Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Abby here with iHeartRadio in Salt Lake City. Welcoming Dr
Stacey Swilling, State Dental Director with Utah's Department of Health
and Human Services to the studios today. Great to see you,
Dr Swilling, Thanks for coming in.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Oh what a pleasure. Well, let's start with fluoride. Utah
is the first state in the nation to ban it
in public drinking water, a subject that has come under
much scrutiny. The American Dental Association says it's crucial in
preventing and controlling dental decay. Where does it come from?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
So floride is a mineral that's found in so gets
into our groundwater. We found about fifty years ago, sixty
seventy five years ago that in a community in Colorado,
their teeth were more resistant to getting cavities. And it
really started. People started like, why is this one community
have fewer cavities than other areas and they had a
(00:57):
high level of natural floride in their girl So it
was seeping was in their ground water, they were drinking it,
and that's when the research started and we realized that
we could add it to water systems and it would
be a safe and effective way to make your teeth
stronger and prevent getting cavities.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Well, an elephant replaces their teeth six times during their lifetime.
We only get two sets, So really it's imperative, isn't it, doctor,
that we take care of them.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yes, any issues you have as a child, they're going
to follow you through adulthood. You know. With florid, we
see a huge benefit with children as their teeth are
under their gums in their jawbone developing, and the fluoride
makes the teeth stronger and more resistant to getting a cavity.
But even for adults, especially as we start getting a
(01:49):
little bit of gum recession, those root surfaces are exposed.
The fluoride that you get through all of your products
that have fluoride in them help strengthen those and less cavities.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
So again, Utah is the first state in the nation
to ban it in public drinking water. If somebody actually
wants to add as supplement, what's the best advice you
can give somebody right now and where do they get it?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, obviously the easiest and quickest way to get the
fluoride is through using toothpaste that you can buy over
the counter. Brushing at least twice a day with the
toothpaste that has fluoride in it, but especially for children
ages six months to sixteen, we also recommend getting a
daily supplement, which is either drops or a tablet that's
(02:33):
taken every day. We find out how much water natural
fluoride is in your water and then give you the
correct dose so that as that child's teeth are developing,
they're becoming stronger with those fluid supplements.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Can you give somebody too much fluoride?
Speaker 2 (02:47):
The most common reaction that's going to happen if you
get too much fluoride is going to be little white
spots you get on the tea. So it's mainly mainly
a cosmetic thing. No, if you were to eat a toothpaste,
you could get too much fluoride, but using it daily,
just a little bit on your toothbrush to brush with
or of the supplements, you're not going to get too much.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Are there distinct instructions about the amount you add with
these supplements, because it's not just supplements as different methods
of applying it, like varnish and pills.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
So with florid supplements that you take orally the tablets,
the drops. What your prescriber is going to ask is
we're going to figure out how much natural fluoride is
in your drinking water, not added floride, just the natural
and then depending on that level and the age of
the child, that's how the dose is determined. And when
(03:41):
you go to the dentist, and for adults or children
when over age sixteen, using that home florid toothpaste or
getting a florid varnish applied while you're dentist will also
add protective measures.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
What about babies and infants under six months? What kind
of care should you be giving a baby and sending
their dental.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Cat Well, the biggest thing is don't put your baby
to bed with a bottle. If they have to go
to bed with the bottle, only put water in it,
because if you have milk in their mouth as their
teeth are coming in, the milk has sugar in it
and it'll start early childhood cavities to form. So after
(04:22):
your child eats, you know whether that's a bottle with
milk or formula breast milk, you want to take a
little rag and just wipe their gums off and then
make sure when their teeth start coming in you're wiping
their teeth off and then put them to bed without
a bottle.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
You should be starting a dental check up in the
first year, it shouldn't you with your baby.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
You should take your baby to the dentist, either by
the time they're one year old or when they're first
toothy rubs. A lot of that is going to be
an education for the parent and to get the child
used to being in the dental chair, you know, getting
comfortable with everything that's going on on there. But it's
also an education piece for the parents and for them
(05:04):
to show you how to properly take care of their teeth.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Also, toothpaste, you should be very careful that you don't
give the child too much. It should be only like
a grain of rice the size of toothpaste.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Yeah, so for children under age three, we say, like
a little grain of rice, just a little smear on
the toothbrush is all they need. For children about age
three to six, you want no more than a pea
sized amount. And the reason is we don't want the
child to swallow the toothpaste, and so we want to
limit the flora through their getting through their toothpaste before
