TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa native and “tooth doc" is giving back to his community by working with kids in the hope they’ll not have to come see him as adults.

“The dentist is the one that makes sure that your teeth aren’t broken," said Dr. Michael Diez, or “Dr. Mick” as he is known. “And if you do have a cavity, I’m the one who fixes it.”

Diez, a dentist with General and Cosmetic Dentistry of Tampa, is this week's Everyday Hero.

Spectrum News met with him at Morgan Woods Elementary School in Tampa with kindergarteners through fifth graders, all members of Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay.

“Today we’re going to be educating the Boys and Girls Club of proper dental hygiene, how to brush and floss,” Diez said.

The proper way to floss is explained with plenty of smiles.

“We wanted to reach out to the community in some way, and as a dentist I think the best thing we can do is educating the next generation on how to have good hygiene and avoid some of the serious problems we see on a day-to-day basis,” Diez said.

Tooth care runs in his family. Diez works with his dad Randall, how is also a dentist, and his mom Lori, who is a dental hygienist.

Diez's choice to work with Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay was, in part, because of a memory.

“My grandfather, my dad’s father, it played a big part in his life in his early years,” he said. "He’ll tell anyone the Boys and Girls Club kept him out of trouble and really made him who he was today.”