Kansas City Academy of Family Physicians

It’s okay only if those baby teeth are taken cared of properly and part of a healthy mouth.  They may only have a life span of a few years, but are so important for many reasons. We need our kids to have good teeth from the beginning. F irst, those teeth are all they have to chew with until around the age of 6 or 7 when the first permanent molars come in, sometimes referred to as “six-year molars”.  Around the same time, they are losing eight incisors and having new front teeth erupt. Consequently, they may not have very many functioning teeth at different times so the ones they do have are critical.  If there is a diminished capacity to properly chew food, it can lead to poor nutrition and digestion issues even in young people. Children who end up with cavities that are not restored can develop toothaches and abscesses just like adults.  However, that can happen quicker in baby teeth. Since they are designed to only last a short time, any problems can rapidly invo

Experts call glaucoma “the sneak thief of sight” because there are no symptoms in the early stages such as blurred vision, a feeling of pressure in or behind the eye or pain. When a person finally notices a change in their sight over 40% of their optic nerve (the nerve that transmits the light from our eyes back to our brain) may be destroyed. This damage is permanent. Once the individual sees symptoms it can be difficult to prevent more damage, vision loss or potential blindness. Experts estimate that over 3 million Americans have glaucoma and 50% of them don’t know it. It accounts for 9 -12% of all blindness. As Americans age the Glaucoma Research Foundation predicts an epidemic of blindness looming. The purpose of Glaucoma Awareness Month is to educate people about the importance of regular eye exams to preserve vision. Many people are unaware that a simple and painless test at the eye doctor’s office can determine if a person has or is developing glaucoma. Treatment ca