Amelia dentist sees underprivileged kids for free once a year

Going to the dentist can be scary, but 11-year-old Gauge White is all smiles when he sees Dr. Jim Pierce at the Amelia East Family Dentistry.  February is Children's Dental Health Month, according to the American Dental Association, and Pierce has been working for 25 years to make sure every child in Clermont County has the same access to oral health care as Gauge does. On one day each year, Pierce takes dozens of young pro bono clients -- those who might not otherwise be able to afford dental care -- and helps them get a head-start on good oral health. "Education is a big part of it," he said. "Fixing the teeth is definitely important, but if we can prevent it from happening, that's what we're about." The goal, he said, is to make sure both children and parents have the tools they need to maintain health habits through the rest of child's life. That can include cleanings, extractions and fillings on the day-of as well as helping schedule appointments for future procedures, which will also be provided at no cost.  In the 25 years since he began providing these services -- as do thousands of other dentists through the ADA's Give Kids a Smile Program -- Pierce said he had seen marked improvements in patients who continued to see him afterward. Once people know how to take care of themselves and their children, he said, they usually do.