FRESNO (KMJ) — Improving the dental health of Fresno County’s children for no charge – that’s what ‘Team Smile’ is doing at Fresno State this weekend.
“This will be the tenth year we’ve hosted it”, explains lead dentist Dr. Xavier Gutierrez. “[We’ve] provided over a million dollars of free dentistry for our kids over those years”.
They’ll have more than a hundred volunteers on hand to help check the teeth of as many as 300 kids between ages 5 and 18. It’s all taking place this Saturday and the services are all being provided for free – regardless of insurance.
“Fresno has one of the highest percentages of residents living below the poverty line, and it’s estimated that low income children are two times as likely to suffer from tooth decay”, reveals Dr. Gutierrez.
They’ll be cleaning, varnishing, maintaining, filling in, and even extracting the teeth of those in need.
It’s taking place between 9am and 3pm Saturday October 8th, in Fresno State’s South Gym.
To sign up and take advantage of the free dental care: you can sign up in advance and schedule an appointment by calling Fresno Parks and Recreation on (559) 621-7529 or show up on the day itself before 11am to fill out the necessary forms.
Hear the story from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
