Ledger-Dispatch

By Jerry Budrick (jbudrick@ledger-dispatch.com= )=20

Victoria Marquina was excited about = getting a=20 tooth pulled Saturday at Jackson Creek Dental Group's 23rd annual = "Smiles=20 For Kids" day. Her brother, Brian, came along for = support.

Photo by: Jerry=20 Budrick
Forty-five local children received = free=20 dental care in Jackson Saturday morning and seemed to have a great time = getting=20 it.

Jackson Creek Dental Group hosted its 23rd Annual "Smiles For = Kids"=20 day at their office on the corner of French Bar Road and Highway 49. = Part of the=20 California Dental Association's "Give Kids a Smile" program, it offers = free=20 dental care to kids without dental insurance. Sandy Garcia, Jackson = Creek Dental=20 Group's coordinator/marketing manager, said the dental office served 55 = children=20 last year, up from 28 children in 2006.

The dental office = operates on a=20 first come, first served basis, but anyone who arrives by noon and has = their=20 paperwork filled out will be seen, even if they're rescheduled for later = in the=20 week. The dental office also refers children to free services in = Sacramento for=20 any specialty services they can't do. Several county agencies = participate in=20 this program as well, Garcia said.

It was a hectic, crowded scene = Saturday, as 30 volunteers, including the doctors, their entire staff = and many=20 of their children, kept everything flowing.

First on the scene = were a=20 father and son from Fiddletown, setting up folding chairs before 7 a.m. = for the=20 8 o'clock opening. Spencer Bohn, a 16-year-old sophomore at Amador High = School,=20 came with the hope of finding orthodontic help.

His dad, Richard, = said=20 that they couldn't afford dental insurance right now, and that most = insurance=20 companies wouldn't cover orthodontics if they could. Later in the = morning, both=20 were ecstatic about the assistance they found.

Each child was = X-rayed,=20 then examined by one of three doctors: Ron Ask, Craig Kinzer or Dwight = Simpson.=20 Jackson Creek's fourth doctor, Leon Roda, was kept home by a touch of = the=20 flu.

Cavities were filled only if absolutely necessary, so the = drills=20 weren't whirring too loudly, and only a few teeth were pulled. The real = work=20 comes later, when kids who need additional work either come back to = Jackson=20 Creek or go to one of the five other dentists in the county who are part = of the=20 Adopt-a-Child Program: Timothy Durkin, Thomas Eaton, Kenneth Curry, = Christopher=20 Schiappa and Alvin Seevers.

Work beyond the scope of local = dentists will=20 be referred to cooperating members of the Sacramento Dental Society or = Healthy=20 Families.

Ten-year-old Aryn Greve, of Mokelumne Hill, was = "adopted" last=20 year by Dr. Kinzer. She and her mom, Lori, were back for their second = year. Aryn=20 was positively bubbly, saying, "It's fun at the dentist. Seeing Dr. = Kinzer is a=20 lot of fun."

Every child received a thorough cleaning by one of = the=20 resident hygienists, followed by fluoride treatments as needed. Most=20 importantly, every tooth in the house that would benefit from it was = sealed to=20 prevent bacterial invasion in the future.

Education was the word = of the=20 day. What sounded like the most important lesson was that modern = dentistry has=20 discovered a means to eliminate its own business. Sealants, applied to = "virgin"=20 teeth, meaning teeth that have never been drilled into, can prevent = decay 100=20 percent for about three years. Timely application can prevent cavities = forever.=20 Gail Jennings, a 22-year veteran with Dr. Ask, said, "If we can get to = the kids,=20 get sealants on their teeth, we can prevent so many disastrous=20 consequences."

Curiously, some insurance companies won't pay for=20 sealing.

According to Marcella Raper, a hygienist who also has = worked at=20 Jackson Creek Dental for 22 years, "The main thing is educating people, = the kids=20 and especially the parents. The kids hear you, but the parents follow it = up."

Three generations of one family found the education=20 valuable

"Education we got from coming to this event has been = very=20 important," said Kym Parker. Parker and her mother-in-law, Janet = Strobel, had=20 brought the well-dressed 9-year-old Ashlee and her brother, Caleb, 7, = from=20 Mokelumne Hill, where "there are no dentists."

All the recipients = of=20 Saturday's dental care seemed totally pleased, but one particularly = happy dad=20 made an offer Jackson Dental couldn't refuse. Jonathon Triglia of = Pioneer had=20 brought his children, Porter, 7, and Aspen, 4, for the third year in a = row. So=20 grateful for the help, Jonathon, whose business is called VastWorks = Handyman,=20 said, "I would like to repay their generosity by doing some handyman = work and=20 they are going to make me a list of things to do."

Sandy Garcia, = Jackson=20 Creek's practice coordinator/marketing manager, shared a wealth of = knowledge=20 with everyone, while simultaneously filling out the forms necessary for = parents=20 to get the additional care their children would need.

Susan = Wilson, who=20 does Jackson Creek's billing, estimated that the minimum charge for the = basic=20 services for each child would normally be about $350, with the average=20 approaching $600. That adds up to a sizeable amount of cash that will = never be=20 paid to the 30 generous volunteers, but the real payment came in the = brilliant=20 smiles of the grateful children.

Jerry = Budrick