First off, it doesn’t look to me that all these children need free screenings. Second, it’s not free… nothing is. Rest assured the taxpayer is picking up this dime, which is all well and good, IF… and that is a HUGE if… It’s needed. Looks to me like at least one of these children were regular patients. Just saying..
SAN ANTONIO -
A trip to the dentist is a visit that's often dreaded by children and their parents.
For children, a dental checkup can be a pain in the mouth. For parents, it can be a pain in the pocketbook.
"It's expensive," said Hilda Calderon, mother of 7-year-old Crystal Calderon.
Calderon got a break on Monday morning when Texas Smiles Dental Center offered free dental screenings in recognition of National Children's Dental Health Month.
They called it "Healthy Smile, Happy Child Day".
"We do an exam and follow up with the children if they need to come back for dental work," said Texas Smiles Dental Center's Diana Lynn Vargas.
She said ideally, children should start seeing a dentist at 6 months of age, but for many families, it's the cost of seeing a dentist that keep them from getting regular care.
Normally, a checkup alone costs $150 dollars per child, according to Vargas.
According to Dr. Bishoy Mishreky, lead dentist at Texas Smiles of San Antonio, about one in five children go without dental care each year
"A free dental screening is very helpful," said Vargas, "It's the beginning of dental care."
"It helps me a lot," said Calderon.
If you missed Monday's free dental screening, mark your calendar for October. Texas Smiles Dental Center will offer another free screening around Halloween.
They are located at 4847 W. Commerce Street. For more information, call 210-432-0909
