An effort to bring dental care to children across South Dakota has provided more than $10 million worth of services. The Dakota Smiles program from Delta Delta has provided more than 22,000 patients with treatment and check-ups.
A 40 foot-long truck takes the place of a brick-and-mortar dentist office for thousands of South Dakota kids. Delta Dental’s program director for Dakota Smiles, Carrie Mikkonen, says children without access to dental care are often in immense pain.
"We see kids that have two or three abscesses in their mouths. They might have eight teeth that need to have work on, crowns put on, and that’s like doing a root canal on an adult, that’s a pulp and a crown," Mikkonen says. "They didn’t tell anybody, either. How much can they take? They’re way tougher than the adults. Trust me."
Mikkonen says kids who use the mobile dental services benefit from the quality dental work and education professionals provide, and they’re grateful for the care. She says the main mission of the mobile dental program is to teach kids about oral health and its impact on overall wellness.
"They’ll come back, and they’ll say, 'You know what? I stopped drinking pop. If I drink a pop, I swish my mouth out with water.' So education’s huge; they just need to know what to do. Sure, they’re going to eat some candy and they’re going to drink the pop," Mikkonen says. "But if they know how to prevent it, the kids get it."
Mikkonen says South Dakota’s children face challenges to getting appropriate dental care, including access to dentists and paying for the cost of check-ups and restoration. The mobile dental program bills insurance, but communities and Dental Dental also cover costs so kids get the oral care they need.
The Dakota Smiles program has improved oral health for children in 74 communities.