Kids in Need of Dentistry provides dental care, education to thousands of Denver children

On any given day, there’s a good chance you can walk into a metro Denver school and find Kids in Need of Dentistry staff providing free dental care and teaching children how to take care of their teeth — even the ones that will fall out in a few years.

For more than 100 years, KIND has worked with local children and families to remove barriers to oral health care. The organization provides dental care to nearly 6,000 kids annually, including free dental screenings and fluoride and molar treatments at more than 100 Denver-area schools through the Chopper Topper program.

The organization also serves around 700 children as regular patients at two oral health care centers, providing care to uninsured and low-income families at steep discounts.

“What we’re trying to do here is build a lifetime of good oral health habits,” said Erin Breen, director of development at KIND. “It’s not just about that visit or about collecting fees. Every appointment is an opportunity to get that little life on a good path for health.”

Dental health is often one of the first things to get pushed aside when finances prevent families from getting health care, said Lisa Phillips, KIND board chair and a pediatric dentist in Westminster.

“What KIND is doing is creating this culture of dental education with families who may not believe they could do that for their kids,” Phillips said.

KIND, which is a recipient of a Denver Post Season To Share grant, aims to bring oral health care back to the forefront and tackle common misconceptions about dental health in kids, Breen said.

“Some people think because it’s just baby teeth and they’ll fall out, they don’t need to be taken care of,” Breen said. “People often have so many barriers and things to navigate, it’s something they tell themselves so they don’t have to worry about it.”

But neglected teeth impact health at any age, and cavities in baby teeth can still rot into the bone, Breen said.