Smart Smiles Dental Services, a non-profit provider of mobile dentistry in Utah, will continue for the 2022-23 school year. This onsite dentistry program for students launched in the MCSD in January of 2022, servicing Horizon and McMillan Elementaries. However, the program will now expand to other schools this year.
Smart Smiles is a school-based oral health program that focuses on dental disease prevention. Oral care is provided at the school during school hours and serves insured and uninsured
students. There are no fees to the child or the family for our services, but insurance (including
Medicaid/CHIP) will be billed if eligible. For every insured child seen, the program can provide
care to a low-income uninsured child.
The student will receive one or more of the following preventative services:
- A dental exam is performed by a dentist either onsite at the school or via teledentistry methods
(through computer/internet). - The oral health assessment provides the dental hygienist with information that is used to determine
treatment and oral health education to the child. - Dental x-rays are images that can show areas of the teeth and gums that are not visible during a
regular exam. They can help confirm cavities or other infections in the teeth and bone. - A dental cleaning removes all the hard and soft material that forms on the child’s teeth.
- Dental sealants are a thin plastic coating painted on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. They are
bonded to the tooth to help prevent decay as your child grows. - Silver Diamine Fluoride is a solution placed in a cavity to stop decay. The solution will turn the
cavity black, but will help keep the tooth from being destroyed by bacteria until it can either be fixed
or if it’s a baby tooth, falls out. - Fluoride varnish is applied to the teeth to strengthen them and help them be more resistant to decay.
All restorative dental needs will be referred to their current dental home provider or a dental office/clinic in their community. We are happy to send our findings, including X-rays, to their current dental home for review.
For more information or to complete the application, contact Belkis Villa, K-12 Family Support Advocate, at 801-264-7491, extension 5052, or you can email her at bvilla@murrayschools.org. You may also contact your school’s social worker.
