Two SUNY schools are holding clinics to offer free dental care to kids from area schools and locals.
This past Friday, Stony Brook dentists teamed up with the school’s big-toothed mascot, Wolfie, and Ronald McDonald to provide hundreds of Long Island children in need with free dental care for “Give Kids a Smile.” Services offered included dental screening, cleaning, and fluoride treatments from Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine professionals.
The event is a one day event sponsored by the American Dental Association. Kids also received a welcome and teeth cleaning demo from Wolfie, a “thumbs up” from Ronald McDonald, there to entertain the children, oral health education materials and a gift bag upon completion of their dental care.
It is the centerpiece of a national campaign to provide dental care and promote the importance of oral health to children whose families might not have ready access to care due to their economic status. Each year more than 500,000 children are treated during Give Kids a Smile Days.
Similarly, SUNY Buffalo will be hosting their annual “Give UB a Smile Day” on February 18th. They will offer a free dental check up and cleaning to UB employees and students in the UB dental school clinics.
Registration is available online at https://dental.buffalo.edu/Patients/GiveUBaSmileDay.aspx.
“Give UB a Smile Day is the School of Dental Medicine’s way of letting the UB community know that they can receive affordable, quality dental care right here on campus.” said Don Antonson, DDS, interim associate dean for clinical affairs and facilitator of the half-day event.
The School of Dental Medicine faculty and students give up their free time on a Saturday to provide this service that saves UB employees and students $82, the clinic’s standard charge for an initial visit (private dentists charge approximately $200 for the same service). The UB dental school normally charges one-third to two-thirds the amount of a customary private dental fee, Antonson says.
The waiting time for a new patient appointment is approximately two weeks. Patients who may need further care will be given a $25 voucher toward a future UB dental school appointment. Selected patients may be invited to receive additional free dental care.
“Last year’s event brought many individuals into the dental school from the UB community who had never visited our facility in the past. It’s also a great morale builder for the dental school’s students, faculty and staff,” said Antonson.
Written by Megan Wolszczak
Patients who may need further care will be given a $25 voucher toward a future UB dental school
I conguralte you 🙂 Thank you anyone who contributed to this. We are responsible for kids’ growing healthy. Kids are our future.