Health Matters - Apple Magazine Health Matters Spring 2018 | Page 8

Primary Objective
WRITTEN BY JACQUELINE LOUIE
PHOTOS ©TRUDIE LEE
Many people hesitate to get oral health care
because of cost, accessibility and not knowing
where to go. That’s precisely why the Ronald
McDonald Care Mobile™ travels to underserved
Calgary communities to provide free dental
hygiene for kids up to age five, as well as
nutritional and health education.
Brittany Siry, a Care Mobile dental hygienist
(pictured here) worked with four-year-old Livia
Pontarollo and her mother, Stephanie. Livia
needed major dental surgery because of tooth
decay, a common problem in young children.
Health goal
Stephanie says: I want Livia to be happy, healthy
and confident. I want her teeth to not be an
issue for her. I met with the dental hygienist,
Brittany, and she suggested a new dentist for
us. She also did an application for a funding
grant to help with the cost of the dental surgery.
I couldn’t have done any of this without her.
How Livia feels now
Stephanie says: The surgery was great. Livia is in
high spirits and excelling at school. She doesn’t
feel self-conscious anymore.
Livia says: I feel better. Not hurting, and that’s a
good thing.
Working together
Siry says: Working with Livia, her family and
community partners, we helped Livia get the
treatment she needed to be pain-free and
confident entering kindergarten. Livia was so
excited to show me her new smile and tell me
about the positive changes she’d made to her
oral health routine.
We help families to feel confident in caring for
their children’s teeth. Even though baby teeth
fall out, they are extremely important to prevent
bigger, more expensive and more painful
problems.
HEALTH MATTERS
SPRING 2018
EIGHT