By MICHAEL STRAND

Salina Journal

"You have 20 teeth -- did you know that, sweetie?" Carrie Newman asks as she begins work on Reyes Garcia's teeth.

It was the 5-year-old's first time to have a dental cleaning, so Newman, a dental hygienist, was explaining everything as she worked.

"I'm going to use this special toothbrush, one that spins around," she said, showing Garcia the equipment and how it works. "And you'll have this special straw that sucks everything up so you don't have to swallow it."

The last warning -- and promise -- before the cleaning started: "It's going to tickle your teeth -- are you ready? Your teeth are going to feel so good!"

Meanwhile, a Winnie the Pooh video played where Garcia could see it, and her 3-year-old brother, Fidel Garcia Jr., watched and waited his turn.

The Garcias were among the first of 50 children to be examined Wednesday evening by Salina dentist Dr. Lynn Wuthnow, with some also getting a dental cleaning or a fluoride varnish to help strengthen their teeth.

Wuthnow has volunteered her time about one night a month for several years to check the dental health of children at Heartland Programs Head Start, and this was the first time cleanings were part of the program.

Besides the exams and cleanings, Head Start nurses Cris Boughton and Debby McGraw were providing fluoride treatments.

A former Head Start child

Newman, who works at New Horizons Dental Care, was working alongside Meghan Hashaw, also a hygienist at New Horizons, to clean the teeth of those Wuthnow said needed it.

The two got involved when Hashaw, who went to Head Start when she was little, was talking with a patient one day and mentioned Head Start; from there, they got to talking about options for volunteering.

"This is a way to give something back," Hashaw said.

Wuthnow first got involved when one of her hygienists, who had been working with Head Start children, had to stop because new rules required that a dentist perform the exams.

Though this was their first time to volunteer, Newman and Hashaw already are planning another visit near the end of March to help a few more children.

"Hopefully, we can get caught up, and then get everybody on a schedule and stay caught up," Newman said.

They were using cleaning equipment provided by Salina Family HealthCare Center. Every child received a new toothbrush and other supplies provided by the Delta Dental Foundation.

Reyes Garcia's teeth were fine, as were her brother's, and their mother, Twilia, was pleased with how well both children were behaving for their first dental visit.

She'd been surprised to find that children as young as her's were ready for dental care, saying she thought 5 would be the youngest age.

"She's doing really well," Twilia said of Reyes during her cleaning. She added that she was glad both children had good teeth.

"We don't let them eat a lot of candy," she said.

That's what Wuthnow likes to hear.

On Wednesday night, only one child was found to have pressing dental problems -- but it wasn't always like that.

"When I first started coming here, lots of the kids had needs," she said, as the children were typically downing far more pop and candy than they should.

But since then, Wuthnow said, Head Start has been working to educate parents about healthier snack options -- and it's made a difference.

"Every year, I'm seeing less and less," she said.

n Reporter Mike Strand can be reached at 822-1418 or by e-mail at mstrand@salina.com.

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