For kids, a reason to smile

"One trip to the vet's office with our family's sick cat cured me of that," said Gock, now a Santa Rosa dentist.

During college, she kept asking people what they liked about their jobs. Focusing on careers in medicine or science, she found that quite a few professionals gave her reasons not to choose their path, while dentists always impressed her with a zest for their work.

"I like helping people. What is really neat about being a dentist is being able to calm people down and show them that it's not scary. Stuff that used to be painful isn't anymore," she said.

In practice for nearly 20 years, she has long been an active community volunteer. On Feb. 1, she will be volunteering with Sonoma County's "Give Kids a Smile Day" program, which offers free dental exams to local children.

Working at six locations around the county, Gock and other dentists, dental hygienists and dental students from Santa Rosa Junior College will give approximately 600 children free checkups.

The program has its roots in the original Children's Dental Health Day, which was established by the American Dental Association in 1949.

In addition to the screenings and referrals to follow-up services, children under age 5 and their siblings will receive a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss.

A recent study by the Dental Health Foundation found that by third grade, almost two-thirds of California children have the beginnings of dental disease.

"It's kind of a hidden problem, because kids can have a toothache and not tell anybody. They stay home or act up at school because they don't feel good," Gock said.

As a co-founder of Give Kids a Smile Day, which was launched in Sonoma County in 2004, Gock has helped expand the reach of the program.

For many children, this free checkup is the first time they will sit in a dental chair. To calm her pint-sized patients, Gock carefully explains each step in advance of any treatment.

"I believe in tell, show, do. I tell them what I'm going to do, what they might feel and I'll do things like let them watch the drill or I'll squirt a little water on their hand. Kids are more frightened when you hide things from them," she said.

Like many dentists, Gock also volunteers with the Kids Net program, offering free dental treatment in her own office for uninsured children who are in pain or have urgent dental care needs. She sees about two to three of those cases per month. In addition, she is active in public education in English and Spanish via the "Ask a Dentist" public radio program.

"It's just what you do. As long as I'm active, I'd love to keep doing this and show others how fun and gratifying volunteering can be," she said.

This year's daylong event is hosted by the Sonoma County Oral Health Access Coalition and the Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County, with support from First 5 Sonoma County and Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa.

Interested families must pre-register their children by calling 544-KNET (5638). However, a few slots are usually held for same-day registrations and emergencies, Gock said.

To learn more, call program coordinator Marie Ibanez at 544-6911.

You can reach Staff Writer Rayne Wolfe at 521-5240 or rayne.wolfe@pressdemocrat.com.