Smile day at local clinic Saturday

Authored by Jim Langham on Feb 1, 2012

It didn't take long for the appointment book to fill at the office of the Berne Dental Clinic when word went out that the annual nationwide emphasis, "Give Kids a Smile Day," would be held at the local facility this Saturday.
Once a year, Decatur Dental Services and its satellite offices in Adams and Wells counties join staff to assist with examinations, x-rays, and other dental work to local young people up through age 18, all free of charge. Adrienne Ranly, dentist at the local office, said that if serious situations such as major cavities or abscesses are discovered, they would also be addressed during that time.
Locally, Ranly will join with Dr. Michael Johnson of the Geneva Dental Clinic, plus volunteers from other offices in Decatur and Bluffton. A similar happening will be going on at the Decatur office during the same time.
"We try to do this annually, if possible. Last year, in the southern part of the county, we did it in Geneva," said Ranly. "This is our attempt to reach out to families who couldn't afford to do this otherwise. We do cleaning, examination, x-rays, fluoride treatments and more major work, if it is needed. We do all that we can to get them stabilized and out of pain.
"We realize that in a lot of cases, it might be the first time that kids have ever been to the dentist," continued Ranly. "We try to do all that we can to make their experience as pleasant as possible so that they won't be intimidated when they need to make future visits to the dentist office."
Ranly said that the entire project is carried out on a volunteer basis, including her staff and workers from other offices.
"Everything is free," said Ranly. "There is no charge for anything."
Ranly said that if there are those who can't get into this Saturday's program due to bookings, families should be advised that this is an annual event that usually occurs around the last of January or first part of February. She said that notices are printed in local newspapers and banners are placed in front of the offices announcing the event. Due to the number of people being serviced over the four-hour period, Ranly emphasized that only two members per family are allowed during the time.
"It's amazing how soon we book," said Ranly. "Usually, within just a few days after the announcement, we are all booked.
"We really care about adults and everyone, but this is a special time to reach out to the children of the community," continued Ranly. "Their circumstances are out of their control. They can't help it if their parents are in situation where they can't afford to get them to a dentist. If parents have children that are hurting, we want to do what we can to try to ease that burden on them."
Ranly, who has worked in the Berne community for several months, said that she feels privileged to be able to serve the local area and is grateful for the support that the city has given her. She views the "Kids Smile" campaign as a way of giving back to the community for a day.
"I feel that we are very fortunate to be a part of this much bigger project," Ranly said. "This is our way of paying back the community for its support in a small way. It's always a lot of fun for the staff. We have a good time working together to do this. When a child comes in with pain in their mouth and we can make it so that won't be there after they leave, it is more than worth all that is involved in such a day."

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