STORY: KID FALSE TEETH
SCRIPT #570
AIRDATE: Monday, August 9, 2004
Daybreak and Midday
DHC #19 Timecode: 50:15 Here’s a new trend in dentistry: false baby teeth for young children.
Dentists are creating pediatric dentures
for kids who suffer traumatic tooth
loss before their permanent teeth come
in.
Dr. Linda Niessen explains in today’s
Sovt: 1:43 Dental Health Check.
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TORI WITHOUT DENTURES (VOICE-OVER)
It happened to young Lauren at age 3.
A sudden fall fractured the roots of
four baby teeth.
SUPER: Mary Purser :08-14 (“I saw a lot of blood. I covered her
Lauren’s Mother mouth. At that point, I thought she
bit her tongue off. We ran to the
emergency room.”)
ON CAMERA (STAND-UP BRIDGE)
SUPER: Dr. Linda Niessen :16-21 When three or more teeth are lost, a child
Baylor College of Dentistry faces not just a cosmetic problem. Speaking
and chewing may also be affected.
SUPER: Dr. Bob Morgan :23-28 (“We worry about the permanent teeth.
Pediatric Dentist So once we establish that the permanent
teeth aren’t damaged. Then we worry about
the healing. So we let the sutures and the
damage to the gums heal up. Then we bring
them back in. And I’m able to look at a parent and say, it’s okay. It’s okay. We’re
going to fix this.”)
DR. MORGAN AT WORK Dr. Bob Morgan is a pediatric dentist who
often meets parents and children in a
hospital emergency department.
DR. MORGAN (“In the old days, we didn’t really worry about this too much. People would knock out a tooth and we’d leave it. Well, now
the kids go what happened to you. And the
adults go, oh my, what happened to you.
And all of a sudden, the kids start thinking
what’s wrong with me. Do I look bad because my teeth aren’t there.”)
PEDIATRIC PARTIAL DENTURES Dr. Morgan and other dentists
fix the problem by creating a pediatric
partial denture made out of acrylic.
DR. MORGAN (“They glue in. They stay put. We can
eat or drink anything we want. They eat
corn on the cob. They eat apples.”)
TORI WITH HER DENTURE Young Tori damaged two front teeth in
a fall. She wears a partial denture.
SUPER: Wes Gliem 1:21-1:26 (“It made us feel a lot better because the
Tori’s Father last thing we wanted was to go around three or four years without any front teeth.
It was a blessing.”)
ON CAMERA (STAND-UP CLOSE)
YOUNG PATIENTS WITH TEETH
When the permanent teeth start to come in,
the dentist removes the pediatric bridge and the child then can join those classmates
who have naturally lost their front baby
teeth. For Baylor College of Dentistry,
Texas A & M System, I’m Dr. Linda Niessen, Channel 8 News.