Mentoring benefits are a two-way street

January is National Mentoring Month

For 17 years, the WDA, Marquette University School of Dentistry and Pierre Fauchard Academy have been enabling the formation of relationships between dental students and practicing dentists.

These relationships provide student dentists with invaluable resources and wisdom from their mentor dentists.

“What I am able to share is a level of calm and reality to the dental school experience and a perspective of what lies ahead in a dental career,” said Dr. Jeffrey Moos of Mondovi, a longtime program mentor He went on to say he will continue mentoring dental students and describes his involvement in the program as, “…a small way to give back, utilize my experience and take pride in the success of another.”

Student protégées aren’t the only ones who benefit from the Mentor Program.

“We try to be a sounding board for the student’s questions and concerns and find that our own enthusiasm for dentistry is magnified in the process,” said Dr. Mary Eileen Geary of Brookfield. MORE>>

Why baby teeth matter

It’s a myth to think taking care of baby (primary) teeth isn’t necessary since they eventually fall out. The truth is baby teeth DO matter and kids can keep their back teeth – the ones they chew with – until their early teens.

Baby teeth are very important to a child’s early physical, social and emotional development.

Tooth decay or cavities is a serious disease. More than half of all children have cavities by the second grade. They are a serious, infectious and transmissible disease that can spread and lead to infection without proper precautions.

The good news is early childhood caries (cavities) are preventable. MORE>>