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“Children’s Dental Health: Key Points for Parents”

By
Guest Columnist
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Good dental health in children is crucial for overall well-being. Healthy teeth enable proper chewing, speech development, and contribute to self-esteem. Prioritizing dental health through education, preventive care, and regular check-ups lays the foundation for a lifetime of healthy smiles. The following topics are common discussion points of children’s dental health.

First Dental Visit

Children should visit the dentist by their first birthday or within six months after their first tooth erupts. Early visits help establish a dental home and allow the dental care team to monitor oral development and provide guidance on proper care. Regular dental visits every six months are essential for monitoring dental health and catching potential issues early.

Fluoride Treatments

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that helps prevent tooth decay. Fluoride treatments can help strengthen tooth enamel, making it more resistant to acids produced by bacteria in the mouth. This in turn helps to significantly reduce the risk of cavities and promote stronger, healthier teeth. Dentists often recommend fluoride treatments for children and may also suggest fluoride toothpaste for at home use.

Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are thin coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of molars (back teeth) to protect them from cavities. Sealants act as a barrier against food particles and bacteria. They are typically recommended for children once their permanent molars emerge, usually around age six.

Visiting An Orthodontist

Children should have their first evaluation with an orthodontist by age seven. At this age, an orthodontist can identify potential issues with tooth alignment and bite. Early intervention may prevent more severe problems later and can help guide the growth of the jaw.

Thumb Sucking

Thumb sucking is common in infants and toddlers and usually doesn’t cause issues if stopped by age four. Prolonged thumb sucking can lead to dental problems, such as misalignment of teeth or changes in the roof of the mouth. If a child continues thumb sucking beyond this age, parents should consult a dentist for advice.

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Baby bottle tooth decay occurs when sugary liquids like milk or juice cling to a child’s teeth, leading to decay. To prevent this, avoid putting a baby to bed with a bottle and ensure regular cleaning of the child’s teeth and gums. Water can be used as a nighttime beverage.

 

Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)

Teeth grinding, or bruxism, is common in children, especially during sleep. It can be caused by stress, misaligned teeth, or other factors. If grinding is frequent, it can wear down teeth and lead to discomfort. Parents should discuss the issue with their child’s dentist, who may recommend monitoring, relaxation techniques, or In some cases, a custom mouth guard.

Dental Anxiety

Dental anxiety is a common issue among children, characterized by fear or apprehension about visiting the dentist. This anxiety can stem from various factors, including fear of pain, unfamiliar environments, or negative past experiences. Prepare children by discussing what to expect at their visit, using positive reinforcement, and visiting the office beforehand to familiarize them with the environment.

Regular dental checkups and good oral hygiene practices are vital for children’s dental health. Parents and caretakers should stay informed about common issues and consult their dentist for personalized advice to ensure the health of their child’s smile.

John Bisson, DDS is a dentist and owns Bisson Dental in Brookings, SD. Dr. Bisson is originally from Sturgis, SD but moved to Brookings in 2015 and opened Bisson Dental in 2018. For more information about Bisson Dental head here, https://www.bisson-dental.com/. Follow The Prairie Doc®.www.prairiedoc.org and on Facebook featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc a medical Q&A show providing health information based on science, built on trust, streaming live on Facebook most Thursdays at 7 pm central.

Armyworms Relishing on Kansas Crops

By
Guest Columnist
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True and fall armyworms have been a nuisance to crop production in Kansas over the past 40 years. Kansas State University crop entomologist Jeff Whitworth said these pests have once again made their presence known in 2024, noting that their similar developmental schedules and rapid life cycles heighten crop damage.

“Right now, both species are the same size larvae,” he said. “The eggs take approximately 3-5 days to hatch. Then the larvae will emerge and start feeding immediately for about two weeks and then pupate for 6-7 days.”

“Then, they are adults and start the cycle all over again. It is about a month from egg to egg; the feeding stage and larval stages last for two weeks of this cycle.”

While fall armyworms may prefer soybeans this time of year, Whitworth said they can become a concern in any kind of field still growing until they migrate south.

True and fall armyworms have been a nuisance to crop production in Kansas over the past 40 years. Kansas State University crop entomologist Jeff Whitworth said these pests have once again made their presence known in 2024, noting that their similar developmental schedules and rapid life cycles heighten crop damage.

“Right now, both species are the same size larvae,” he said. “The eggs take approximately 3-5 days to hatch. Then the larvae will emerge and start feeding immediately for about two weeks and then pupate for 6-7 days.”

