Dentists visit daycare, help smiles sparkle

May 23, 2011

The Smile Massachusetts mobile dentists stopped by the ABC Early Learning Center on Sandwich Road on Friday to help get children's smiles sparkling.

Dr. Peter Bellas and hygienists Lisa Young and Kim Veloso, equipped with a dental chair and equipment, turned a small room in the daycare into a dental office for the day.

Smile Massachusetts helps provide families with preventative dental care. Costs are absorbed by Medicaid, state, or private insurance.

The dental team counted and brushed the youngest students' teeth and provided fluoride treatment and sealant for older children.

It was quite a spectacle for the children, who watched attentively as their friends got cleanings and eyeballed the box full of multicolored toothbrushes and stickers that the dentist brought.

The dentist visits the daycare every six months. There's always a lot of excitement.

"It makes kids eager to go to the dentist," said Carol Couture, executive director of the learning center.