Nonprofit Dental Aid provides crucial care to children in need
When hurricanes devastated the Virgin Islands last year, John and his wife were forced to move themselves and their two children from their island home to Boulder. They had to relocate after their rental home had its roof torn off and its windows blown out.
The move has been a major adjustment, but the family has found comfort in at least one area of their life thanks to Dental Aid Inc., a Boulder County nonprofit that provides affordable dental care to those who are uninsured or otherwise unable to afford it.
One recent morning, his 6-year-old son, Gage, had a new crown installed by a Dental Aid dentist. Gage has been a frequent visitor and has benefited from the nonprofit, which helped pay for his three fillings, another crown, a tooth extraction and a spacer.
John said the nonprofit pays half the cost of the dental work, which has saved the family hundreds of dollars. He said the dentists told him part of the reason his children needed such extensive dental work stemmed from the fact that cisterns of rain water, which aren’t fluorinated, are the water supply for those living on the Virgin Islands.
“This helps tremendously,” the father said.
Dental Aid is one of the programs receiving funds from The Denver Post’s Season to Share campaign this year. In 2017, Dental Aid provided services to 7,124 people, nearly half of them children.
“I love this place,” said one of the Dental Aid dentists, Darby Barfield. “The families are so grateful.”
She said she recently had the pleasure of providing care to a child of one of her former patients who received services years ago while in foster care. In more complicated cases, Barfield treats children at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora. A 2-year-old with more than 12 cavities was scheduled for treatment at the hospital, Barfield said. The savings Dental Aid would provide the family would amount to $3,000, she added.
“With that level of complication, a child can’t concentrate,” Barfield said. “They’re in severe pain. We’re able to clean that up.”
Dental Aid also is able to provide an educational component that helps families avoid future complications. Often the parents haven’t had proper dental care, which means they can transfer harmful bacteria that can damage their children’s teeth. The parents learn how to improve their teeth while also learning how to teach their children lifelong habits for proper dental care, Barfield said.