(05:35):
they have that ability to spit the volishes.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
How do you apply those? I mean it looks like
you just paint them on the teeth. And how often
would that be appropriate?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Usually they're going to be given about two to four
times a year, depending on how much of a risk
of getting cavities the child or the adult has, And
they're usually given in the dental office in most settings,
that's where they're given, and your dentist or your high
genis will just, you know, gently take a little piece
of gauze to dry the teeth and paint it on
(06:05):
and it has a stickiness to it and it'll stick
to your tooth throughout the day. You know. One good
thing about it. You know, when I was growing up,
i'd get my floride treatment at the dentist office and
it'd be that foam or the rents and they would say, well,
you can't have anything to eat or drink for you know,
thirty minutes or an hour, and that always seemed to
be when I was the hungriest right after. But with
(06:27):
the varnish, you can eat or drink. We don't recommend
you going to get a hot cup of coffee, but
you're okay to eat or drink as soon as it's
put on, because it's going to stick. Just stick to
your teeth for really a day or so and continue
to be effective.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Getting children though into a dental routine at a young
age is a really good habit.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Oh, it's a very good habit. And also I would
say not only is it a good habit for the child,
but the parent or the caregiver needs to be in
there with them. You know. Kind of the rule with
THEMB is if your child can't tie their shoes, they
probably need somebody to help them brush their teeth. So
it's a good thing to let your child brush, but
(07:06):
maybe you go back and brush again or a little
closer to make sure you're getting all those surfaces of
the teeth, and to brush teeth at least twice a day.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Make sure you're doing the cleanup on them there. Also,
don't forget the tongue. And a soft bristled brush is
a good idea.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yes, I only recommend soft or extra soft or sensitive toothbrushes.
Medium or hard toothbrushes. They tend to solve away at
the tooth and cause more tooth problems than a soft
or an extra soft toothbrush.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Would you recommend a fluoried mouth.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Wash in certain situations. Yes, the toothpaste though, is the
most effective.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Anyone can check their local water district. It's a pretty
simple process.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Yeah. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality has a map
on their website where you can go in, put in
your home address and it'll pop up what your local
water district is. The best thing to do is to
call that local water district and ask them what the
natural floride level is.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
And if someone's looking for a low cost clinic and
a dentist in Utah for their baby, you do have
a website where they can go. You make it very
easy for them.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yes, on our Oral Health Program website and we have
a god for safety net clinics and the web address
there is Ruralhealth dot Utah dot gov slash, find a
dentist slash.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
And if you're also looking for a dentist that accepts Medicaid,
there's a consolidated list of providers also available. Where can
our listeners find that information.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Medicaid dot Utah dot gov slash, Dental coverage and plans slash.
And I think it's a good time also to just
throw in that now, all adults who are on Medicaid
have full dental coverage. So that went live in April,
and previously most adults in Utah didn't have access to
(09:07):
dental coverage if they were on Medicaid, and now they do.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
That's really valuable information. You can also call, Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
You can call eight oh one six zero eight nine
four two two to speak with the Medicaid health representative.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Is there anything else you would like to add that
we've missed out, or you would like to emphasize again
about dental care, or somebody worried about fluoride and what
they should do well.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
I really would like to take the opportunities to express
to all Utahns that you know just the importance of
oral health and how it impacts your overall health and wellness.
There's many things that are linked between how healthy your
mouth is and how healthy the rest of your body is.
But also take the time to say that with the
(09:52):
ban of community water fluoridation that affects Salt Lake County,
Davis County, and Brigham City, those were only communities that
added floride to water. So now it's a time really
just to bring this awareness to all of Utah that
maybe if you're in a different county than did Florida,
you didn't have this floridated water, but you can still
(10:14):
get these supplements.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Great, and again, where can they get those supplements?
Speaker 2 (10:18):
So you can get the supplements right now, you need
a prescription from a medical provider or your dentist. But
with the new legislation, pharmacist will be able to prescribe
without a prescription from a dentist or a medical provider.
The details are being hammered out and becoming fully legal,
(10:39):
so in the next few months, your pharmacist will be
able to give this floride to you.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Also, great information. Thanks to doctor Stacey's Swilling, State Dental
Director with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services
for sharing her expertise with us Today, I'm Appy Bonell
with iHeartRadio. Until next time.
