Local Dentist Office Honored for its Work with Children

To help celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month, Sparks’ own Champagne Dentistry and the Northern Nevada Dental Society hosted its annual “Give Kids a Smile” event on Saturday, February 1. More than 130 local kids showed up to Champagne Dentistry on 735 Sparks Boulevard to receive teeth cleanings, x-rays, exams, restorative work (like fillings and crowns), or emergency treatment- all free of charge to uninsured and at-risk children.

“The event started at 8 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m.; we literally had a line around the building,” says Champagne Dentistry Marketing Director Kym Drake of the February 1 event.

Working in coordination with the Northern Nevada Dental Health Programs and volunteer dentists from the Northern Nevada Dental Society, the February 2020 “Give Kids a Smile” event was able to donate dental treatments worth more than $65,000 to local families who need it the most.

The annual “Give Kids a Smile” event has been going on for the past 10 years in Northern Nevada; this is the fourth consecutive year that it’s been held at Champagne Dentistry’s family and pediatric dentistry offices in Sparks. Between the years 2017-2019, more than $207,000 worth of dental services have been donated during the “Give Kids a Smile” event in Northern Nevada.

“The (2020) event went very well, all the children received cleanings, checkups, some of them had fillings or crowns put in,” says Champagne Dentistry CEO Dr. Jason Champagne.

Dr. Champagne says that there are around 25 volunteer dentists in the Northern Nevada area which include 10-12 dental hygienists, other staff members who work as dental assistants in the Northern Nevada dental community, and volunteer dental students attending University of Nevada, Reno.

“Unfortunately, with dental work you can’t treat all dental needs in one day, but we try to give kids and families exposure and access to dental care and place them in a good dental home going forward,” Champagne says. “(Give Kids a Smile) is also about educating the parents on dental hygiene, giving them dietary tips, and information about routine care going forward,” he adds.

At the February 10 Sparks City Council meeting, City of Sparks Mayor Ron Smith presented Champagne Dentistry with a Commendation recognizing their contribution to the community.

“The dental community in Northern Nevada is passionate and dedicated to helping those less fortunate. Each year, the number of volunteer dental providers for this event grows, as does the number of children helped and amount of donated services,” Smith says.

Champagne responded by saying, “We’re extremely proud to be able to host this event, we look forward to it every year. But this event wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for the generous volunteers of the dentists in the Northern Nevada community. Each year it gets bigger and bigger and becomes less of a challenge to get volunteer dentists, hygienists, and auxiliary staff to come and give their time for us. I’m proud to be a part of it and look forward to the event to grow year after year.”

“We have a great group of dentists here in Northern Nevada who are always willing to step up and help out for a great cause,” he adds.