An emergency call came in at the Kids in Need of Dentistry clinic in Commerce City. It seems a 5-year-old had several areas of serious tooth decay. Some food was lodged in one of them – and the child had been crying in pain for the entire night.
Bring her in, the nurse told the mom on the phone. The child had been turned down at two other clinics.
This is what Kids in Need of Dentistry does. Since 1912, it has helped children under 18 keep their teeth working. Kids without insurance with parents without insurance. Low-income parents, the working poor, those not working.
Last year, in its four clinics, in its Miles for Smiles traveling bus and in countless private dental offices, more than 5,500 visits gave kids the dental care they desperately needed.
The dental clinics, in Adams, Denver and Jefferson counties and in Colorado Springs, are state-of-the-art facilities.
“Our goal is to be sure kids have a good experience, not a scary experience,” says executive director Mary Allman-Koernig. “Sometimes there’s a little pain, a shot of novocaine, but hopefully it will be good and they’ll come back.”
Ian Liebendorfer was back for his third visit that morning. He’s 6 years old. His mom, Libby Liebendorfer, was in the waiting room with her infant daughter. “He liked it the first time,” she said. “Now he’s not so thrilled about it. We’re just part of the uninsured Americans out there. He had extreme need. This has been a lifesaver for us.”
The staff and volunteers are out to get these kids on the road to a lifetime of dental health. Some get tough starts when their parents put them down for a nap with a bottle of juice or milk. Their front teeth rot away, which leads to all kinds of health problems, along with issues of socialization and self-esteem.
“This is so much more rewarding than any general practice out there,” says KIND’s staff dentist, Dr. Jason Conrad. “I don’t know how to put it into words. The warmth from these people is just enormous.”
Dr. Nancy Simons is a volunteer dentist. She usually takes on one patient at a time and treats him or her at the Cody Dental Group. It’s the 60th anniversary of the practice, which has decided to donate $60,000 of dental work this year.
“You see a lot of kids who just fall through the cracks,” she says. “These people are just incredible.”
Simons is working on Ian when I leave. He looks as if he’s bearing it, if not grinning.
I never liked going to the dentist either, kid. But I always could.
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Husted also appears Tuesdays and Fridays on “Good Day Colorado” on Fox 31. You can reach him at 303-820-1486 or bhusted@denverpost.com.