Members of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe will soon have a reason to smile big, now that the tribe is set to benefit from a $100,000 grant from Delta Dental’s nonprofit Arcora Foundation.

Grant funds will be used to pay for expansion of the Port Gamble S’Klallam’s existing dental clinic from three to seven chairs in order to better serve the tribe’s more-than 1,200 enrolled members. The expanded dental clinic will operate in a new, consolidated Health Services Building, which also includes physical and behavioral health services as well.

Services provided at the clinci will include preventive and restorative care such as routine hygiene, fillings, sealants, x-rays, oral screenings for babies and oral cancer

“Oral health is a fundamental part of and essential to overall health,” said Diane Oakes, president of Arcora Foundation. “Co-locating the new dental clinic with other health programs and expanding dental services will make dental care more accessible and help improve the oral health and overall health of the community.”

According to a recent press release, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe estimated the clinic would ultimately serve an additional 352 patients and 2,888 patient visits per year.