As premiums rise, a one-day free dental clinic offers care for families in need

DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – At a time when premiums are high and many struggle to afford all kinds of health insurance, Volunteers gathered at Lake Superior College today to tackle a critical gap in our community—access to dental care for children.

The effort is part of the “Give Kids a Smile” initiative, which removes the cost barrier to oral health.

On Friday, dozens of kids received everything from cleanings and exams to fillings and X-rays; services that would normally cost thousands of dollars, all at no cost to their families.

The “Give Kids a Smile” program is about making dental health accessible to every child in the community, regardless of their family’s financial situation.

Faculty member at the Dental Hygiene Clinic Natalie Dawe said, “we don’t ask for any income, or any specifications on anything, and preventative care is really important, especially in kids, if we can start them off with a really healthy mouth, we can keep it that way.”

LSC’s Dental Hygiene program is doing double duty—training the next generation of dental professionals while serving families who need these services.

Parents who brought their kids to the free clinic, like Caitlyn Lilya said, “we thought we might as well try it out and try to get him used to seeing the dentist because it’s kind of scary, it’s very nice because it’s so expensive and everything is expensive nowadays, so it’s really nice that we have this free service.”

For many families, cost is the biggest barrier to dental care. But parents and patients like RaeAnn Garthus say there’s another concern—anxiety.

“It seems chaotic right when you get in, but when you get situated, it calms down a little bit and they are just focused on you and it’s not so rushed,” said Garthus.

The volunteers treated every child with patience and care, understanding that today’s positive experience could shape a lifetime of better dental health habits—and build the futures dental workforce.

“A really dire need for more dental professionals, really country wide, but definitely in the Northland and the further north that you go, and so meeting the needs of the community is really important to us,” said Dawe.

For more information about the “Give Kids a Smile” campaign and other dental health initiatives in our area, you can visit the LSC Dental Clinic website.

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