Local Masons give tooth kits to first graders

By Melinda L. Lucas

All first graders at Nancy Smith Elementary School were recently given free prevent tooth decay kits through the Fantastic Teeth Fan Club. 

Members of Albany Masonic Lodge, led by John Tate and Robert Skelton, assembled and delivered 41 dental hygiene kits to the school.

School nurse Lisa Russell and first grade teachers Roxanne Raymond and Lori Warren taught a short lesson about tooth care.

The two Masons distributed the kits to the students to take home.

The Fantastic Teeth Fan Club, sponsored by Masonic Home and School of Texas (MHS), strives to prevent suffering from toothaches, reduce missed school days due to dental problems, and cut costs for dental treatment.

The kits contain a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, healthy teeth sticker, two-minute timer, information for parents, and a summary of MHS services.

According to the Surgeon General, tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease – five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. 

Dental problems also directly affect success for children, with more than 51 million school hours lost each year to dental-related illness. Teachers have judged both classroom performance and classroom behavior to be significantly poorer among children in need of dental care. 

Masonic Home and School of Texas is a non-profit organization with a history of helping children across Texas for more than 100 years.