One of the biggest fears of receiving dental work is not the drill...but the bill.

To help alleviate some of the financial burdens Smiles Across Minnesota was at Lowell Elementary School today.

It's part of a statewide preventive dental program that has expanded to Duluth public elementary schools.

Delta Dental of Minnesota and Children's Dental Services joined forces to launch Smiles Across Minnesota.

The program was officially kicked off in Duluth today and it is designed to provide preventive dental care to low income and uninsured children.

At the same time school officials hope it will help bolster classroom performance.

A trip to the dentist is not always fun, but many say it's a must...especially for children.

"The Center for Disease Control classifies tooth decay as a national epidemic with more than 51 million school hours lost to dental-related issues," said Paula Reed, executive director of United Way of Greater Duluth.

For many families, money is the most difficult issue to confront.

"Even children that have what we would think is Medicaid coverage or perhaps has the S-Chips program, what we're finding is only about 50 percent of them receive any dental care," said Sue Dodd, director of programs for Oral Health of America.

So here's how the care works.

Children, ages 3-12, who return school consent forms will receive free dental assessments at their school, and if needed, applied care ranging from fluoride treatments to teeth cleaning.

Those needing further care will be referred to their previous dentist.
If they don't' have one, the child will be referred to a local dentist.

Bottom line is checkups are necessary because dental-related illnesses can prove deadly.

"We've seen children die from dental infections," said Sarah Wovcha, Smiles Across America co-chair.

School officials hope they care will help out a lot in the classroom as well.

"A lot of children with their teeth hurting, those kind of things and they simply can't concentrate as well," said Keith Dixon, superintendent of Duluth Public Schools.

To date, Smiles Across Minnesota reports more than three thousand children have received needed sealants, cleanings and fluoride in the Twin Cities Alone.