Free dental clinic for kids returns to San Juan College; How and when to sign up

Sixteen dentists, 16 dental hygienists and 24 dental hygiene students will volunteer their services during the Health and Human Performance Center on the San Juan College campus next week for the 21st annual Give Kids a Smile Day, a free dental health clinic for San Juan County children.

The annual event is a project of the college’s dental hygiene program and the Northwest District Dental Society of the American Dental Association. Over the last two decades, thousands of children have received free cleanings, X-rays, fluoride treatments and other oral health services during the clinic.

Parents are encouraged to sign up their children quickly for the event, which saw approximately 60 patients served last year.

“It’s ordered chaos,” said Dr. Julius Manz, the dental hygiene program director at the college and the organizer of the event, describing the atmosphere.

The dentists who have agreed to take part will work a half day each while being assisted by their dental hygienists and the college’s dental hygiene students. Young patients are treated on a continuous basis throughout the day, resulting in a bustling but well-organized enterprise.

Give Kids a Smile Day is the only dental care many of its patients will receive over the course of the year.

Manz said the clinic also features an almost-festive air for the oral health professionals who take part.

“It’s a lot of fun. We get the whole dental community together,” he said.

He noted that the clinic offers dental health workers the chance for one day to break out of the routine and isolation of working in their usual setting and interact with others for a good cause. “It’s a fun day, but it’s hectic.”

Like the event’s name, kids come out of their treatments with a smile, he said.

Some are out of pain, and for some the dental work helps improve their appearance and how they feel about themselves.

“Changing their self-esteem is huge. So is getting them out of pain. The main reason so many kids miss school is dental pain,” Manz said.

Children are no more immune than the rest of us when it comes to feeling self-conscious about their teeth, he said.

“For our society, the way your teeth look and the way your teeth feel is very important,” he said. “ … It not only affects your physical health, but your mental health is connected to your oral health, as well.”

Manz said removing a discolored, decaying, painful tooth from a child’s mouth is a rewarding experience that keeps many of the dentists involved coming back year after year.

“Some of them have done this with me for 20 years consecutively,” he said. “ … You get a huge rush from doing this, you really do, and you feel better when you go out of here at the end of the day.”

The clinic also presents significant benefits for Manz’s students, he said.

“This is an opportunity for our seniors to show off their skills and make connections with potential employers,” he said. “For our juniors, it gives them valuable experience working with children, as well as taking X-rays, and it fills their clinical requirements.”

All San Juan County children between the ages of 5 and 12 are welcome at the event, and no proof of economic disadvantage is required.

Along with the dentists who will be working at the clinic, several local orthodontists, endodontists and oral surgeons have offered to accept pro-bono referrals from the clinic, according to a news release about the event.

The dental health professional who participate in the event are treated to a free lunch each year by Subway sandwich shops.

Give Kids a Smile Day is scheduled 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2 at the Health and Human Performance Center on the San Juan College campus, 4601 College Blvd. in Farmington.

To schedule an appointment, call 505-566-3126 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Walk-in patients will not be seen, and all children must have an appointment, and be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Free dental clinic for kids comes to San Juan College on Feb. 2