Reason to smile: Capital Area Dental Foundation donates care to families in need

Christine Kemokai thinks she was in middle school the last time she saw a dentist.

"I never had any insurance to cover dental," Kemokai, 38, said.

Every time she and her family would save up to see a dentist, something else would happen. The family of four is living in an RV in Granger after their rent in Round Rock doubled and then a motel they lived in caught on fire.

She and her family received a free dental screening this month from the Capital Area Dental Foundation. The foundation screened adults and teenagers in the Statesman's Season for Caring program who have not had access to dental care or could not afford treatment.

"This is huge," Kemokai said.

Since 2011, the foundation has donated almost $200,000 in care to Season for Caring, the Statesman's annual charity program that highlights the needs of families in our community and helps hundreds of others through local nonprofit organizations.

The Capital Area Dental Foundation will pair each Season for Caring family it screened with a local dentist who will donate care.

For the Kemokai family, this means that Roland, 42, will see a dentist when it's not an emergency. The children, Ben, 15, and Clement, 17, will get their teeth cleaned after years of not being able to do so. Christine will have her teeth attended to as well. The Capital Area Dental Foundation is also hoping an oral surgeon will volunteer to help remove a growth in her mouth that has been bothering her.

Two more oral surgeons are needed to remove teeth from two additional recipients.

"We do this because it is in our nature as dentists. We do tend to try to help," said Dr. Kent Macaulay, a board member at the foundation. "This is just a great opportunity where we can give back to our community."

Macauley, Dr. Alan Moore, Dr. Stan LaCroix and Dr. Paul Stubbs screened all the recipients, and technician Jess Hicks took X-rays.

Juana Betancurt, 38, said she sometimes can feel her jaw locking, which keeps her from sleeping. The mom of seven, who works two cleaning jobs, was told by another clinic that the dental care she needed would be $1,400. There was no way she could do that.

Dental care through the foundation and Season for Caring is "a very good opportunity to be able to take care of myself because I feel problems in my teeth," Betancurt said.

Anatole Lee, 58, estimates it's been 25 years since he's seen a dentist for a regular checkup. Lee has a brain injury after being hit by a car while on his bicycle. He did have a tooth pulled five years ago after it became infected, but he has had no recent regular care.

He said he was apprehensive and nervous about what was going to happen when he arrived at Dr. Kavin Kelp's office. He worried about what the dentists volunteering might find, but he did not hesitate one bit when his caseworker told him about this opportunity. "Make it happen, captain," he said.

Michelle Jimenez, 57, lost her dental insurance when she had to stop working as an aide in the Round Rock school district to be able to take care of her son Joey, 28, who has brain cancer. She knows she needs a crown and was given a quote of $1,000, something that was not possible now that she's not working.

Joey Jimenez hadn't been able to go to the dentist for at least two years because he was focusing on the cancer treatments at the time. Now, Michell, Joey and her youngest son, JonPaul, 17, will all be matched with a dentist for treatment.

While Season for Caring families will receive dental care, many of the teenagers need orthodontia, including both the Kemokai sons, JonPaul Jimenez and 13-year-old Tiare Lee, who attended the dental screening with her parent Jae Lee.

Read their stories:How to help families through the Statesman Season for Caring program

Season for Caring families have other medical needs as well.

Sandra Stephenson, 66, is losing her vision to diabetes and needs an eye specialist to give her a second opinion.

Araceli Ramirez, 49, has stage 4 breast cancer and would like a second opinion at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, something her Medical Access Program insurance cannot pay for.

Jae Lee needs help with gender-affirming care.

Anatole Lee, no relation, might need help with knee replacement surgery because of damage from his accident and being a security guard.

Sheri Harvey, 79, needs a foldable walker and wheelchair, as well as hearing aids and geriatric case management.

Michelle Jimenez and the Kemokais need eye exams and eyeglasses, and Christine Kemokai dreams of one day having LASIK surgery.

To find out more about Season for Caring or to give a medical gift to one of these families, email community@statesman.com or call 512-445-3590.

How to donate to Season for Caring

Find the daily coupon in print on page 2B or go to statesman.com/seasonforcaring.

Now through Christmas, $500,000 in donations will be matched by the Sheth family.

P. Terry's Giving Back Day, with all profits going to Season for Caring, is Dec. 10.

The Driskill hotel's Cookies for Caring cookie tins are on sale at exploretock.com/thedriskillaustin.

Read more:Find the wish lists and the stories of all the Season for Caring families.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Season for Caring families get dental care from Capital Area Dental Foundation