Children & Youth Health (5-18 Years)

Help your child brush their teeth until their fine motor skills develope, around the age of eight years.

Healthy snacking is important for the healthy development and growth of your child. Your child’s teeth can benefit from making choices that reduce the risk for tooth decay:

• Offer three meals and two to three snacks each day at regular times. Plan meals and snacks about two to three hours apart. When children eat at regular times they are more likely to be ready to eat.

• Vary the daily snack choices with foods such as vegetables, fruits and dairy products.

• Eat sticky foods with meals, instead of by themselves as a snack

• Limit milk and juice (100% unsweetened) to regularly scheduled meal and snack times.

• Encourage drinking water for thirst between meals.

Protecting teeth is important for all ages.

• Wearing a bike helmet and using a car safety belt protects the body, inclusive of the mouth and teeth.
• Mouthguards help prevent costly injuries if your child is active in contact sports.
  • A mouthguard made by your family dentist gives the best protection and comfort. Pre-formed mouthguards sold in sporting good stores are another alternative.

Despite our best efforts, accidents can happen. Call a dentist immediately if a tooth is chipped, broken, or knocked-out.

Learn more about dental emergencies

The use of tobacco products can affect the health of the mouth, teeth and gums.

• Smoking can increase gum disease, teeth staining, and bad breath.

• Sense of smell and taste is lessened.

• Spit tobacco and smokeless tobacco can cause oral cancers of the lips, cheeks, tongue, throat, voice box and esophagus.

• Oral cancer risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked each day and the number of years as a smoker.

Oral hygiene is very important while the piercing site is healing. The mouth is naturally filled with bacteria and the oral environment is moist so infection can set in if the site is not cared for. It is important to ensure that the piercer uses sterile techniques to limit infection. The dangers to piercing include excessive swelling of the tongue that can interfere with swallowing and the ability to eat as well as a risk of nerve damage to the tongue/lip that could cause permanent numbness and/or loss of taste. Depending on the location, the jewellery can chip/crack teeth, interfere with speech, cause shrinkage of the gums, and increase sensitivity to hot/cold.

See a dentist or doctor if there are any signs of prolonged healing (10-14 days). 

• Healthy Habits for Your Child’s Dental Health

• Find a Dentist

• Mouthguard Use & Care

• Dental Emergencies

• Smoking and Vaping

• Smoking Cessation

• Healthy Eating

• Healthy Kids Program

• First Nation Health Authority

A doctor, midwife, nurse practitioner, public health nurse or member of the Kelowna Cleft Lip & Palate Team can submit the Cleft Lip and Palate Referral Form if they have internal Interior Health system access. Otherwise they may complete the e-fillable referral form, and mail or fax it to the Kelowna Community Health and Services Centre. Physicians/nurses/midwives can also call the Clinic Desk directly at 250 469 7070, ext. 12074 to ask questions about services or make referrals over the phone. If you are transferring from a Cleft Palate Clinic in a different city or province, any member of that Clinic team may refer.

Contact Janice Bennett, Coordinator of the Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic, ext.12122
Available Mondays from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Several families attend each clinic, held in April and October. You should expect to spend the full morning at the clinic. Each family will see each professional. Families, along with their family doctor or nurse practitioner, will also receive a printed summary of the recommendations following the clinic.

Please note: This Kelowna-based team works in partnership with the health care providers already caring for your child. The team does not provide treatment at the clinic, and does not replace the professionals you are seeing for current medical treatment.

• Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic Brochure

• American Cleft Palate & Craniofacial Association

• Involve kids in planning and preparing meals. This can help increase their exposure and acceptance to a variety of foods and teaches important food skills.
• Create positive family mealtimes by eating together and enjoying each other's company
• Be a positive role model by:
  • Enjoying a variety of foods
  • Refraining from talking about diets to promote weight loss
  • Being aware of the harmful effects of diets and food trends
• Help teens make sense of food marketing and how it influences food choices

• Healthy Eating at School (Interior Health)
• Healthy Eating for Children (HealthLink BC)
• Feeding Children of all Ages (Ellyn Satter)
• School Lunch Ideas (HealthLink BC)
• Teen Nutrition (Dietitians of Canada)
• Teens and Dieting (Canadian Paediatric Society)
• Dietitian Services (HealthLink BC)

Does your child have:

• Speech or language difficulties?

