BackTrack boys get happy smiles as Tamworth dentists give back on dental rescue day

For some BackTrack kids, Saturday's dental rescue day at Happy Smiles Dental Clinic was their first ever teeth checkup, practice owner Chloe Gowland said.

But it won't be the last.

Dr Gowland said the clinic's dentists will pick one or two kids each to offer free services for the rest of the year, a bit like a lawyer taking on a pro bono client.

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Staff volunteer to give up their Saturday to help out needy kids.

Practice Manager Sharon Goff estimated the clinic had given away some $12,500 in treatment on Saturday alone, including thousands of dollars in materials that will have to be replaced.

"It was probably our most successful year yet," she said.

Dentistry isn't offered under Medicare, so the health service isn't universal.

Dr Gowland said the gap isn't among Tamworth's poorest people, who can access free services at the hospital, but in the next rung up.

"I was actually surprised today, a lot of the patients - considering they had never seen a dentist - that things weren't terrible. There were things that were easily manageable and we could get them back on track," she said.

She said Tamworth's dental health needs a bit of work.

"Like any rural town, There's always more to be done," she said.

"Generally speaking if you were to compare the population here versus Sydney, there's going to be a poorer oral health in a rural area."

Dentists around Australia volunteer their time to provide essential oral care to the less fortunate on dental rescue days during dental heath week, which ran from August 3 to 9 this year.

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