Every year on the first Friday of February, Lake Superior College’s dental hygiene program gives kids free dental care. This year, the event fell on February 7.

“Give Kids a Smile” day is a nationally recognized event, started by the American Dental Association in 2003. Here at LSC, 1st and 2nd year dental students team up with volunteers and dental professionals for cleanings, fillings, fluoride, and more. It was their 21st time holding the event, and hygienists have seen their dental healthcare efforts paying off beyond the event itself.

“The nicest thing that we’ve noticed over the years, is while we try to do operative work like cavities and fillings, we do less and less of that every year. Its more and more preventative. That means things we are doing in the community, things that we are doing preventatively, electric toothbrushes, fluoride, those things are working and we’re not seeing the decay in kids like we always did. Or we have better systems in place. So, some of the community clinics in our area are able to accommodate more people, so we don’t have to see them on this day,” said LSC dental hygiene instructor Natalie Dawe.

Dawe also notes that their goal is more than just cleaning teeth. She says giving kids a positive first dental experience, or just a different experience than they may have gotten before, can help encourage them to maintain good oral health.

If you missed the free event, Lake Superior College’s dental hygiene clinic offers appointments to kids, students, adults, and seniors, and is open from September to May.