Tigers Attend Dental Clinic at Arrowhead Stadium

For most people, a trip to the dentist brings nerves, drills and dread. But for nearly 100 students at Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, it was anything but typical.

Their experience turned the usual dental drama into something special, thanks to some very generous community partners who care.

On Tuesday, Sept. 9, the iconic Arrowhead Stadium became more than just a football stadium, it was transformed into a massive dental clinic, where hundreds of elementary and middle school students from the greater Kansas City-area received comprehensive dental care.

The spacious ballroom at Arrowhead Stadium was lined with dozens of dental stations, staffed by dentists and their assistants working efficiently side by side.

Adjacent to them, clinicians prepped dental tools and delivered X-rays.

The clinic featured cleanings, cavity fillings, extractions, sealants and more. For a large number of the students, it was their first time ever seeing a dentist.

“It’s important to expose students to an experience they may not get at home,” CBB Diploma+ liaison Kelly Meyer said.

“I knew immediately some of the students at Carl B. Bruce who needed this. Some of them in the building had been complaining to adults about the pain they were experiencing. I know some of the students here at the clinic who already had those problems taken care of.”

Aside from the dental care, students were also schooled on how to properly take care of their teeth. “The kids learned how to brush their teeth and how to floss. It is a lifetime of care that they are learning,” Meyer said.

Perhaps the highlight of the clinic was the fan experience, something a person would expect at a football game.

Students were entertained by the Chiefs’ mascot, KC Wolf, the team’s cheerleaders, as well as face painting, goodie bags and dancing to the fun tunes provided by a live deejay.

Several students from Carl B. Bruce Middle School found the overall experience pretty cool, which is what organizers were hoping for.

Uvaldo Ortiz, a 7th-grader, said his dental visit was easy and he wasn’t scared. His classmate, Maria Leiba agreed. “My experience was good because sometimes you don’t have time to go to the dentist. This was a good experience,” she added.

The clinic is part of a partnership with TeamSmile, a nonprofit organization, in collaboration with the NFL, Major League Baseball and colleges that specialize in dentistry.

According to John McCarthy, the Executive Director of TeamSmile, the mission of the clinic is to provide a dental experience for children in need through the power of sports.

“We want to create this special lifetime experience so that they will remember dentistry as something cool, fun, and exciting. We want to take the fear out of dentistry.”

McCarthy says the core mission of the clinic is to provide free dental care and oral health education.

“We’re going to do the full body of dental work, with whatever the children need. If they have to have a cavity filled, extractions, or if they just need their teeth cleaned, we do it all right here.”

When asked why dental clinics like these are held, McCarthy had one simple response. “We should. It’s a privilege to be able to make a difference for others. It’s an honor and a privilege for us to be able to do it.”

The dental clinic held at Arrowhead Stadium offered dental services to approximately 300 students.

To view a photo gallery of the event, click the link.