Hopeful dental patients wait in line for days for free Phoenix dentistry event to open
Hundreds of people gathered outside the Arizona State Fairgrounds last week in hope that they may be able to see a dentist. The Mission of Mercy clinic, which provides free dental care, took place in Phoenix on Friday and Saturday 7th and 8th December, with some people turning up as early as Tuesday 4th December to ensure they got an appointment.
By Wednesday evening, there was a queue stretching two blocks and this had grown to four blocks by Thursday evening. By the time the clinic opened its doors at 6am on Friday 7th December, more than 1,000 people were waiting patiently in line.
The Mission of Mercy clinic, which was run in partnership with the Central Arizona Dental Society Foundation, was the seventh annual event. Taking place over the course of two days, the vast team of volunteers, which included 300 dentists, worked tirelessly to treat around 2,000 people, providing services patients would never have been able to afford at a regular dental office.
Ron Mellott, from Phoenix, pitched a tent on the pavement on Tuesday, determined to get a place in line. He had been suffering with severe dental pain for several months, but couldn’t afford to see a dentist. The Mission of Mercy is a source of support and help for many who don’t have health and dental insurance or the means to pay for treatment.
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