Abby here with iHeartRadio in Salt Lake City. Welcoming Dr
Stacey Swilling, State Dental Director with Utah's Department of Health
and Human Services to the studios today. Great to see you,
Dr Swilling, Thanks for coming in.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Oh what a pleasure. Well, let's start with fluoride. Utah
is the first state in the nation to ban it
in public drinking water, a subject that has come under
much scrutiny. The American Dental Association says it's crucial in
preventing and controlling dental decay. Where does it come from?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
So floride is a mineral that's found in so gets
into our groundwater. We found about fifty years ago, sixty
seventy five years ago that in a community in Colorado,
their teeth were more resistant to getting cavities. And it
really started. People started like, why is this one community
have fewer cavities than other areas and they had a
(00:57):
high level of natural floride in their girl So it
was seeping was in their ground water, they were drinking it,
and that's when the research started and we realized that
we could add it to water systems and it would
be a safe and effective way to make your teeth
stronger and prevent getting cavities.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Well, an elephant replaces their teeth six times during their lifetime.
We only get two sets, So really it's imperative, isn't it, doctor,
that we take care of them.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yes, any issues you have as a child, they're going
to follow you through adulthood. You know. With florid, we
see a huge benefit with children as their teeth are
under their gums in their jawbone developing, and the fluoride
makes the teeth stronger and more resistant to getting a cavity.
But even for adults, especially as we start getting a
(01:49):
little bit of gum recession, those root surfaces are exposed.
The fluoride that you get through all of your products
that have fluoride in them help strengthen those and less cavities.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
So again, Utah is the first state in the nation
to ban it in public drinking water. If somebody actually
wants to add as supplement, what's the best advice you
can give somebody right now and where do they get it?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, obviously the easiest and quickest way to get the
fluoride is through using toothpaste that you can buy over
the counter. Brushing at least twice a day with the
toothpaste that has fluoride in it, but especially for children
ages six months to sixteen, we also recommend getting a
daily supplement, which is either drops or a tablet that's
(02:33):
taken every day. We find out how much water natural
fluoride is in your water and then give you the
correct dose so that as that child's teeth are developing,
they're becoming stronger with those fluid supplements.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Can you give somebody too much fluoride?
Speaker 2 (02:47):
The most common reaction that's going to happen if you
get too much fluoride is going to be little white
spots you get on the tea. So it's mainly mainly
a cosmetic thing. No, if you were to eat a toothpaste,
you could get too much fluoride, but using it daily,
just a little bit on your toothbrush to brush with
or of the supplements, you're not going to get too much.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Are there distinct instructions about the amount you add with
these supplements, because it's not just supplements as different methods
of applying it, like varnish and pills.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
So with florid supplements that you take orally the tablets,
the drops. What your prescriber is going to ask is
we're going to figure out how much natural fluoride is
in your drinking water, not added floride, just the natural
and then depending on that level and the age of
the child, that's how the dose is determined. And when
(03:41):
you go to the dentist, and for adults or children
when over age sixteen, using that home florid toothpaste or
getting a florid varnish applied while you're dentist will also
add protective measures.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
What about babies and infants under six months? What kind
of care should you be giving a baby and sending
their dental.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Cat Well, the biggest thing is don't put your baby
to bed with a bottle. If they have to go
to bed with the bottle, only put water in it,
because if you have milk in their mouth as their
teeth are coming in, the milk has sugar in it
and it'll start early childhood cavities to form. So after
(04:22):
your child eats, you know whether that's a bottle with
milk or formula breast milk, you want to take a
little rag and just wipe their gums off and then
make sure when their teeth start coming in you're wiping
their teeth off and then put them to bed without
a bottle.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
You should be starting a dental check up in the
first year, it shouldn't you with your baby.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
You should take your baby to the dentist, either by
the time they're one year old or when they're first
toothy rubs. A lot of that is going to be
an education for the parent and to get the child
used to being in the dental chair, you know, getting
comfortable with everything that's going on on there. But it's
also an education piece for the parents and for them
(05:04):
to show you how to properly take care of their teeth.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Also, toothpaste, you should be very careful that you don't
give the child too much. It should be only like
a grain of rice the size of toothpaste.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Yeah, so for children under age three, we say, like
a little grain of rice, just a little smear on
the toothbrush is all they need. For children about age
three to six, you want no more than a pea
sized amount. And the reason is we don't want the
child to swallow the toothpaste, and so we want to
limit the flora through their getting through their toothpaste before
(05:35):