“Then, they are adults and start the cycle all over again. It is about a month from egg to egg; the feeding stage and larval stages last for two weeks of this cycle.”

While fall armyworms may prefer soybeans this time of year, Whitworth said they can become a concern in any kind of field still growing until they migrate south.

“They feed in soybeans, wheat, sorghum, corn – any of our crops,” he said. “Later on, we worry about them in brome and wheat, but now it is soybeans. However, once they pupate and the adults emerge, they should fly southward for the winter. Then growers have one less pest causing problems.”

On the other hand, true armyworms may overwinter in the state. In the fall, they seek out various new plant growth to eat.

“It is going to be another week or so, and then they are going to start feeding voraciously on whatever crops are available,” Whitworth said. “One of the key crops is lush, green wheat.”

Another natural defense growers have against true armyworms includes cold temperatures, Whitworth said, reminding them this pest can still be active late in the year.

“They will keep going through life cycles until it gets too cold – and by too cold, I mean down into the mid-20s for an hour or two at night,” he said. “But I have seen them feeding in November until a crop matures and turns brown.”

To mitigate armyworm infestations, Whitworth recommends growers delay winter wheat planting as late as possible to limit the amount of vegetation available for the pest to feed on.

“Plant wheat as late as agronomically possible for your area to help avoid these pests,” he said. “Armyworms go out and find just about any grass; they can feed on lawns, brome and especially that young wheat.”

Before treating an armyworm infestation with a recommended insecticide, producers should double-check their treatment thresholds and scout fields to determine the size of the pest, according to Whitworth.

“If they are an inch long, they are relatively mature worms, so I would not waste money or spray trying to kill them,” he said. “If they are small, a producer is probably justified treating them.”

The key to a successful armyworm insecticide treatment involves mixing the chemical with sufficient water so it can get through foliage and make contact with the pest, Whitworth said.

 

 Welcoming autumn with zucchini cake, cowboy coffee, pumpkin spice, and other fall comforts

By
tammiehoeme
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0

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen
Lovina Eitcher,
Old Order Amish
Cook, Wife &
Mother of Eight

I am sitting here drinking coffee and enjoying a piece of zucchini coffee cake that a lady from our church district dropped off here for us. It is delicious, and I would like to ask her for the recipe. I do hope it doesn’t have many calories! Isn’t it always comforting to yourself when you try to say it has a vegetable (zucchini), so it (the cake) can’t be too unhealthy? The added zucchini does really make it a moist cake. 

It is a dreary, rainy day, but we sure welcome the rain we received. It was so dry around here, and the grass was turning brown. The leaves are starting to fall, and the calendar shows that autumn is officially here! We still have peppers and tomatoes in the garden beds, otherwise the rest of it is history for 2024. 

Our solar power is low due to no sun for several days. Our water pump probably uses the most power. I went out to see if I could start the generator so I can wash dishes. For some reason the generator doesn’t want to start. And yes, I did check to see whether it has gas! It might be the oil, but it’s not our generator, so I don’t want to mess with it too much. We are using Dustin and Loretta’s generator while ours is getting repaired. I’ll wait until the daylight hours charge it up more to wash dishes. When my husband Joe comes home around 3 p.m., he can look at the generator and see what is wrong. I can just see him giving it one pull and it starting right up. I’m spoiled with ours, as it has a key to turn on and you don’t have to pull the rope to start it. 

It is now around 11:30 a.m. Daughter Lovina came, and she is making lunch for Kevin and me. We had skipped breakfast (except I had coffee and that coffee cake), so she is making poached eggs and toast for her and me. Kevin is heating up the leftover omelet from last night’s supper for his lunch. 

Last night I made everyone their own omelet with whatever they wanted in it. I made white peppered gravy for whoever wanted it on top of their omelet. With only five people to cook for, it’s harder to make a meal. Especially if Verena and I aren’t hungry and aren’t sure what we should make. Benjamin had worked 11 hours at the factory, so his friend took him out to eat in town before bringing him home. 

Our sympathy goes out to the families that have lost loved ones recently. Such tragic accidents. They need our prayers!

Dustin and daughter Loretta and sons and son Joseph and Grace went along with others to Fairland, Oklahoma. It was 11 hours each way. Dustin, Grace, and Daniel’s (our sons-in-law and daughter-in-law) 24-year-old cousin was killed in an accident. What a shock to the family. 

This was a lot of traveling for grandsons Denzel, 2, and Byron, 1. They did pretty good in their car seats for that many hours. Needless to say when they arrived back home, they were ready to run around and be free from their car seats. 

