HAYDEN LAKE — At Avondale Dental, Friday’s Give Kids a Smile Day was about more than providing free routine teeth cleanings.

It was about setting the kids up with healthy smiles, year-round.

“This is the place to come for good dental work but also to learn about the tools for home care and good daily hygiene,” said dental assistant Teresa Budvarson.

Avondale Dental has been providing free dental care to children in need during Give Kids a Smile Day for over 20 years.

It’s part of a national event that takes place traditionally on the first Friday of February, which has been dubbed Children’s Dental Health Month.

“At first, we did this for existing patients,” Budvarson said, “but we opened it up to schools and areas where families often can’t afford treatment. We can serve the community in this way.”

Each doctor and hygienist providing services during Friday’s event was volunteering their time, treating 23 local kids in total.

Each child was first seen by a hygienist to get their teeth cleaned, followed by an exam and x-rays. Treatments such as fillings and extractions were performed, if necessary, at no cost to the families.

All told, Avondale Dental provided $18,006 worth of no-cost treatments Friday, according to Katie Martin, DDS.

It’s this sort of community outreach that keeps parents like Mike and Sarah Jacobs of Post Falls bringing their children back each year.

“It’s such a huge blessing for us to have the kids’ dental needs covered,” Mike said.