ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – Carilion Clinic is offering free pediatric dental care on its second-annual Super Smile Savers Day February 8th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at its Tanglewood Facility. The event is for any aged 6 to 16 years old.
Carilion Clinic says that as a non-profit, it is always working to improve access to care for the community. Especially since, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, about half of American children do not receive regular dental care due to economic or geographical issues.
Inside Carilion’s Tanglewood facility, Dr. Karina Miller started the event last year. She says as a child she loved going to the dentist. She took this position as a way to help children learn more about their dental health. She says oral health correlates with children’s overall self-esteem and mental health.
“Dental caries is the number one chronic disease in America in children, and one thing that is the beauty of that is that it is 100% preventable. So if we can put all our minds together with our efforts, we can really start a great path of prevention and giving the children their smiles back. As I always say, we save smiles one tooth at a time,” said Dr. Karina Miller, a pediatric dentist at Carilion Clinic.
Pre-dental students will be there helping doctors complete all of the free services they’re offering, like dental exams and consultations, free sealants, and fluoride varnish applications as needed.
“You’re really going to understand all of your oral health. You’re really going to understand the importance of that. And who doesn’t like a beautiful smile, right? Your smile is the window to your soul,” said Dr. Miller.
Registration for the event is over, however, they are still taking walk-in appointments, and they warn there may be some wait times, but there will be enough activities to keep you busy. Kids can get their faces painted, and see some superheroes and there will also be a special visit from the tooth fairy. Dr. Miller hopes to continue this event for years to come.
“We went through the trenches. We want to do this every year. We want to make it bigger. We want to make it greater. We want to have more providers to join us and, hopefully, expand care for the children of the valley that have so little access to care,” said Dr. Miller.
You can learn more about the event here.