Smile on brightly

TUXEDO — As part of Children’s Dental Health Month, George Grant Mason Elementary School in Tuxedo celebrated with three distinct programs:

First, speech language therapist Stephanie Bussard sent home dental packets for families grades K-6 to promote dental health, with an emphasis on how the tongue and teeth play a significant role in the production of the sounds that make up our speech.

To increase awareness of dental health, Bussard also asked the school to participate in a “Sugarless Wednesday.” The idea behind “Sugarless Wednesday” is that children and adults should become more aware of healthy nutritional choices as well as the impact of diet on teeth and overall health.

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, the children and faculty at the George Grant Mason School accepted the challenge to go through an entire day without sugar. The “survivors” received a “Sugarless Wednesday Survivor Certificate.”

Bussard also invited dentist Dr. Se-A Chung, from Alpha & Omega Dental in Tuxedo Park, to the school to emphasize the importance of establishing good dental habits for kindergarten and first grade.

Chung prepared a Power Point presentation which taught the children all about their teeth and how to properly take care of them.

The children enjoyed the presentation and their time with Chung, as well as her assistants Shannon Beysel and Estela Vazquez, who explained how to correctly brush and floss with Dennis the Dental Dinosaur.

Before leaving, Chung donated a travel case that contained a newsletter, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and a two-minute timer for each student.