One of the greatest fears of parents today is that their child will get lost or, worse yet, be abducted. Tooth prints are a simple and cost effective way to document your child’s DNA information. They record individual tooth characteristics, tooth position within the arch and upper to lower jaw relationship plus collect DNA found in saliva.
The process is safe and easy. It involves an arch shaped thermoplastic wafer that is softened in hot water. It is then placed on the child’s lower arch. The child bites into the tooth print wafer for 50 seconds. The tooth print is then required to cool for 2-3 minutes. After the cool down process is complete the tooth prints will be put in a plastic bag and indentified with your child’s name on it. We will give you the tooth print to take home for safekeeping.
A few dollars and a few minutes is a small investment to make for the huge return of being able to assist authorities in tracking a missing child or making a positive identification. Few children have fingerprints taken and the successful fight against tooth decay has left many children with no cavities and few dental records. Tooth prints provide a unique record that can give parents greater peace of mind. When tooth prints are taken, sufficient proteins remain in the saliva remain on the wafer from which a DNA test can be successfully performed. Since the tooth prints wafer is sealed in a zipper type plastic bag, enough sent remains for a trained dog to identify and track with it.
We recommend that tooth prints be updated on a yearly basis. The initial tooth print should be taken on your child at the age of three (or after all the primary teeth have erupted)
If you have any questions about tooth prints do not hesitate to speak with one of our staff members.