For families who qualified, dental services at Saturday’s TeamSmile event in the South Gym inculded x-rays, teeth cleaning, cavitity fillings and extractions.
On Saturday, Fresno State’s South Gymnasium was transformed into a top-notch dental facility to play host to “TeamSmile,” a nonprofit that partners with larger organizations””like the National Football League””to bring free dental care to impoverished youth.
Dr. Scott Sailor, Fresno State’s kinesiology chair and co-director of Fresno State’s “TeamSmile” initiative, said 30 to 40 dental professionals, along with assistants and student volunteers, worked to provide dental services””screenings, cleanings, even fillings and extractions””for more than 200 kids. Some of which, Sailor said, aren’t in good shape when they walk through his doors.
“I remember a kid that needed at least two teeth extracted,” Sailor said. “I think he probably, if I remember right, needed more, but they felt like that was enough to put him through for one day.”
Marking its seventh year at Fresno State, Sailor said the event has provided three-quarters of a million dollars worth of free dental care in its first six years of operation.
He said the “TeamSmile” connection formed through Fresno State’s athletic teams’ dentist, Xavier Gutierrez, who was involved with the organization.
Today, Gutierrez works in conjunction with the Fresno Madera Dental Society to raise money for the event and find dentists willing to volunteer their time.
“Dental care is the most prevalent chronic childhood disease today, even ahead of asthma, and considering the Valley and our asthma issue, it really puts things into perspective,” Gutierrez said. “So these kids, having free dental care, access to care, getting kids out of pain, I mean that keeps kids in school, keeps them healthy, and that’s the bottom line: we want to keep our kids healthy.”
To bring kids the care they need, Sailor said dental professionals and Fresno State’s kinesiology, recreation and athletic departments partner together.
During Saturday’s event, kinesiology students checked patients in, gave them green T-shirts and numbers and walked them to their exams or designated waiting areas where the patients could watch videos on dental hygiene or listen to student volunteers give demonstrations on tooth health.
Recreation administration students also gave their time and picked some patients up at their homes, dropping them off in front of the gym, so they could enter and receive care.
Sara Hart, an athletic training major and member of Fresno State’s Sports Medicine Club, volunteered with “TeamSmile” for the first time Saturday. She said, for her, the event was a great way to help kids who maybe aren’t as fortunate.
“As an athletic training major, I spend a lot of my time giving to the athletes,” Hart said. “Especially in Fresno, the community gives so much to these athletes, that it’s kind of a full circle: to give back to the community, to give back to the athletes.
“It’s a great way to give back to our Fresno community that spends so much time on us.”
Student athletes also helped out. A number of team members arrived around 10 a.m. and played with kids who were waiting for their exams.
Tanya Murtagh, a member of Fresno State’s women’s tennis team, said her entire team volunteered at last year’s “TeamSmile” event.
“We were just asked to help out,” Murtagh said. “And it’s a good cause, giving back to the community.”
During the event, Murtagh and her teammates played with energetic patients””playfully shooting hoops””to help distract them from what can sometimes be a scary experience.
“Me, personally, I don’t even like going to the dentist, so we’re just here and play with the kids, make it like a fun experience so they’ll come back again,” Murtagh said.
Sailor said having the kids come back again is exactly what he hopes for.
“Some of them, this may be the first time they’ve stepped on a college campus, and it may open a door, a vision of where they may be someday,” Sailor said. “Who knows.”
Bringing “TeamSmile” to Fresno State’s campus is no easy task, Sailor said, and costs $10,000 every year.
Although Sailor said Gutierrez, members of the Fresno Madera Dental Society and private donors help raise most of the money, they were a few thousand dollars shy in the days leading up to Saturday.
“You’re worn out, but you feel like you really contributed to your town, your society, your community and…I don’t get to do a lot of events that have such a far-reaching impact,” Sailor said. “That’s why I like doing this one.”