‘Give Kids a Smile Day’ a success

EAST LIVERPOOL - A team of five dentists, three assistants and a group of volunteers treated 80 children Friday at the dental office of Jeffrey S. Caldwell located on East Fifth Street.

Dental services, including flouride treatments, sealants, and screenings were provided free of charge to area children as part of the national American Dental Association "Give Kids a Smile Day."

According to the American Dental Association "Give Kids a Smile Day" is an effort to provide oral health education to children despite their economic status.

Elementary school children from all over the county were transported to the office on school busses for a variety of dental services.

After performing an examination, each dentist placed the children in one of three categories: routine cleaning and examination, restorative work, and urgent care.

Doctors of Dental Medicine on site to offer services Friday included Jeffrey S. Caldwell, P. Michael Moore, E. Lee Rice, and Shane M. Wellington, of East Liverpool. Sangeetha Sethi, of Canfield, was also present.

Three expanded function dental assistants were also on site, as well as volunteers from the Polaris Career Center located in Cleveland, and the Ohio Valley College of Technology located on St. Clair Avenue.

Caldwell said the office has been hosting the "Give Kids a Smile Day" for the past six years.

"The first child I ever saw when I began doing this was a child who had never brushed his teeth because he didn't have a toothbrush. It is kind of heartbreaking, but it's good to know you are doing something good," he said.

While proper dental care is very serious, dentists made every effort to make the children feel comfortable and entertained. Large, comical sunglasses were provided to each child, and the tooth fairy even made a visit.

According to Caldwell, this is the first year the tooth fairy has came to the office.

"We try to make it a fun day," he said. The children were also given a toothbrush and toothpaste to take home, as well as their own personal "toothprints."

Toothprints is a thermoplastic wafer that a child bites down on after it is taken out of warm water. Once it is removed from the mouth the impression provides a tool for identification if a child should turn up missing. The toothprint also provides the child's DNA and scent, so that a K9 unit can pick it up if needed.