WLRN Public Media | By The Conversation

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Olga Ensz  is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Community Dentistry at the University of Florida.

“He hides his smile in every school photo,” Jayden’s mother told me, holding up a picture of her 6-year-old son.

I first met Jayden – not his real name – as a patient at the University of Florida community dental outreach program in Gainesville, Florida. Jayden had visible cavities on his front teeth – dark spots that had become the target of teasing and bullying by classmates. The pain had become so severe that he began missing school. His family, living in a rural part of north Florida, had spent months trying to find a dentist who accepted Medicaid.

This story was originally produced by WLRN, South Florida’s only public radio station at 91.3 FM, as part of a content sharing partnership with MIA Media Group. Read more at WLRN.org