Tens of thousands of children across the country don't have access to dental care, including right here in Southern Nevada.

Future Smiles is a local nonprofit that serves the dental needs of underserved students in the Clark County School District.

We stopped by the Women's Philanthropy Dental Wellness Center on the campus of Elaine Wynn Elementary School to learn more about Future Smiles and the services they provide.

♪♪♪ (Terri Chandler) Future Smiles was founded in 2009 by three dental hygienists, myself and two of my dental hygiene colleagues.

We had a dream of increasing access to dental care here in Southern Nevada.

The facility is available for any Clark County School District child.

(Ruby Arroyo) They said that he needed help.

So then I said, okay, and that's how I found out.

They gave me some paperwork, and then they told me to come over here, then I made an appointment.

He had some caps on his teeth that he had because he had two cavities.

And so they fixed his cavities and then put in the caps.

And right now they're going to put the mouth gear, because he's missing some teeth.

So they want it to come out straight.

-The dental care that is provided here at the Dental Wellness Center is very much like what you experience at a dental office.

You will get digital x-rays.

You will see a licensed dentist here in the state of Nevada, Dr. Erika Nieto, and she provides wonderful, comprehensive dental care.

So the children will have fillings, they'll have cleanings, they'll have any minor extraction that they may need so that we can get them on a pathway.

-It's so important, ages zero to 100.

It's connected to your entire body.

I feel like in the past, maybe it's been overlooked as not as important, but it really disconnects to, from your head to your toes.

-Future Smiles is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

We balance out our care with Medicaid children, as well as private philanthropy, foundations like Elaine P. Wynn and Family Foundation and the Engelstad Foundation.

We have many, many foundations and funders that help support our mission.

What we see is that 50% of our children have a Medicaid resource.

However, the other 50% are low income and uninsured.

I have a couple points to make: First and foremost, parents need to sign their children up for Medicaid.

If they're eligible, they should sign up for Medicaid because it opens the door to all healthcare products, whether it's medical, dental, vision, mental health, and all the things that a child needs to be healthy and well to do well in school.

The second thing I'd like to say is oral healthcare matters throughout the lifespan.

So kids need to, you know, brush and floss twice a day, eat healthy foods, have good nutrition.

-It's really rewarding.

The population that we see, it's really rewarding.

The families are very appreciative.

-Oh, it means a lot, because I know how it is to have bad teeth.

As you know, a smile is that makes us smile on every day to everybody.

-Thank you for all that you do for our students.

And listen to this: Future Smiles also serves schools through a mobile unit that can provide on-site care for students in need.

You can learn more at futuresmiles.net.