On a late-fall morning at Johnson Elementary School in southwest Denver, students practiced spelling and played games in the gym — common activities for school children. But tucked away in a nearby classroom used mostly for storage sat something a little out of the ordinary: a dental chair.
There, dental hygienist Lisa Valdez focused her light and peered into the less-than-threatening jaws of a second-grader. Another boy sat nearby, coloring and patiently waiting for his turn in the seat.
Chopper Topper, a free program established in 1998 by the charity Kids In Need of Dentistry, or KIND, provides checkups and dental work to thousands of Denver-area children each year. The program aims to prevent dental decay in young, disadvantaged children.
Each week, Valdez, who is the Chopper Topper coordinator, and two other dental hygienists take mobile dental units — a chair, compressor and tools — to three schools where more than 50 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The hygienists teach the children about oral health and provide primarily second-graders with dental screenings, fluoride and a sealant, which is placed in the crevasses of teeth mainly to protect newly erupted, permanent molars. Parents of children who need additional dental care are referred to a KIND clinic.
Most of the children at Johnson Elementary happily hopped on the chair for the procedure, but 7-year-old Raeanna Gallegos was hesitant. Valdez worked to reassure Raeanna that the process is painless, but tears welled in the girl’s eyes. Eventually, Raeanna agreed to the sealants. Afterward, she jumped from the chair with a huge smile — all trace of tears long gone.
Asked what she thought about the procedure, Raeanna said the best parts were how “nice” Valdez was and the bubblegum-flavored fluoride treatment. Because of the sealants, Raeanna is less likely to develop cavities.
During the 2016-17 school year, Chopper Topper hygienists visited 97 schools, screened 4,642 students and placed 9,598 sealants. The team hopes to expand the program to protect more students, which means they’ll need additional hygienists and equipment.
Name of charity: Kids In Need of Dentistry
Address: 2465 S. Downing St., Suite 210, Denver
Year it started: 1912 (Chopper Topper was created in 1998)
Number of employees: 13 (Chopper Topper, 3.5)
Annual budget: $1,120,975 (Chopper Topper, $196,113)
Percentage of funds that goes directly to client services: 78 percent
Number served last year: 14,162 patient visits (Chopper Topper, 4,642 children screened)