Brushing Up with the Dentist

Ben Slaterbeck, Staff Reporter

Did you know that if you do not floss, you are missing cleaning 35 percent of your teeth’s surfaces? If you’re worried, you can have your teeth checked on soon by the dentists!

Dentists from the Smile Programs will come in at 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 22 to begin setting up. They bring in all their own equipment, including the dentist chairs! They finish setting up an hour later, then start seeing students. They work in conference room A, since it has more space and there are blinds, which keeps it private.

The reason we have the dentists visit is because we have a lot of people who do not have access to them outside of school. It is convenient for both the students and parents, since the students do not have to miss school and the parents do not have to miss work.

Gateway has been working with the Smile Programs, the program that brings the dentists to school, since January of 2020, but other schools across the county have been working with the Smile Program for longer.

The Smile Program ensures that the dentists who come into the schools are local, licensed professionals. They take all forms of insurance, but if you do not have any, you can use the low-cost self-pay option that is available.