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<p>HANOVER TWP. &#8212; Gavin Chaparro was eager to show off his dance moves more than his teeth, so he did a little jig in front of dentist Mahima Singh, smiled and offered a second demonstration. &#8220;I can do the floss too!&#8221; the pre-school boy beamed, launching the rapid-fire hand rocking moves popular among pre-teens.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s great,&#8221; Darcie Schaffer, who was helping Singh, laughed, &#8220;But we&#8217;d like to see you do the other kind of flossing.&#8221;</p><p>Chaparro&#8217;s unsolicited &#8220;floss&#8221; reference could hardly have fit the moment better. Singh was giving free dental checkups to several dozen students in the Pre-K Counts classes at Hanover Area School District&#8217;s Lyndwood Center earlier this week. Most of the youngsters bashfully opened their mouths and said &#8220;ahh&#8221; so Singh could make a quick inspection, give them a high five and send them off with a sticker.</p><p>Chaparro was the only one to put on a show, though Dariel Morales got pretty animated after Singh asked if anyone helps brush his teeth. &#8220;A dragon helps me!&#8221; he said, showing off his pearly whites.</p><p>The check-ups came courtesy of Volunteers in Medicine, an agency backed with money from United Way of Wyoming Valley &#8212; United Way presented a check for $30,000 to Volunteers in Medicine Executive Director Kelly Ranieli as Singh finished checking the last few students.</p><p>Ranieli had spent most of the morning giving the children a chance to brush teeth, though not there own. She passed around a large stuffed kangaroo, a fish and a cute little dragon, all particularly toothsome so youngsters could give them a good once-over with dry brushes.</p><p>&#8220;Educating a child on oral hygiene is imperative,&#8221; Ranieli said, noting that problems like an abscess or cavity can cause pain that distracts the child to the point where he or she &#8220;can&#8217;t play with friends and can&#8217;t concentrate in school.&#8221; Volunteers in Medicine bring such education to about 2,000 children each year, she added.</p><p>Targeting students in the Pre-K Counts program means they are reaching those in low-income families, where money for preventive dentist care is often lacking. Ranieli said the group notes if a child has cavities or other problems, reports it to the school and follows up in helping those who need a full dental visit get one.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Nayslin Martinez a Pre-K student at the Lyndwood center takes a turn at brushing Katie the Kangaroo&#8217;s teeth when Volunteers in Medicine came to the school to offer dental checks. Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_TTL121218Teeth1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Nayslin Martinez a Pre-K student at the Lyndwood center takes a turn at brushing Katie the Kangaroo&#8217;s teeth when Volunteers in Medicine came to the school to offer dental checks. Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_TTL121218Teeth2.cmyk_.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Maeve Roote has her teeth checked by Volunteers in Medicine dentist Mahima Singh at the Lyndwood Center in Hanover Township Tuesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_TTL121218Teeth2.cmyk_.jpg</photo1><caption1>Maeve Roote has her teeth checked by Volunteers in Medicine dentist Mahima Singh at the Lyndwood Center in Hanover Township Tuesday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Volunteers in Medicine, United Way back effort</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Hanover Area Pre-K students get free dental checkups courtesy of volunteers