San Antonio Children who are uninsured and without access to a dentist can receive free dental care on Sunday, May 15.
Kool Smiles Dentistry For Kids will be hosting its annual “Sharing Smiles” event offering dental treatment to children up to age 18 from 9 a.m. to noon at its location at 3850 S. New Braunfels Ave.
“While Kool Smiles is proud to provide quality, affordable dental care to families with various forms of insurance, including Medicaid, we also recognize there are many children in our community who have no insurance and whose families cannot afford regular trips to the dentist,” said Dr. D. Ray Gifford, managing dental director at Kool Smiles.
Children will be able to get dental exams, limited emergency treatment, extractions, fillings baby tooth root canals and crowns. Treatment is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Dental decay, if untreated, can cause pain, difficulty eating and chewing, and infections.
“Children who do not have regular access to a dentist often have advanced dental decay and their treatment needs are significant,” Gifford said. “We want to put a smile back on the faces of these children by getting them the dental care they need, but which their families cannot afford.”
Across the United States, there are about 4,900 “Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas,” or HPSAs. As of 2013, the west side of San Antonio has been designated a dental HPSA.
During Sharing Smiles Day 2015, Kool Smiles dentists helped more than 400 children. The volunteer dentists and staff hope to double that number this year.
For more information, please visit www.mykoolsmiles.com.