Decas Elementary School students were smiling bigger than ever this week after a mobile dentist visited and polished up their teeth.

The dentist, Peter Bellas, worked for several days this week with dental hygienist Brenda Macko to give kids dental care. They offered fillings, extractions, sealants, cleanings and X-rays, all operating from the front hallway of the elementary school.

The mobile dentist in Decas sees between 10 and 20 kids a day, Macko said.

The services are provided through insurance, if the students’ families have it, or funded through grants so it is free to the students.

“I just enjoy working with children,” Bellas said. “I enjoy seeing them smile when they’re done.”

Dentists visit the school twice a year through a traveling dentistry program called ReachOut Healthcare America.

Having the dentist’s “office” in a school makes children more comfortable with getting their teeth worked on, Bellas said. It is less intimidating because they are in a familiar environment and are getting dental work done with their peers.