON’T last forever. But keeping them—
and the whole mouth—healthy is important for many
reasons. Those teeth:
● ● Allow your child to chew more easily.
● ● Enable your child to speak clearly.
● ● Act as placeholders for the adult teeth that will come
later in childhood.
Get your child on the path to a healthy smile from
the beginning. The steps that keep your little one’s teeth
and gums healthy are the same three steps you (should)
follow yourself: brush, floss and get regular checkups.
EASY AS 1-2-3 While the basics are the same, baby teeth
do have some special considerations. Here are the details
you need to know, step-by-step, for taking care of your
infant’s or young child’s teeth.
1 Cleaning gums and teeth. Before teeth even appear,
clean your baby’s gums with a soft, damp cloth twice a
day. Once teeth start to appear, use just a tiny smear of
fluoride toothpaste until your child is 3 years old. Then
use a pea-sized amount until age 6—just be sure your
little one spits it out and doesn’t swallow it. Your child will
continue to need help with brushing until around age 8.
2 Flossing. Once there are two or more teeth touching,
you can floss your child’s teeth each day. Again, you’ll
need to help your child with this for a few years at least.
3 Going to the dentist. Baby’s first visit to the dentist
should happen around age 1, or about six months after the
first tooth appears. Take your child for a dental checkup every
six months—more often if your dentist recommends it.
What else? Make it fun. Sing songs or make up silly
names for each tooth as you brush your child’s teeth.
Guard against decay. Avoid giving your baby juice
or milk in a bottle at bedtime—that increases the risk
of cavities. For older tots, frequent snacking can be the
culprit behind dental caries (cavities).
Be an example. Brush and floss every day. Your child
will take note.
Cole Memorial’s dental health program now accepts
United Concordia dental insurance. For details or an
appointment, call 814-274-9198. No child will be
denied care due to inability to pay.
Sources: Academy of General Dentistry; American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; American
Dental Association
This program is funded, in part,
under a Community Based Health
Care Grant from the Pennsylvania
Department of Health.
INFECTION CONTROL AND YOU
DESPITE THE CONSIDERABLE number of worry-
ing news stories in the United States about Ebola, Cole
Memorial is committed to instilling calm confidence in
our patients, staff, community partners and the public.
Pennsylvania has not seen any patient cases of Ebola.
However, Cole Memorial’s infection control team incorpo-
rates the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) guidelines into our protocols for responding to a
potentially infected patient.
“I want people to know that our team at Cole is on top
of this issue, that we have plans and we have reached out to
our tertiary-level partners if their involvement is needed,”
says Ed Pitchford, president and CEO of Cole Memorial.
“I am more than confident that our response, if needed,
will be professional, calm, measured and effective.”
Cole Memorial has focused on providing educational
resources about infection prevention for the public in
response to their questions and concerns about the
disease. For example, local emergency medical services
teams attended a workshop for “Ebola: EMS Preparedness
& Response” on Nov. 12 at the hospital. Additionally, a
new “Frequently Asked Questions” section has been added
to the Health Library at , and
Cole Memorial posts regular Facebook updates and re-
sponses to Ebola and other infection control topics to
educate and protect families.
What can you do? Focus on protection from more
common infections and seasonal viruses, such as colds,
influenza and pneumonia. How? By practicing healthy
hygiene habits, including:
● ● Getting the appropriate vaccines.
● ● Avoiding contact with people who are sick.
● ● Washing your hands frequently—use alcohol-based
hand gels as needed.
● ● Staying home if you are sick (so you do not spread the
illness to other people).
● ● Using a tissue or coughing and sneezing into your arm,
not your hand. Turn away from other people.
● ● Using single-use tissues, and disposing of them
immediately.
● ● Washing your hands after coughing, sneezing or us-
ing tissues.
● ● Having children play with hard-surface toys that can
be easily cleaned.
● ● Not touching your eyes, nose or mouth (germs can
spread this way).
● ● Not sharing cups, glasses, dishes or cutlery.
● ● Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects to re-
duce contamination.
● ● Getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, man-
aging your stress, drinking plenty of fluids and eating
nutritious food.
For more information or to locate a Cole
Memorial health care provider, please visit
or call 814-274-5392.
We l l n e s s
SMILE TIME: Dental hygienist Beth Pantuso helps Natalie and Savannah Berry get off to a good start on their
dental health at Cole Memorial’s pediatric dental office in Coudersport.
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