Gateway students get free dental treatment

About 300 students at Glacier Gateway Elementary School had their teeth examined and sealed with a fluoride treatment last week.

It’s all part of a statewide program called “Sealants for Smiles” sponsored by the American Dental Association.

The program has been ongoing for several years — Ruder Elementary has participated in the past, but this is the first year for Gateway students. The treatment was free to the students.

Columbia Falls dentists Roger Newman and Neal Buffington and staff from David Keim and Gary Dahlen of Kalispell and Whitefish all donated their time to the effort.

One of the main concerns was to put sealant on the first and second molars, said Stormi Okerman, who was overseeing the program.

“We then go back in subsequent years and see if it was effective,” she said.

Okerman said the program will visit 99 schools over the course of a year and treat more than 9,000 students.