On Sunday, daughter Lovina and Daniel made lunch for daughter Elizabeth, Tim, and children; daughter Susan, Ervin, and children; Joe and me; sons Benjamin and Kevin; and daughter Verena and her special friend Daniel Ray. On the menu was chili soup made in the kettle over the open fire, grilled hamburgers and all the trimmings, corn, macaroni salad, chips, cherry delight, mocha pudding, and cake. They also made coffee over the open fire in a camping percolator. The children thought this was so neat that they were making cowboy coffee. I asked them who told them it was cowboy coffee, and they said, “Aunt Lovina.” Of course I should’ve known it was her!

It started raining, so instead of playing croquet like we had originally planned, we moved inside to play games, including Cover Your Assets and Password. Some of us put together a puzzle. 

Sunday (September 22) was also grandson Curtis’s fifth birthday, so he was an excited little boy. Thursday (September 26) is son-in-law Daniel’s 23rd birthday, so a happy birthday to him as well!

The Sunday gathering was an enjoyable day! It was more precious than usual to spend a Sunday lunch together, as we won’t be able to do that as a family too often anymore. Our church district divided, and daughters Elizabeth, Susan, and Lovina and families will be in another church district from Dustin and Loretta and us. Sister Emma and her family will also be in the other church district. Sister Verena will still be in our district. My sisters Verena and Emma and I have been in the same church district all our lives, so it’s hard to accept this change. Our whole family was in the same district until son Joseph moved to Grace’s church district, and now our church is dividing. We can still go visit each others church districts, so I shouldn’t complain. 

God’s blessings to all!

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, mixing until just combined. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl and roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten each ball slightly with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Makes 2 dozen cookies. 

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her three cookbooks, The Cherished Table, The Essential Amish Cookbook, and Amish Family Recipes, are available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email [email protected] and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.

Pecan Bites

By
Debbie Dance Uhrig
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0

I was in a store or two this weekend, on some very fast errands, and I feel like I am behind for the holidays! When I worked at Silver Dollar City, I was always on the stick, because I was surrounding by the beautiful seasonal décor 24/7. At least, I like to think I was on the stick back then.

The Fall wreath finally got up at the front door today, and additional fall chores are getting checked off the list. It might be time to make a ‘to do’ list for the entire family. It’s hard to motivate yourself after a 40–50-hour week, so I truly understand. Sometimes I just need Saturdays to re-group! And in ‘my’ book I’m doing 2 homes right now. Prepping to sell my dads house, is like a full-time job. In fact, I’ll be back there this week, with a friend, packing and sorting more things.

I’m actually excited about the trip back home because I’m attending my friends, 50th wedding anniversary! She & her spouse got married when we were in high school and they’re such wonderful friends, always there to help me with all the clean-up and misc. jobs! They have ideas for lots of things we have to get done, and it’s so appreciated.

Today I’m pulling out one of my favorite recipes, not mine, either. I’ve shared these pecan bites in the past and the recipe comes from one of my good friends here in Branson West, Pam Beisswenger. P.J. was a missionary kid, and grew up not knowing how to make mashed potatoes and grilled cheese sandwiches. When she went to college, she tried to toast the sammies in the oven. (Without a pan.) On the flip side of that comment, she is one of the best cooks I know. I dearly love sitting around talking recipes and what she has been making. Of course, her specialty is Malaysian foods and rice, because that’s where she grew up. Oh yeah, you haven’t lived until you here her stories about sifting the weevils out of the flour, before you used the flour! When she told us this story the first time, I think my chin hit the floor! Stay around me a little while and I’ll share the ‘cannibal’ stories, but not here! That gotcha’ didn’t it? I am not joshing either!

Back to the pecan bites, it’s a little safer subject. The ticket with the recipe is pulling the bites at the right time. The taste will change when you cook them too long. As we look towards the latter fall season and the holidays, these are perfect for the freezer. Speaking of prepping, I would like to offer a tip too many of my readers. These days it is not a good idea to post how much meat, grains, eggs, canned goods, etc. that you have prepped for the winter, or for your family in general. It was safe to do this in my generation, but not now. Believe me, when a friend reminded me over a year ago, I was frustrated beyond words. We don’t like to think about anything of this nature, but we must be ‘aware.’

Who ever thought, people would be assigned a descriptive word because they prepped for their families.

