HARPER WOODS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A metro Detroit nonprofit is bringing dental care directly to students — inside their schools.
Covenant Community Care's mobile dental teams are setting up fully functional clinics inside school buildings across the region, eliminating the transportation, scheduling, and work conflicts that often keep children from getting dental care.
Watch Keenan's story in the video player below:
At Discovery Creative Pathways Harper Woods, students step out of class and into a room that has been transformed into a working dental office.
"We move everything out and literally roll in our equipment and set up a fully functioning dental clinic," Lynn Eickholt, chief dental officer at Covenant Community Care, said.
The mobile clinics are equipped with reclining chairs, suction, sterilization equipment, and everything needed for exams, cleanings, fillings, and extractions.
Kara Bond, a registered dental hygienist and mobile dental clinic manager at Covenant Community Care, said transportation is one of the most common obstacles families face.
"There's also a lot of barriers to care for families that we see. It might be transportation. You know, a family might not be able to get to a dental clinic," Bond said.
The stakes can be high when those barriers go unaddressed. Of 70 children signed up for care at Discovery Creative Pathways Harper Woods, Eickholt found five with pressing dental problems during earlier examinations. Three were already reporting pain.
"Really urgent issues. Severe decay, tooth infection, which could lead to really systemic problems," Eickholt said.
Bond said dental problems in children can extend well beyond the mouth.
"It also can affect their eating, their drinking, their sleeping, even their learning and behavior at school. So addressing those dental needs is extremely important," Bond said.
The program combines prevention and treatment. Providers teach students about oral hygiene and apply sealants to help prevent cavities from forming. Bond explained the importance of flossing in terms students can understand.
"We floss because the little sugar bugs of the bacteria like to hide in between the teeth where the toothbrush doesn't reach," Bond said.
A dental hygienist described sealants to one student in similarly accessible terms.
"It's almost like nail polish, and just like when you get your nails done, you know, the blue light, shine it on there," the hygienist said.
The program also aims to prevent children from developing a fear of the dentist.
"We're in their environment, and they're with their friends and this is a fun event. We have great providers that make this a really enjoyable experience," Bond said.
Jaila, a 9-year-old student at Discovery Creative Pathways Harper Woods, said the experience has been a positive one.
"They clean your teeth, they're nice, and they put on a movie for you. It's nice, it's nice," Jaila said.
Chrysantha Norwood, assistant principal at Discovery Creative Pathways Harper Woods, said dental health is directly connected to learning.
"You can't learn if you are in discomfort. You can't learn if your teeth don't feel well," Norwood said.
Norwood said the program also eases the burden on families.
"Because we have this professional service that comes in and provides exactly what is needed for their children. And so it kind of like takes something off their plates," Norwood said.
Because visits happen inside the school building, students do not need to leave campus, parents do not need to take time off work, and families do not need to arrange transportation across town.
Last year, Covenant's bilingual mobile teams partnered with more than 90 Head Starts, 18 Detroit Public Schools, and five charter schools.
When the mobile team identifies a problem it cannot fully treat on-site, Covenant can connect the child with one of its three Detroit-area dental clinics. The longer-term goal is not just a single visit — it is to give children a dental home and sustain that care over time.
For Jaila, the motivation is straightforward.
"I want my teeth to be healthy and clean," Jaila said.
