Dentists try to fill in gaps
Kids at Winton Elementary shouldn’t miss show and tell next week. Their classmate, Brandon, 6, plans to show off his teeth, which Dr. Tom Smart fortified free with two new fillings Friday.
“I brush my teeth every day so I don’t get really bad cavities,” Brandon said proudly as Smart prepared to work on him.
Brandon may brush daily, but Smart found eight cavities in the boy’s mouth. And the day was just beginning. It was national Give Kids a Smile Day, when dentists donate their time and skill to repair the teeth of children from families that can’t afford dental care.
Brandon’s mother, Jane, did not want to give their last name. She found out her son needed a dentist’s care when a school counselor sent her a letter.
“He’d been complaining about a cavity,” Jane said. “But we don’t have insurance.”
She called the Dirne Community Health Clinic, which treats people without insurance at a low cost. The clinic is working on adding a dental component, but it’s not in place yet. The letter Jane received from the Winton counselor told her that Brandon had decay and that area dentists were offering free care on Give Kids a Smile Day.
Jane called Smart’s office and scored an early appointment for Brandon.
Last year, local dentists treated 440 children on the special day, donating $130,247 in care. Smart is president of the Idaho Panhandle Dental Society and organized this year’s Smile Day.
Participating dentists were down to 18 from about 40 last year, he said. A misunderstanding about what services were available disappointed some parents and frustrated some dentists, Smart said.
It didn’t occur to him not to participate this year.
“It’s a good program, and I’m happy to be doing it,” he said as dark-haired Brandon slipped a pair of snazzy sunglasses over his eyes. Brandon also brought a portable Battleship game to entertain himself.
Smile Day isn’t easy on dentists or their idea of the answer to kids’ dental problems, Smart said.
He saw 13 kids he’d never seen before Friday. He had no idea the extent of their tooth problems. His first group just needed sealants and cleaning, nothing too time-consuming. But Smart worked for 45 minutes on Brandon, filled two of his eight cavities and stopped because his window of opportunity was closing. Brandon was a model patient, but the little-boy wiggles had begun taking over his body.
Smart suggested Jane limit Brandon’s sweets and give him fluoride, which Smart is certain would prevent many tooth problems in children.
Smart told Jane some snacks are deceptive and not as healthy as advertisers claim. He also recommended sweets, if kids have to have them, accompany meals because saliva production increases during eating and helps clear the mouth.
Smart didn’t refer Brandon for more care, understanding his family’s financial struggles. But he told Jane her boy needs more tooth repair. She said she’ll have to wait until Dirne adds dentists or for Give Kids a Smile Day next year.