“Uhhhhhh kaaaaaaaaaay.”
A couple of Zachary's teeth were loose, but Anne Breum didn't find much else wrong with the first-grader's chompers while looking down into his wide-open mouth.
Zach's dad took his hand and the two went away for a free X-ray next door.
“Next.”
So it went Friday morning at Partnership Health Care, the community health center that has served Missoula's underprivileged residents for more than 14 years.
The free dental screenings, along with two more on Jan. 11 and Jan. 18, help address the lack of dental care for Missoula's low-income families. Part of the Montana Dental Association's “Give Kids a Smile Day,” the screenings will be followed up on Feb. 1 with free treatment at more than a dozen Missoula dentist's offices.
Next up on Friday was Devin. The freckled second-grader positioned himself on the dental cot and put on a pair of purple shades, and Breum again went to work under the focused glare of a high-powered lamp.
“Any loose teeth?” she asked Devin.
Devin shook his head.
“Any spots on your teeth that you see or your mom sees?”
“Uh-uh.”
Devin's little sister, 2-year-old Kiara, was next. She had wanted her big brother to go first. She was a bit hesitant.
Kiara put on pink sunglasses.
“Open up,” said Breum, smiling.
Kiara paused.
“Open your mooooouth, like I did!” Devin egged on.
Brothers know best.
“It's good, because we don't have dental insurance,” said the children's mother, Nichole Johnson. “Health insurance, yes, but not dental insurance. We can't afford it.”
Fourteen Missoula children took advantage of the screenings on Friday. What's different this year than others is that these visits were mere screenings and not the actual dental work, said Breum.
That will help more children, because dentists on Feb. 1 will not have to do all that work up-front, she said.
“The screenings help get the word out,” she said. “And you can also be more productive when you know what the problem is.”
Breum and at least 13 other dentists will volunteer their time to do the actual repair work.
For her part, Breum said she expected to see more cavities and decay than she did Friday morning.
While that's good news, “we will not lack for things to do that day (Feb. 1),” she said.
Other Missoula dentists working on Friday were Jackie Jones and Ryan Huckeby.
Reporter Jamie Kelly can be reached at 523-5254 or at jkelly@missoulian.com
More screenings
Free dental screenings for Missoula children will be held the next two Fridays, Jan. 11 and Jan. 18, from 8-10 a.m. at Partnership Health Care, 301 W. Alder St. The screenings include an initial examination and possible X-rays, as well as referrals for free dental work to one of Missoula's dentists.
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