they have that ability to spit the volishes.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
How do you apply those? I mean it looks like
you just paint them on the teeth. And how often
would that be appropriate?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Usually they're going to be given about two to four
times a year, depending on how much of a risk
of getting cavities the child or the adult has, And
they're usually given in the dental office in most settings,
that's where they're given, and your dentist or your high
genis will just, you know, gently take a little piece
of gauze to dry the teeth and paint it on
(06:05):
and it has a stickiness to it and it'll stick
to your tooth throughout the day. You know. One good
thing about it. You know, when I was growing up,
i'd get my floride treatment at the dentist office and
it'd be that foam or the rents and they would say, well,
you can't have anything to eat or drink for you know,
thirty minutes or an hour, and that always seemed to
be when I was the hungriest right after. But with
(06:27):
the varnish, you can eat or drink. We don't recommend
you going to get a hot cup of coffee, but
you're okay to eat or drink as soon as it's
put on, because it's going to stick. Just stick to
your teeth for really a day or so and continue
to be effective.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Getting children though into a dental routine at a young
age is a really good habit.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Oh, it's a very good habit. And also I would
say not only is it a good habit for the child,
but the parent or the caregiver needs to be in
there with them. You know. Kind of the rule with
THEMB is if your child can't tie their shoes, they
probably need somebody to help them brush their teeth. So
it's a good thing to let your child brush, but
(07:06):
maybe you go back and brush again or a little
closer to make sure you're getting all those surfaces of
the teeth, and to brush teeth at least twice a day.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Make sure you're doing the cleanup on them there. Also,
don't forget the tongue. And a soft bristled brush is
a good idea.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yes, I only recommend soft or extra soft or sensitive toothbrushes.
Medium or hard toothbrushes. They tend to solve away at
the tooth and cause more tooth problems than a soft
or an extra soft toothbrush.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Would you recommend a fluoried mouth.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Wash in certain situations. Yes, the toothpaste though, is the
most effective.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Anyone can check their local water district. It's a pretty
simple process.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Yeah. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality has a map
on their website where you can go in, put in
your home address and it'll pop up what your local
water district is. The best thing to do is to
call that local water district and ask them what the
natural floride level is.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
And if someone's looking for a low cost clinic and
a dentist in Utah for their baby, you do have
a website where they can go. You make it very
easy for them.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yes, on our Oral Health Program website and we have
a god for safety net clinics and the web address
there is Ruralhealth dot Utah dot gov slash, find a
dentist slash.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
And if you're also looking for a dentist that accepts Medicaid,
there's a consolidated list of providers also available. Where can
our listeners find that information.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Medicaid dot Utah dot gov slash, Dental coverage and plans slash.
And I think it's a good time also to just
throw in that now, all adults who are on Medicaid
have full dental coverage. So that went live in April,
and previously most adults in Utah didn't have access to
(09:07):
dental coverage if they were on Medicaid, and now they do.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
That's really valuable information. You can also call, Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
You can call eight oh one six zero eight nine
four two two to speak with the Medicaid health representative.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Is there anything else you would like to add that
we've missed out, or you would like to emphasize again
about dental care, or somebody worried about fluoride and what
they should do well.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
I really would like to take the opportunities to express
to all Utahns that you know just the importance of
oral health and how it impacts your overall health and wellness.
There's many things that are linked between how healthy your
mouth is and how healthy the rest of your body is.
But also take the time to say that with the
(09:52):
ban of community water fluoridation that affects Salt Lake County,
Davis County, and Brigham City, those were only communities that
added floride to water. So now it's a time really
just to bring this awareness to all of Utah that
maybe if you're in a different county than did Florida,
you didn't have this floridated water, but you can still
(10:14):
get these supplements.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Great, and again, where can they get those supplements?
Speaker 2 (10:18):
So you can get the supplements right now, you need
a prescription from a medical provider or your dentist. But
with the new legislation, pharmacist will be able to prescribe
without a prescription from a dentist or a medical provider.
The details are being hammered out and becoming fully legal,
(10:39):
so in the next few months, your pharmacist will be
able to give this floride to you.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Also, great information. Thanks to doctor Stacey's Swilling, State Dental
Director with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services
for sharing her expertise with us Today, I'm Appy Bonell
with iHeartRadio. Until next time.
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