Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Sep 17/99) - Don't brush too hard or use a toothbrush with hard bristles.

That's advice from Lory Haeusler, the new dental therapist for the Deh Cho region. Haeusler has a wealth of information to share regarding good oral hygiene. She will be in classrooms around the Deh Cho over the course of the school year to instruct students in important preventative lessons such as how to brush and floss properly.

There will also be experiments like taking two eggs, coating one in fluoride and then immersing them in vinegar (representing the acid in one's mouth). The point of the experiment is visibly obvious, she said.

Haeusler, who graduated from dental therapy school in Regina, Sask., in 1987, most recently worked in Fort McPherson. She has also spent four-and-a-half years in the Baffin. One of the challenges of her job is to explain the role of a dental therapist. She's often mistaken for a dentist, a dental assistant or a dental hygienist.

In reality, her position combines aspects of all three of those jobs, she said. A dentist, however, does more complicated work such as root canals, bridges and dentures. Haeusler will primarily stick with filling cavities, administering novocaine, taking X-rays and extracting bad teeth when necessary. Working alone, she's also responsible for tasks such as sterilizing the instruments and organizing charts.

Some students, like Grade 6 student Kristen Thom, think having a dental therapist is "fine." Then there are those like April Fradsham, also in Grade 6, who are a little uneasy.

"I'm kind of worried, but then I like the dentist sometimes," she said. "I like the stuff they put in your mouth -- the fluoride, but not the drill. Then, I probably won't need it because I have good teeth."

Haeusler is used to students displaying a little apprehension when they step into her office. Some of it stems from simply hearing others talk negatively of dental visits, she noted.

"Some kids are anxious about just sitting in this chair," she said. "That's why I like to get into the classrooms, so the kids get to know me... and I can help them get through the anxiety by introducing them to the dental clinic."

In the classroom, she teaches them how imperative it is to eat a balanced diet to build strong teeth. It's not just a matter of avoiding junk food. "I think people forget you need all your vegetables and milk, a good, healthy diet," she explained.

When there's simply no time to brush after a meal, chewing sugarless gum is handy, but eating a piece of cheese is preferable, she noted. In addition to the nutrients the cheese provides, it contains something in its enzymes that neutralize the acid in plaque, she said.

Of course, it's best to take good care of one's teeth while young, she noted. As we age, our teeth gradually harden and then gum disease is the primary concern. Pressing with a toothbrush too hard results in wearing away the enamel on one's teeth and causes the gums to recede, she explained.

"And once they're gone, they're gone," she said. "They aren't coming back."

These are things Haeusler will be able to tell you in person as she travels from community to community with her portable equipment -- she doesn't travel lightly, either.

"Theoretically, it can all go with me," she said of her cases of gear she was unpacking in the dental therapist's office in Bompas school. "It's big, bulky and heavy but it can all go with me."