Amador County – Earlier this month, 65 local children received dental treatment as part of “Smiles for Kids 2012” at Jackson Creek Dental.

Amador County children were all smiles after receiving free dental care from local dentists as part of Smiles for Kids 2012. The children who qualified for the program would not otherwise have been able to receive dental care and were given exams, x-rays, teeth cleaning, sealants, and fluoride treatments at no charge.

Four Jackson Creek Dental Group dentists, their staff and licensed staff from local dental offices, along with community members offered this service on a volunteer basis. Together they treated 65 children for pro-bono services totaling over $18,000.

Jackson Creek Dental Group has been hosting a Smiles for Kids Event for the past 27 years. This year the dentists participating in Smiles for Kids were Doctors Ron Ask, Craig Kinzer, Dwight Simpson and Leon Roda.

There are 46 children needing follow-up dental treatment as part of the program. Of those, 35 are receiving care from local dentists, and the rest have been referred to dentists and specialists in Sacramento as part of the Sacramento District Dental Society’s Adopt-a-Child, Orthodontic, and Specialty Referral Care Programs. Local dentists who will be seeing children in crucial follow-up treatment are Drs. Eaton, Montalbo, Schiappa and Womack.

“Every child deserves a healthy smile,” said Dwight Simpson, DDS at Jackson Creek Dental Group, “and we dedicate this day to providing dental treatment, education, advocacy and prevention.”

Simpson said: “When left untreated, dental disease is very painful and can affect physical, emotional and social development in children. The doctors, staff and all the volunteers look forward to providing these services as part of Smiles for Kids, and becoming part of the solution to fighting the Number One chronic childhood disease in America – tooth decay.”

This year the Sacramento State University Pre-Dental Association donated backpacks filled with dental and school items. All the children who were seen for treatment were excited that they received a backpack.

The Smiles for Kids program is run in support of the American Dental Association’s “Give Kids a Smile” campaign. Jackson Creek Dental is at 100 French Bar Road in Jackson.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.