St. Clair College Alumni of Distinction: Chatham dental hygienist makes difference through charity work

Dental hygienist Christine Knights doesn’t just run her standalone practice to make a living; she’s also in business to make a difference.

Before opening Bright Smiles in Chatham, she spent seven years working for a not-for-profit operation in Alberta, driving to lower-income areas and schools in Calgary in a 18-metre Winnebago that served as a mobile clinic providing free dental care and education.

Knights is one of six St. Clair College graduates who will be recognized at the 30^th Alumni of Distinction Awards ceremony April 15 in Windsor. She’s being honored in the Nursing/Health Sciences category.

Born and raised in Chatham, Knights said she always wanted to return home to “continue doing my own things and that’s how Bright Smiles came to be.”

Since it opened in July 2016, she has provided free dental hygiene services, including cleaning, polishing and cancer screening, to 16 people a month.

“Usually there are dental concerns of some sort, so I work with them to see if they can financially afford treatment with the dentist,” she said. If they can’t, she discusses available government services or other funding options.

“I think my experience with working in Calgary and doing the charity work there really set a tone for what I wanted not only my business, but for my life,” Knights said. “I’ve been very fortunate with the business and being able to set my own schedule.”

Having done mission trips to Africa and Southeast Asia, she said that is rewarding in a different way.

When it comes to her charity work today, Knights said, “I love being able to help here at home with people I’m going to see at the grocery store.”

Her flexible schedule also has let her do other volunteer work, including helping start the Erie St. Clair Oral Health Coalition, working with Chatham-Kent Public Health dental hygienist Leanne Pepper to advocate for people with no dental coverage and petition to have dental care covered under OHIP.

Knights was pleased to see $7 billion over five years for dental programs in the recent federal budget.

“It’s warranted,” she said. “How many people are going to the ER for dental problem and concerns?”

“A lot of our taxpayer dollars are being used at the hospital (when) they could be used at dental offices and solving the problem,” she added.

Knights credits her St. Clair College training for laying the foundation for her career.

“Education is one of the biggest components to being able to have the knowledge base and also the confidence to go out and do what you want with the profession,” she said.

St. Clair’s dental hygiene program prepares students for all aspects of the profession, from working with a general dentist to working with specialists, like an orthodontist.

Since graduating in 2006, she has worked with a dentist, but feels starting a standalone practice lets her serve the broader community.

“I just enjoy being able to offer clients an alternative to treatment at a lower cost to increase access to care,” she said. “I’m reaching a population that otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford dental hygiene services.”

Knights, who’s gone from “scratch” to about 700 active patients, said her practice is “growing quite well, I’s very pleased with everything.”

[email protected]

IF YOU GO

What: St. Clair College’s 30th Alumni Distinction ceremony

When: April 15 at 6 pm

Where: Alumni Skyline room, St. Clair College Center for the Arts, downtown Windsor.

Tickets: $75, tables of 8 or 10 available; call (519) 972-2747 or visit stclairalumni.com.

OTHER HONORED

Business & IT: Bob Bellacicco, reporter, Bell Media/CTV News Windsor, 1994 Business Advertising grad

Technology/Engineering: Fil Grado, advance projects technical lead at Stellantis, 1997 Mechanical Engineering Technology grad

Creative Arts (Media, Art & Design): Dan Janisse, photojournalist, Windsor Star, 1989 Journalism grad

Recent Grad: Julia Lane, award-winning, multi-sport Canadian athlete, 2022 Community Integration through Cooperative Education grad

Community Studies: Cheryl Sprague, executive director/founder, Delta Chi Beta ECE Centers, 1978 Early Childhood Education grad