Nine-year-old Kristian and his sister, 6-year-old Madison, sit quietly in the hallway of a doctor's office, their eyes shifting from side to side, taking in the scene.

They're nervous.

But their dad, Kevin Portwood, has a big grin on his face. It's been quite some time since his kids have seen a dentist.

"It's hard to find anyone who will take Medicaid," he said. "It's really strict. ... And being a single dad, it's hard."

Kristian and Madison, along with 150 other Hall County kids, came through the dental offices of Ryan Vaughn on Friday in Gainesville, as volunteers administered a steady stream of free cleanings, emergency extractions and dental hygiene lessons.

The event was part of the national Give Kids a Smile day sponsored by the American Dental Association, with more than 1,200 dentists across the country giving dental care to almost 40,000 kids.

The kids were selected through a partnership with Hall County Schools, with nurses nominating children who otherwise wouldn't have access to regular dental care.

"(The nurses) were worried that they weren't going to be able to fill the spaces," said Julie Vaughn, office manager of Kid's Dentistry of North Georgia and the owner's wife. "And then they were worried there weren't going to be enough spots."

Starting at 8 a.m., the lobby filled up with patients waiting for the first of a full day of appointments. Volunteers walked kids and their parents into one of four rooms or across a parking lot to another practice where more doctors were set up. Nearly 20 dentists volunteered their time, as well as several dental hygiene students from Lanier Technical College.

As the morning went on, more volunteers showed up to offer their help.

"You have beautiful teeth, so take care of them the rest of your life," Carol McAboy said to Jeremiah Dodson has she finished his cleaning.

As Jeremiah, 13, walked out of his appointment, he said his mouth was a little numb, but the half day off school was a good trade off.

While his son appreciated the time off, his dad, Sam Dodson, said he was more excited about the opportunity Jeremiah was getting to learn about dental hygiene.

"It kind of helps remind people that it's time to go get a checkup," he said. "Sometimes you get so busy."

As Jeremiah walked out of the office, another kid just as quickly hopped in McAboy's chair, and the process started over again.

The girl said it had been about five years since she had her teeth cleaned.

"A lot's changed since then," McAboy told her. "This isn't going to hurt a bit."

Ryan Vaughn said that while there are government programs that offer dental care assistance, there aren't enough doctors willing to take on new government-funded patients.

"The need is far greater than the doctor's can do," he said.

In his first year as area coordinator, he focused on helping Hall County families. But in the future, the dentist hopes to recruit more volunteers, expand to other counties and offer a wider breadth of services.

In a corner office Friday morning, Kristian shook off his nerves and hopped into the chair. His sister sat in the corner, peeking over her arms as her brother leaned back.
"Open up real big," said Kayla Hughes, a senior dental hygienist student at Lanier Tech who volunteered for the day.

Kristian separated his teeth a tiny bit.

"No, real big," Hughes said, and Kristian stretched his jaw open.

"I don't want to do that," his sister Madison said, leaning forward with intrigue. "I don't want to do that."

Their father asked Hughes about how he can help Kristian stop grinding his teeth at night. She recommended either a dentist-fitted mouth guard or one bought over the counter.

As they talked, Hughes laid down her tools.

But Kristian kept his mouth wide open the entire time. He looked over at his dad and flashed a quick thumbs up.