BENNINGTON — Many parents in Vermont have struggled to find a dental home for their kids. COVID created the perfect storm when it comes to finding dental care for pediatrics. Dental providers have retired, and new dentists are not coming to the area. Greater Bennington Interfaith Community Services partnered with local dentists in the past to provide free dental clinics, but they have not occurred in many years.
“These clinics come at just the right time!” exclaimed a parent whose child had not been seen by a dentist throughout COVID and could not find a dentist in Bennington County that could take her son, according to a release from the Vermont Department of Health.
The Vermont DOH has been focused on this gap in services and looking for solutions. The Medical Reserve Corps of SW Vermont is a group of mostly medical volunteers creating a strong, healthy and prepared community. These Vermonters help to fill gaps in services. They helped vaccinate many Vermonters during COVID and now the dentists and hygienists are stepping up and coming to kids camps and various locations to make it easier to be seen. These free popup clinics are available to kids between ages of 5-16. They provide assessment, oral health education, fluoride application and SDF as needed for cavities.
The next clinic is scheduled for Sept. 30, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Bennington at the Orchard Village Community Center. Another clinic will be held in October in the upper part of the county. To sign up, call 802-343-8693 or email diana.myrvang@vermont.gov. A parental consent form must be signed for the young person to be seen.