“Give Kids a Smile” Helps Bridge Oral Healthcare Gaps

DULUTH, Minn. — Dental care has been a struggle for some young people, but Lake Superior College is helping kids smile brighter one teeth cleaning at a time.

The Dental Hygiene Clinic at LSC teamed up with dentists to provide free full-service dental care for kids under 18 for “Give Kids a Smile” Day.

Since the day’s inception in 2003, “Give Kids a Smile” day has serviced over 7 million children.

The event helps families who may not be able to afford dental care or don’t have access to it.

“We only have dentists here on certain days, and so operative work that are outside of the scope of the hygiene students is what we focus on. Then we’re also going to do preventative care. We are offering sealants, we’re offering prophy’s, we’re offer fluoride treatments exams, just making sure everything’s getting look at,” said Natalie Dawe, an instructor at Lake Superior Dental Hygiene Clinic. “But today is really big on the dentist time and letting them do some of that operative care.”

The Dental Hygiene Clinic at LSC said they try to squeeze in a few extra days of free dental care for those unable to receive all the necessary care in today.