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KIRKSVILLE, MO --
The new A.T. Still University dental school coming to Kirksville in 2013 could have an effect on your own chompers.

The Northeast Missouri Health Council will reap the benefits of the dental college through a much needed partnership.
    
The dental school will need patients, and the health council's dental clinic is in need of dentists to see its patients. That'll mean more access to affordable oral health care in Kirksville.

Currently health council's dental clinic is short on manpower, so patients sometimes have to wait several weeks to get in.
    
“We're going to expand drastically, we're going to expand from nine chairs up to a maximum really to begin with about 14 chairs and by 2014 we think we're going to be up to 32 chairs, so we will have a lot more daily appointments, a lot more opportunity for follow-up on a quicker basis,” said Andy Grimm, Northeast Missouri Health Council CEO.
    
And it hopes to provide more services than just basic dental care. The dental school could bring opportunities for area residents to see specialists closer to home. Right now, most people have to go to places like Quincy or Columbia for orthodontics or procedures like root canals.