18-02-2025
Kids receive free dental care at Gulf Coast State Colleges annual ‘Kids Klinic'
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Developing good dental care habits starts at a young age. Gulf Coast State College is helping local children learn about the importance of oral hygiene.
The annual Kids Klinic also gives dental hygiene students practice treating pediatric patients. The clinic runs takes place all this week but is already booked solid with 80 appointments.
'Our students perform the treatment. We do have licensed faculty that are dental hygienists, and we have clinic dinners that will check on everything. So the dentist will do the exams and then the cleanings are actually done by the students,' Dental Hygiene Coordinator Miranda Stewart said.
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Kids are taught proper brushing and flossing techniques and experience going to a dentist for regular checkups For some, it may be their first time at the dentist.
Dental hygiene students try to make the experience fun to calm their nerves.
'Most of them have dental anxiety, but we try to ease that and we have a little bit of fun with our different themes that we have going on,' Dental Hygiene student Gracie Standland said.
During their visit, children can receive a teeth cleaning, x-ray, oral exam, and fluoride treatment.
The clinic helps students gain experience and breaks health barriers for kids.
'It's a part of our regular curriculum, but it also extends care to some people who maybe don't have a dental home. So we get to see a lot of kids that we maybe wouldn't see on a regular basis, but also like providing for their needs,' Dental Hygiene student Kirstie Whitfield said.
Gulf Coast State College's Dental Clinic offers dental hygiene clinics throughout the make an appointment for those clinics, call (850) 872-3833.
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