Healthy Smiles for All

Voices from the Valley: A podcast of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region

Dental care is critical to a person's overall health, especially in children. But the pandemic and financial constraints have been barriers to families trying to access proper care, causing decreases in visits. Organizations like volunteer-driven Tri-County Dental help fill the gaps and meet thousands of students where they’re at, offering preventive care to avoid emergencies and keep students healthy and able to focus in school.

It’s estimated that there are over 85,000 people in the tri-county area of Northeast Wisconsin who cannot afford even limited oral health care. And according to the Dental Association, about a third of all children in the state of Wisconsin have untreated tooth decay. The dental community wanted to do something about that. For the past two decades, volunteer dentists and dental hygienists have been offering their services free of charge through the Tri-County Community Dental Clinic.

Roughly 90 dentists from throughout the area volunteer to work at Tri-County. There are paid fellowships for new dentists who recently graduated to get experience for a one-year term. There are income and insurance requirements to be eligible to go to the clinic. Co-pays for regular visits never cost more than $35. But for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, care is completely free.

Show Notes at https://www.cffoxvalley.org/podcast/healthy-smiles-for-all-23/