A week or so back I shared the cranberry cheese spread, I am really pleased with that recipe, after the fact. I sampled it only after it had set for 2-3 hours. I didn’t taste it again until about 3-4 days after making it. WOW, did the flavor pop after setting for a while. I took it to the office and we enjoyed it on butter crackers, I think it would even be good on a ginger snap! Oh, that reminds me, I need to put ginger snaps on the grocery list.

I need to stop chattering so much, there’s laundry to finish before bedtime, and I’m making a couple batches of these lovelies! Have an outstanding week, I’ll be back in Lewistown until about 2 or 3 Saturday. Ut Oh, tip, tip, next time you are making fresh biscuits consider grating the butter in with a box

grater. You will get a much better distribution on the butter, even if you were to cut in in with the KitchenAid or your food processor. Simply yours, The Covered Dish.

Pecan Pie Muffins

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 cup finely chopped pecans

2 beaten eggs

2/3 cup (10 2/3rds tablespoons) butter, melted & cooled

*Vegetable Spray containing flour

Mix the sugar, flour and chopped pecans together. In another small bowl blend together the 2 beaten eggs and the cooled butter. Add the egg mixture into the dry stirring gently to mix. Spray a mini muffin tin with vegetable spray containing flour. Divide mixture evenly into a 24 muffin tin. You will use ‘about’ one tablespoon per fill. Bake 17-18 minutes at 350 degrees.

Immediately turn the mini muffins out onto cooling racks. If you wait to invert the pecan bites will stick.

 

 

*This simple, yet yummy treat comes from my gal, P.J. Beisswenger yet again!

Pam says to make sure you use the spray with flour as otherwise these little pecan pies just won’t come out of the pan!

Frequently I’ll look up and here comes P.J. carrying a basket full of these yummy bites. It is hard to imagine that just 5 little ‘ole’ ingredients render such a delicious treat. These would be great to make and freeze for anytime of the year, but especially the holidays.

If All Else Fails, Lower Your Expectations???

By
Steve Gilliland
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I remember plainly a column years ago in the Hutchinson News by then regular contributor Amanda Miller. It left me scratching my head; until I read it through and realized how spot-on it was pertaining to my time in the outdoors.

The article was entitled” The Power of Low Expectations” and caught me off-guard, because Amanda, as seen through her writing style, always seemed to be quite bubbly and cheerful. The gist of the article however, was that we often set ourselves up for what we see as constant failure, or we miss any enjoyment in the task at hand because we set our expectations unreasonably high.

When I was a kid, an older coworker always used to say “If all else fails, lower your expectations.” Although witty, I disregarded most of what he told me, because this was a man that said he went home each night and tossed his hat in the backdoor; if the hat stayed in, he too went inside, but if it came flying back out, he went away and tried again later. Today, however I can see the value in at least monitoring our expectations as we go.

My wife Joyce is usually the one who maintains the better outlook when we go afield. Listening to the great horned owl call near our deer blind, or watching a group of does and fawns slip silently across the waterway in front of us, or hanging out the open blind window to watch a colorful songbird below as it flits from branch-to-branch all make her just as happy as harvesting a nice buck. Reading a book when the fish aren’t biting brings her just as much joy as if the fish were throwing themselves into the boat. Me, on the other hand, not-so-much.

In my defense, I’m a goal-oriented creature so failing to attain a goal drives me mad. Also, according to my wife, I often shift into “conquer mode” where all that matters is “conquering” what I / we are there to do. While these are not bad qualities for life, they are lousy road-blocks to enjoying the outdoors. When trapping, my expectations are full traps, (after all, isn’t that the point) so when my traps aren’t catching predators, I beat myself up and spend all my time trying to diagnose what I’m doing wrong, when I should stop and appreciate the beauty of God’s creation around me and the beautiful, luxurious fur of the ones I do catch. When we have hunted deer for a couple days and have not yet seen or harvested our annual venison, (that’s why we’re there isn’t it) I begin to spend my time analyzing every detail to find the flaws in our plan, when I should be hanging out

the open blind window to watch the songbird, or listening for the owl. When it has been a spell without a fish biting, I get antsy and am ready to leave (after all we are there to catch fish) when I should be marveling that God created something that breathes under water and lives in huge basins of water called lakes.

Maybe I don’t need to lower my expectations as much as alter them to allow for time to appreciate God’s Creation around me. In her column, Amanda went on to say, “Whether they be unreasonable or maybe even quite reasonable, not all expectations should be grasped too firmly; my contentment should be based on something much firmer than whatever I planned on happening.” Hmmm, good advice as we continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

Steve can be contacted by email at [email protected].

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