Free dental clinic open to children Bangor program targets uninsured kids

BANGOR – Many Maine children will be given the opportunity to flash healthy pearly whites, thanks to a special clinic.

Penobscot Community Health Center will offer a free dental clinic for qualifying Maine children, Give Kids a Smile Day, as part of the National Children’s Dental Access Day.

The clinic will be held over two days. First, dental screenings will be held Friday, Jan. 21, at the University of Maine Dental Hygiene School at University College, 216 Texas Ave., Bangor.

Then health education and restorative dental care based on findings from the screenings will be held Saturday, Feb. 5, at the Penobscot Community Health Center Dental Clinic, 1048 Union St. Both sessions are free and require appointments. No walk-in care will be provided.

“Last year was the first year we [held the dental clinic in Bangor],” said Mary Jude, chief development officer at the center. Six dentists, several dental hygienists and dental assistants, students in the dental hygiene and dental assisting programs at University College in Bangor and “a lot of front office staff” provided education and dental services to more than 100 children, she said.

“And that was with very little advance notice,” said Vicki Rusbult, development-communications manager. The pair hope that by providing information on the clinic sooner, more eligible children will participate in this year’s event.

Eligible children for the Give Kids A Smile Day are those up to age 18 who are uninsured or who don’t qualify for MaineCare, Jude and Rusbult said.

Give Kids A Smile Day was founded by the American Dental Association in 2002 to “provide dental care and raise awareness of the importance of access to care for children from families who are low-income or underserved,” Jude said.

The Jan. 21 screening, which takes about a half-hour per child, includes X-rays and an oral exam. Children will then be scheduled for dental care on Feb. 5, Give Kids A Smile Day.

“They spend about an hour per child,” Jude said. Each child will receive one-on-one oral health education in the Miles For Smiles mobile dental clinic, which will be located at the health center at 1048 Union St. Then each child will receive free dental care based on the findings from the screening.

“And each child gets a little dental kit,” Rusbult said. The kit contains a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss, to name some items.

If a child requires a substantial amount of dental work, he or she will receive treatment that can be accomplished during the allotted time and will be scheduled to return to the clinic at another time for the additional work. Staff at the clinic will work with the patient’s family to get affordable dental care for this additional work.

Staff at Penobscot Community Health Center also can help children continue to access services by locating providers in their area of residence, as well as by arranging for care on a sliding scale payment basis for those who qualify, Rusbult said. The mobile unit covers an area that spans Pittsfield to Dover-Foxcroft to Presque Isle.

Appointments are required for both the Jan. 21 screening and the Feb. 5 dental care. Those who wish to participate in the Give Kids A Smile Day clinic should call Gayle Hockenberry at 945-5247, ext. 305, for an appointment.