By Nancy Bowman
The Miami County Dental Clinic continues to provide preventative and restorative dental care for county residents including children at its clinic on Troy Town Drive in Troy and through its Traveling Smiles outreach that includes visits to schools and other community locations.
The clinic was founded in 2008 and has been under the leadership of Stephanie Waller, executive director, since 2018.
“Our dental services have remained unchanged over the years. A main objective of the Miami County Dental Clinic is to be a dental home to members of our community who would otherwise not have access to or be able to afford dental care,” she said.
The clinic specializes in routine and emergency examinations, hygiene, extractions, rotary endodontics, amalgam and composite restorations, dentures, partials and crowns.
Traveling Smiles is a program that began in 2012. It provides care for children, in their school setting, who do not have a dental home, Waller said.
The staff last summer also set up clinic locations at Lincoln Community Center in Troy and the Piqua Compassion Network to see those children who may not have had the opportunity to participate in the program during the school year.
The Traveling Smiles staff is now moving to the Tipp City schools and at Isaiah’s Place, Troy, where local foster families can receive total care.
What Waller called an “exciting addition to the program” this year is the hiring through the Ohio State University College of Dentistry of pediatric dental fellows to work with the clinic’s team. Twice a week, a pediatric dental fellow works with Traveling Smiles to provide dental care and oral health education for students. The fellows are fully licensed, practicing dentists that seek to gain experience in working with children prior to continuing their education to become specialized pediatric dentists.
The partnership is a win-win for both programs, Waller said, adding, “Our young patients are receiving amazing care and these dentists are gaining valuable experience as they prepare for their next career steps.”
Each year, National Children’s Dental Health Care Month is in February.
Among those helping finance the clinic has been the Tipp City Foundation.
"The Tipp City Foundation has been an awesome supporter of the MCDC and our programs. They have graciously provided us with funding to provide exams, x-rays and cleanings for our uninsured patients; funding to help offset the cost of our lab fees and dental supplies; and they completely funded the update and makeover of our current website, www.miamicountydental.org. We are extremely grateful for their generosity and the cheerleading they do for our work,” Waller said.