Smile Programs Visits North Adams Public SchoolsBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
05:33AM / Thursday, March 27, 2025 | |
 A portable dental office is set up in a classroom. |
Ryder Rowett gets X-rays of his teeth done. The Smile Programs also offers cleanings and some restorative care like fillings.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A mobile dental program visited North Adams Public Schools last week to ensure that students had healthy smiles.
Founded by two moms who were also dentists, the Smile Programs has been offering dental checkups at schools more more than 20 years.
"Bringing the care to the patient's hard for families to find care providers that provide care for MassHealth and so we're kind of just bringing the care to the patients," said Dr. Dana Burkett.
Smile Programs is in 17 states and says it has have helped more than 450,000 children.
The program does a complete dental exam, cleanings, X-rays, and other preventative care. And it offers some restorative care like fillings.
School nurse leader Natalie Emery was working with the schools to help find someone who could talk with the kids about dental hygiene and found the Smile Programs.
"In this particular area we don't have a lot of providers that accept MassHealth. Many families have to travel far, which is a barrier to receiving care, as well as kids not understanding how important it is to brush your teeth," she said.
"In the nurse's office, we see a lot of kids with poor dental care and it causes pain, it causes missed days from school and just creates further problems. So, it's a great opportunity to have them come to the school and try to prevent some of that further tooth decay and trouble down the road."
The Michigan-based program estimates more than 51 million school hours are lost a year and that 1 in 7 children are suffering from tooth pain.
The Smile program emphasizes that by coming to the schools, children will miss less school time and parents will not have to worry about transportation or having to take time off work.
Emery says about 90 students in the district have signed up for the program and about 15 to 20 kids are seen when the mobile dentist is there. The mobile dentist went to all three schools: Drury High, Colegrove Elementary, and Brayton Elementary.
The dentists see about 20 students each time they are there and explains to them how important dental hygiene is and leaves them with a free toothbrush to go back to class and continue their day.
Emery said the schools hope to be able to bring back the Smile Programs for students.
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