KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals partnered with with TeamSmile and SunLife/DentaQuest to give 250 Kansas City-area kids free dental care Friday.

They provided students from Independence School District with free dental services at the Urban Youth Academy.

“Literally from screenings and cleanings but also we’ll take care of their x-rays, we’ll take care of their cavities, root canals,” said John McCarthy, TeamSmile executive director.

“Whatever they need today, we’re here to help them. It’s really important at a young age to teach proper oral health because it’s going to last them a lifetime and going to ultimately impact their overall health.”

About 200 dental and general volunteers were a part of the event as well.

“Dental health is so important to your overall,” said Chris Major, director of community partnerships for Royals Charities.

“The Urban Youth Academy, one of our main purposes is to get kids physically active and provide a safe, healthy space to play baseball and softball, and dental work is a part of that.”

TeamSmile brought $650,000 worth of dental equipment to set up for the full dental clinic.