The Spartanburg Herald-Journal covered the great work of Small Smiles dentist Dr. Lenora Covington, who volunteered alongside other caregivers for a day of free care for underserved kids in Spartanburg:
Dentists volunteer time for 'Give Kids a Smile Day'
Dentists give exams, treat needy
By Dudley Brown
Feb. 7, 2009
Shelby-Ryan Scott left the dentist's chair with a big sticker and a little pink treasure box for storing the baby tooth that she lost.
She smiled as she hugged her mother and made a declaration.
"I ain't scared of no dentist," said Shelby-Ryan, 7.
She was one of 56 children participating in Healthy Smiles of Spartanburg's Give Kids a Smile Day. She left with the attitude that the free dental clinic would like kids to have.
Healthy Smiles treats children and teens who aren't eligible for Medicaid. It has weekly clinics on Fridays and Saturdays at Spartanburg Community College. Give Kids a Smile Day is an opportunity to bring a group of dentists together to volunteer their services. It's a partnership with the Spartanburg County Dental Association and Spartanburg Community College.
Seven dentists volunteered Friday, including Dr. Lenora Covington of Small Smiles, a dental clinic that treats children eligible for Medicaid.
"We're letting the community know we're there for them," Covington said. "There are a lot of children that fall through the cracks who don't qualify for Medicaid."
Dr. Jack Keith, a retired orthopedic surgeon, started Healthy Smiles, which began serving children two years ago. Keith said a study was conducted five years ago that found almost 10,000 children in the county needed dental care.
"We don't have any idea of what it is now, but I don't think it's decreased any," Keith said.
Some of the children treated Friday were visiting a dentist for the first time. Keith said dentists spend a minimum of 30 minutes with each child and that they take time to treat and look for any problems because it could be awhile before a child sees a dentist again.
Dr. David Dedmon said the first child he saw Friday received treatment that would normally cost $1,000. He and other dentists noted some of the problems they treated so they could share the information with county, state and national dental associations.
Last year, the clinic served 425 children. This year's goal is to treat 700.
"It's the most common reason for a child to miss school - an achy tooth or an abscessed tooth," Keith said.
Children are referred to Healthy Smiles through schools. Small busloads of children are brought to the clinic on Fridays. Keith said the kids receive dental services and are taught good oral hygiene.
Dentists volunteer their services, and occasionally, the clinic pays to have children treated.
Cindy Roddey, executive director of Healthy Smiles, said four dentists regularly volunteer with the program.
"If we could have every dentist in the county giving us five hours a year, we could triple the number of children we see," Roddey said.
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