Sioux Center, Iowa — A Sioux Center dentist says he wants to improve dental health for children in his community by providing free dental care for one day.
Sioux Center Dental, owned and operated by Dr. Trevor Kuiper, will donate their facilities, skills, and staff to provide free dental care to children in need on February 13. Dr. Kuiper says the need is always there, and right now the need in Sioux Center is even greater because fewer dentists are practicing in town. So, Kuiper and his staff have set out to ease the burden for many families in the community.
A state organization called I-Smile is assisting Kuiper and his staff in organizing this first-time event for Sioux Center Dental. The event is a spinoff of the American Dental Association’s National Give Kids a Smile Day, so Kuiper is calling the event “Give Kids a Smile”. He says they hope to serve between 25 and 40 kids that day.
Registered Dental Hygienist Amanda Van Beek and I-Smile Coordinator Dawn Ericson, also a Registered Dental Hygienist, conducted more than 150 student screenings in Sioux Center schools in preparation for the event. School nurses continue to evaluate and identify dental needs, sending forms home for parents of children identified with those needs. Those forms are starting to trickle in, giving Kuiper and his staff an idea of what treatments are needed. He says they plan to provide basic services, but understands there may be more complex cases that come in.
Dr. Kuiper says it’s clear Sioux Center Dental wants to make a difference. After all, their mission is “Faith, Family, Service”, in order of priority, he says.
The school is committed to the event as well, providing transportation for the children to the clinic on the day of the event. Sioux Center Dental is currently in contact with Sioux Center Christian School, hoping to get them involved next year. If you want more information on the Give Kids a Smile event, you can call Sioux Center Dental at 712-722-5155.
