Malinda Lam-Gershony dental practice at Redmond Town Center is opening its doors this Saturday to provide free dental consultations for children.

“Give a Kid a Smile Day” will equip children and their parents with preventive treatments and education on keeping their mouths healthy.

Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of children, four times more common than asthma, according to the Center for Disease Control.

Malinda Lam-Gershony, a practicing dentist in the Redmond location for 10 years, understands this need for children’s dentistry and wants to help reduce tooth decay in children by providing basic, but important education on tooth health.

“There is quite a lot of need, especially with the economy going the way it is,” said Lam-Gershony. “A lot of families’ benefits are being cut and the first thing to go is usually dental.”

Tooth decay is a disease which can be prevented by brushing and flossing one’s teeth every day. Importantly, parents need to instill regular teeth cleaning habits in their children while they are young and still have their baby teeth. Many parents are unaware that their children have cavities, which is why educating parents is necessary, said Lam-Gershony.

“The saddest thing is to have to tell a parent that I have to take out their permanent tooth at the age of six,” said Lam-Gershony. “It is so preventable.”

Preventive procedures include sealants and fluoride, which protect and re-mineralize teeth for a good foundation against cavities. Keeping healthy teeth at a young age is less expensive than having dental work in the future.

“If we can treat kids early when they still have their baby teeth, even though they have some decay, once they lose those then they have a chance of having healthy teeth,” said Lam-Gershony.

Besides preventive care that will be offered at Lam-Gershony’s practice, she will also be providing lists of low-income clinics to help families who cannot afford dentistry.

Lam-Gershony’s office is taking appointments for “Give a Kid a Smile Day” on a first-come, first-serve basis over the phone and for people who come into the office. Anyone is who is under 18 is eligible. For more information or to make an appointment, call (425)-867-1484.

Adelaide Tillinghast, a senior at The Bear Creek School, is an intern for the Redmond Reporter