Children in need of low-cost or no-cost dental work now have a new and updated clinic to attend.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority unveiled recent renovations completed at the SMILEplus dental clinic located in Macrhay School on Wednesday morning.
“The SMILEplus program is vital to ensuring children in lower income brackets can receive the dental care they need,” says Linda Pharand, senior dental hygienist for the SMILEplus dental program. “Our dedicated team works so hard to make children and families comfortable in the dental office, as well as offering information and education on how to practice good oral hygiene and prevent problems in the future.”
The latest renovations to the Saving Mouths in Income Limited Environments clinic cost around $180,000. It includes bright new colours, better flow, more privacy, and new X-ray machines and TVs.
“The service they provide is extremely important because it’s affordable when you have no other financial means to pay for dental care," said Pam Godfrey, whose daughters have used the SMILEplus clinic for years. "They worked with my younger daughter to help fix her teeth and help her smile and we are so grateful for that.”
The clinic offers a variety of dental services from regular check-ups and cleanings, to more extensive work such as extractions, restorations, and some orthodontics. The goal with each visit is to provide as much dental care as possible to make it easier for families who have a harder time getting to multiple appointments.
“It’s so rewarding to be able to help these children access necessary dental care," said Dr. Tara Kennedy, one of the dentists at the SMILEplus clinic. ”We’re always in need of more dentists to help provide these services and I look forward to seeing more of my colleagues join this vital program.”
SMILEplus is run in partnership with the Winnipeg Region Health, and the University of Manitoba Faculty of Dentistry and includes a team of dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants.
The SMILEplus program has been around for more than 30 years. The clinic currently sees approximately 3-4 thousand children each year. It is the only publicly funded dental clinic in the Winnipeg region offering low/no-cost dental services exclusively to children.