Give Kids A Smile

My dental office hosted it's first "Give Kids A Smile" event.  It's our locations first time in the ten years I've been there. 

Working it was completely by choice.   No getting paid but it was eligible for Continuing Education credits.  You grab those when you can!  Five hygienists, three dental assistants, and three doctors volunteered.  We were hopping around so fast from room to room that we could have used more bodies.  Now we know for next time...

We had 5 hygiene chairs and 2 op chairs.  In 3 hours, we did 30 cleanings, a handful of fillings, a couple of sealants and 2 tooth boxes of extracted teeth...soon to be exchanged for $$ from the Tooth Fairy. 

The kids were wonderful and well mannered.  A couple were shy because it was their first visit and they didn't know what to expect.

I didn't expect it to be as much fun as it was.  Yeah, I was working but it wasn't work.  It was free dentistry and I could feel the difference we were making in a child's life.  We were offering a service that they couldn't afford otherwise.  One coworker said something that seemed to hit the nail (and I know I'm going to botch up her saying but I'll try anyway):  When you don't have something (ie. dental insurance), you are more appreciative when you do get it.

Overall, I think it was a huge success.  I hope we offer more of these days in the future.  I wouldn't even mind doing them more than once a year.  

If you want information on where a location is near you, check out the MDA website.