Students Grin And Bear It For A Bit Of Free Dentistry

It looked like a scene from “M*A*S*H,” only the decor was nicer. And, OK, the patients were a little younger.

There was enough commotion, though, and plenty of incoming wounded. The staff at Dr. Robert Wendel’s office herded about 50 Valley kids from lobby to examination chair all day Friday, and all for free.

They were kids whose parents lack dental insurance but don’t receive public assistance. The patients were referred by elementary and middle school nurses.

It was the third such incisor intervention, consisting of everything from simple cleanings to fillings, sealings and even some cosmetic work. Wendel guessed he did about $10,000 worth of dentistry for free on Friday.

What’s in it for him? “After you do it one time, it makes you feel so good after it’s done, it’s kind of weird … it puts you on a high,” said Wendel through a smile, just a few wisps of gray hair suggesting his 48 years. He said he wants other dentists to do the same.

The real labor, he said, is done by the 10 staffers who work the day for free. Hotlips Hoolihan had nothing on these folks. For hours they rotated droves of kids in and out of the five exam chairs, calming nerves and occasionally cruising back into the lobby to pop cartoons into the VCR.

Philip Kruse, a 13-year-old Freeman Middle School student, settled into the dentist’s chair a little after noon.

He said he wasn’t nervous about going under the drill if need be. Dressed in a plaid shirt, jeans and a big Western belt buckle, he took the black cowboy hat off his tightly-cropped locks and placed it on the counter.

Peggy Birch, a dental assistant, took X-rays, then began asking questions.

“Been to a dentist lately?” she asked. No. Brush every day? Yes. Floss? No.

Then she fired up the spotlight, illuminating Philip’s freckles. It was cleaning time.

Back in the lobby, the Stacy family waited. From behind his big specs, 6-year-old Kevin stared at the blue-eyed puffer fish in the salt water tank. His 4-year-old brother, Julian, played with one of those wire maze toys, scooting around the colorful beads.

Their mom, Heather, said her husband recently finished up with the military and had started a new job, but hadn’t received his benefits package yet. This was a big help.

Apparently, Kevin had his doubts. “(He) asked me today if they were going to pull all his teeth out,” Heather said, chuckling. “I said, ‘Nooooo!”’

He’d find out soon enough. Bea Dire, the office manager, came out and rounded up the family and some other kids and took them all into a room. She handed out toothbrushes. “See? I told ya,” Heather told her boys, their eyes wide mirroring hers.

Dire showed them a dog puppet with HUGE chompers. Taking out a brush, she showed them how to brush and how long to do it (the length of a song on the radio). She also warned about “sugar bugs.” Then came flossing.

This was all fine, but Julian wanted goods. “When do the little toys come?” he asked in his slow, wee voice. Dire let them pick a flying dinosaur glider or a little rubber throwing toy that looked like a Bruce Lee weapon gone Fisher-Price.

Now came business. “OK, I need …” said Dire, surveying each kid and finally stopping, “… you.” She pointed at Julian. Was first dibs on a toy worth it, pal?

Kevin thought so. He wanted to be next instead. For now, he’d have to head back to the lobby and watch “Frosty the Snowman.”

Philip finally emerged, hat back in its place. He was in there for longer than an hour; but no, they didn’t give the young partner a root canal.

They gave him a new smile. Wendel did some cosmetic bonding on his front teeth, permanently straightening them without braces. Nice work, but ouch.

“It didn’t hurt that bad,” Philip said, cowboy lid tipped back low. “But I have a high tolerance for pain, so …”

So there you go. Hawkeye would have liked this kid.

, DataTimes