• Trouble locating sounds?

• Trouble understanding speech?

• Trouble understanding directions?

• Better understanding when he/she can see your face?

• A history of serious illness?

• A history of frequent ear infections?

• Frequent allergies?

• Learning difficulties?

• A close relative with a permanent hearing loss?

If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, your child should have a hearing test. To have your child's hearing tested, download the Request for Audiology Services form and mail to your local health centre or contact your local health center audiology clinic directly.   

We welcome referrals from health care professionals, parents/caregivers, schools, and other interested professionals.

Quick facts

• One in 10 Canadians has a speech, language, or hearing disorder which hinders their ability to communicate.

• Early detection and rehabilitation of hearing disorders can often prevent communication difficulties in school, on the job, and in social situations.

• Audiologists are essential members of the health care team who are trained to evaluate a full range of hearing disorders

Resources

• Understand more about how we hear

• What is hearing loss?

• Find information about hearing aids

The BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit suggests learning to take safe risks by:

• Using proper safety equipment, such as helmets and seat belts.

• Educating ourselves and children about safety aspects of activities, such as poison prevention and water safety for swimmers.

• Connecting with injury prevention groups in our communities.

• Reducing the opportunity for injuries to occur through safe playgrounds, education about safe behaviours, supervised physical education and sports activities, young driver education, use of bike paths, and training for teens as new employees at work sites.

• Minimizing harm in injury situations by proper use of helmets, seat belts, airbags, sunscreen, community first aid training, accessible and available emergency response, MedicAlert bracelets, and knowledge of universal (standard) precautions.

Injuries can also be intentional, as a result of violence and suicide.

• Concussion Awareness Toolkits

• BC Poison Control

• Parachute

• BCAA Child Passenger Safety Resources

A strong foundation in childhood can lead to a healthy, happy and productive life. Good mental health contributes to better relationships and home, work and life success.

Anxiety is the most common mental health challenge faced by children and teens. Solving problems rather than avoiding them is a helpful way to prevent childhood anxiety. Other ways to develop positive mental health include:

• A positive relationship with at least one adult

• Good relationships with peers

• Success in learning at school

• A sense of community and of a greater purpose in life

Children and youth need stability, safety and supportive adults in their lives to encourage their healthy development. Practice positive mental health and well-being for the whole family. 

School is an important place for shaping children’s self-esteem, self-confidence and sense of control over their lives. Children and teens spend more than six hours daily and over 180 days a year in school. Schools can provide key activities and whole school approaches that support Positive Mental Health.

Find out if your child’s school offers social and emotional learning programs such as FRIENDS for Life or Roots of Empathy. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the way children become aware of, manage and appropriately express their emotions; make and meet personal goals; develop positive relationships; make good decisions; and become good citizens.

• Foundry Virtual Services
• Healthy Weights for Children - Shapedown BC
• Province of BC - Child and Teen Mental Health Resources
• School Health Promotion
• Anxiety Resources for Children and Youth
• EarlyPsychosis.ca: A new on-line resource for youth affected by psychosis in BC.
• Parents & Caregivers | Kelty Mental Health
• Mental Health Service Directory for YOUTH
• Substance Use Service Directory for YOUTH

• YouthInBC: online chat service for youth (up to 25 years of age) to chat 1-on-1 with a trained volunteer from the Crisis Centre. A range of topics can be discussed such as suicide, sexuality, depression, stress, and relationships. (Noon to 1am PST)
• Kids help phone: 1-800-668-6868 (available in over 100 languages)
• Indigenous Youth Help Line: 1-800-588-8717
• Help Lines Fact Sheet
• BC Mental Health Support (310-6789): a crisis line that provides emotional support, information and resources specific to mental health and substance use disorders.
• Crisis Centre

• Foundry: across BC with a focus on wellness, empowering young people to live a balanced and fulfilling life
• Online Suicide Prevention Guide
• Wise Practices for Youth: life promotion toolkit
• Community-Led Actions for Resiliency Important Throughout Youth (CLARITY): project based in Kelowna has a Resilience one pager and a Regional Okanagan Youth Council
• Healthy Minds Healthy Campuses: for older youth