68 | HealthLinksSC.com One Saturday in 1965, 4-year-old Louie Lewis got in the car with his father, left his home in Taylors, South Carolina, and headed to a small brick building 3 miles away that he had never been to before. His father had told him they were going to see a “tooth doctor.” “We walked in and a man with a big smile said, ‘I’m Dr. Mickey Flynn, and I’m going to be your dentist,’” Lewis, now a Greenville County resident, recalled. “He was my dentist for the next 11 years – and, because of him, I was on board early with everything about teeth and mouth care.” It was a fortuitous moment for Lewis, “but it didn’t seem special at the time – except that for years I was the only kid I knew who liked going to the dentist.” But now, Lewis’ dental encounter seems as much a rarity as it did in 1965. Despite better dental methods, more dental encouragement and more knowledge about how to keep teeth strong and lasting longer than ever, the need to get children on board early with teeth and mouth care is as big a concern to dentists as ever. The American Dental Association recommends that children visit a dentist for the first time around their first birthday. “It’s extremely important for children under age 5 to see the dentist,” said Dr. Ivy White, a partner at Sewee Dental Care in Mount Pleasant with her father, Dr. Eddie White. “Beyond just diagnosing decay, the most important goals of the initial dental By L. C. Leach III HEALTHY SMILES AND TEETH: START EARLY
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