Some students at Morgan and Knollwood elementary schools have healthier smiles this week.

Local dentists pitched in Friday to provide free dental exams and dental sealants to third-graders from the two schools. This is the fifth year these dental professionals have joined to provide the preventive service to the students.

The schools bused the students to the offices of Dr. Brett Busby and Dr. John Webb, where local volunteer dentists, hygienists and dental assistants provided the service.

This is a new spin on the annual Give Kids A Smile Day. The program has been so successful in the past that the dentists decided to add a day to enable more students to take advantage of the service.

In previous years, Rockwell, Koontz, Bostian and Granite Quarry elementary schools have participated. These schools will get their chance at the free care in the spring.

A great indicator of the success of the program is that both Granite Quarry and Bostian, which have both participated for three years, have dropped their rate of referral for untreated dental decay in fifth-graders from 17 percent to zero.

"This is a great service to the community. These children may never know the dental problems many adults have faced. Science shows that if decay can be prevented in the childhood years, patients have a much better chance of remaining disease free, from a standpoint of cavities. After the age of 18, the risk of periodontal disease becomes more of a risk. Providing preventive sealants, effective use of fluorides, developing good home-care habits and proper nutrition are all part of our preventive health objectives in the schools, " Debbye Krueger, public health dental hygienist, said in a press release.

Upon arrival at the dental offices, the school nurses used Plak Check to show the third-graders where they have been missing when they brush their teeth at home and then helped them to brush their teeth properly.

Once the teeth were clean, the dentists and hygienists applied the clear or white plastic coating to the chewing surface of the healthy permanent molars.

Each child received more Plak Check, donated by Sunstar, to take home to keep up the good brushing habits, along with a new toothbrush, toothpaste, lighted mouth mirror and a letter notifying the parents of the results of the day's exam.

It is always a fun experience for the kids since no shots or drilling are involved.

For many, this may actually be their first dental visit, and the care givers make every effort to be sure that it is a pleasant one.

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